Sociological Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Illness - Term Paper Example

Sociological Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Illness Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code and Name: University: Date Submitted: Sociological Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Illness Symbolic interactionism Symbolic interactionism is a social theory that places focus on the interactions that take place between individuals including interpretation, patterns of communication and adjustments that take place between individuals. According to these theorists, health and illness are both constructed socially. They are the product of a social construction of reality. Scholars pursuing this school of thought investigate how people construct the meanings of certain situations as they interact socially (Jeon 2004, p. 249-256.). During these social interactions, they develop beliefs about self and co-presence with others in the society. Among the main ideas by these theorists is that people act in particular ways because of how they understand situations. Hence, objects, situations and behaviors get meanings when people interact with them in a society. These meanings are understandings are always being modified as people keep interacting with different people. In addition, they are handled by people as they interpret how the meanings affect their lives. Hence, interactionism is focused on the causes and meanings that people assign to being ill or illnesses. The meanings analyzed in interactionism are subjective. People behave in certain ways because of what they believe to be true and not only because of the objective truth. The society is constructed socially as human beings interpret different objects and events in their interactions (Pakgohar, 2011, p. 1-3). As people interpret issues, they develop a social bond. Understanding this theory is essential to healthcare practitioners because it helps them understand the environment within which illness and health are understood. This is especially important when developing programs and interventions meant to improve the health of individuals. Lifestyle changes are harder to effect if one does not have an understanding of how people understand their health and illnesses. Gaining a symbolic interactionism understanding is essential in explaining why people engage in particular behavior even if it is harmful to their health. Some young people still chose to smoke even though they know the objective truth that t is harmful to their health. Research has shown that young people know about the effect of tobacco on their bodies. However, this knowledge and the behavior it may result in is rivaled and sometimes overpowered by the fact that they feel smoking is cool (Pakgohar, 2011, p. 1-3). Such beliefs are accompanied by the feeling that they will be safe from any harm that smoking can cause. The symbolic meaning that accompanies smoking overpowers the potential risks. Within the broader theory of symbolic interactionism, various categories of processes that describe the manifestation of symbolic interactionism. Among them is the medicalization of deviance, which describes a situation here a behavior that is thought to be bad is linked and eventually turned into sick behavior. As people interact, they continuously interpret certain behavior and eventually make a conclusion about it. Understanding this is important for the health sector because they can use the same strategy to effect changes in health programs. Smoking is often linked to cancer and sedentary living to obesity. Drinking excess amounts of alcohol is inextricably linked to the sickness that is alcoholism (OpenStax College, 1 of 1). Another process is demedicalization, which is when a behavior thought to be sick is normalized. These two processes affect how a healthcare practitioner responds to a patient, how other people respond to them and how they understand the care or personal responsibility for the patient. For instance, before mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and autism were understood, they were often thought to be a manifestation of a demonic possession. Thus, people stayed away from these individuals. Once the behaviors associated with autism and schizophrenia was medicalized, people, including the health system, responded to them differently. Instead of shunning them, people were taught how to respond to them especially families and guardians. Healthcare professionals are making an effort to connect with them because they need to understand them in order to diagnose and treat them. Conditions such as autism are now demedicalized so that those with the condition do not have to be committed to hospital stay. Depending on the severity, those with autism live with other individuals and their guardians are trained on how to respond to them. Other conditions that have been medicalized include hyperactivity, insomnia and fatigue. One of the major problems facing the healthcare system is finding a theory that would explain the complexity of issues that affect human care. Symbolic itneractionism provides practitioners and other relevant individuals in the healthcare system with a way of understanding these issues as well as the changing relationship between patients and healthcare practitioners. The theory can also be used to facilitate research especially qualitative studies that aim to explain the different experiences patients have while living with carious diseases (Pakgohar, 2011, p. 1-3). It is also instrumental in explaining the differences that occur when two individuals have the same condition but then have different experiences with them because they are in different environment. In essence, it helps in understanding the social determinants of health as they relate to the society and the individual (Germov & McGee, 2010). Feminism The feminist perspective seeks to vie healthcare from the perspective of the woman including the biological and social issues involved in this. More emphasis is placed on the social conclusions that have been arrived at in the society and how these conclusions affect the understanding of health and illness of an individual. Originally, much of the emphasis was placed in the power that women’s minds and intellects have and how valuable they should be part of the health system. The society has a –perception about females including what they expect them to do and how they are expected to behave when issues to do with their health are raised. The perception of health and illness from the feminist perspective helps healthcare practitioners and scholars understand why certain issues face women to a higher level than men. The collective systems that are involved in feminist thoughts pay attention to the position culture and rights that women have in the society (Sherwin 2013, 1 of 1). Originally, the focus on feminism was only on the issues that face women and even though this has persisted, other issues are included such as the marginalization of particular groups. The focus is on understanding the links that exist between gender and health. This is particularly helpful especially in understanding why women in certain societies may not seek healthcare services when they are offered. In societies where gender segregation is part of the social fabric owing to culture, healthcare practitioners should have female doctors as well who will attend to the women in these societies (Germov & McGee, 2010). Gender awareness has also resulted in the development of more health sectors that pay attention to issues facing women. The theory suggests that, the problems and issues that are witnessed within the health sectors are rooted in inequalities that face women in healthcare, when women are affected by health problems. It projects on to their families and especially the children. A woman who is denied access to healthcare will rarely take her children to receive treatment. According to feminists, gender roles that reduce the power of women in the society lead to the standardization of healthcare making something that is meant for all only benefit a few. These perceptions make the situation of gender disparities worse (Sherwin 2013, 1 of 1). Disparities are inevitable owing to physiological and psychological differences between men and women, however, failure to acknowledge these differences when constructing health interventions affects women negatively. Understanding the feminist perspective is important because the health system needs to make interventions that will be effective in tackling health problems in women as well. Understanding the feminist theory also helps health care practitioners understand the risk factors that cause gender disparities in health. Since men and women are exposed to different risk factors, programs for improving health will also be different. Living in a patriarchal society means that men have more power and they are also the ones who are involved in making decisions on how to run the health system. In doing so, they ensure access to healthcare while also maintaining the disparities between males and females (Sherwin 2013, 1 of 1). When better healthcare resources are offered to males, females are likely to face health issues related to infectious diseases. Health becomes a commodity whose access is determined by the dominant groups. Despite the developments that have taken place in the society concerning changing mindsets, there are still issues that are systemic and are thus harder to tackle. Since this is a problem area, feminist perspectives have been used in an attempt to understand the relationship between dominant and subordinate groups and how these relationships affect health services. Empirical and other types of research in healthcare have been guided by feminist theories (OpenStax College, 1 of 1). Researchers are always looking for theories that can explain the disparities that are always witnessed in healthcare when different groups are compared. There often emerges a dominant group and a subordinate one. Feminist theories are instrumental in explaining these situations. Gendered roles in the society have links to health states, illnesses and general nature (Germov & McGee, 2010). Most nurses are female because the act of caring for another human being is gendered as a role for women. List of references OpenStax College, Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Medicine, Sherwin, S 2013, Feminism and healthcare, A journal of the art and science of medicine, vol.9, no. 3. Germov JB & McGee, T 2010, 'What types of papers get published in the Journal of Sociology, 1965-2008?', TASA 2010 Conference Proceedings: Social Causes, Private Lives, Sydney, NSW (2010) [E1] Pakgohar, M 2011, Symbolic Interactionism Theory and Qualitative Health Research. Read More