Medical Sociology Quiz

Introduction to Sociology of Health and Illness

• Health is a relative concept, not fixed
• According to the WHO, health is a state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

What is Health?

• The definition of health is relative and not fixed
• WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Intro: Why Sociology of Health and Illness?

• Medical practices and beliefs are deeply rooted in social relations, not purely scientific or biological.
• Medical sociology examines policies around the uptake of medical inventions and interventions.
• This involves policy sociology.

Foucauldian Medical Gaze

• Biomedical paradigms are built on patient narratives (e.g., "The Birth of the Clinic", 1963).
• Doctors hold a position of authority, sifting and interpreting patient information for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
• The concept of the "docile body" highlights the medical system's focus on objectification and control of human bodies.
• Medical practices are intertwined with institutionalization.

Sociological Approaches to Health and Illness

• Policy sociology studies sociological data to develop health policies that optimize wellbeing.
• Critical sociology examines multinational pharmaceutical companies, medical schools, and for-profit clinics/hospitals, and considers how social factors like race, gender, and class impact medical experiences.

The Sick Role

• Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) introduced the sick role as a concept in medical sociology (1951).
• The sick role suggests four key expectations; the sick person is exempt from social responsibilities, should be cared for, is obligated to recover, and obligated to seek competent help.
• Parsons presumed social uniformity with this approach
• E.L. Koos (1954) critiqued Parsons’s homogenous view, emphasizing that socio-economic status affects individual health experiences
• Ivan Emke (2002) later proposed new expectations for Canadians in a changing economic context.

The Social Course of Disease

• Diseases have a natural course, including symptom experience and recovery.
• Medical intervention shapes how people experience and navigate illness.
• Social factors like ethnic background, culture, class, age, and sex impact an individual’s social experience of the illness coping process.

Orthodox and Complementary Medicine

• Biomedicine uses Western scientific principles and physical methods (e.g., tests, treatments) to address illness.
• Alternative/complementary medicine falls outside conventional biomedical practice (e.g. Acupuncture, Yoga).
• This alternative approach considers psychological, social, and emotional factors as influential elements in healing.

Criticism of Biomedicine

• Biomedicine is criticized for its reductionist approach— focusing on single factors in explaining medical conditions.
• It often neglects broader social, cultural, and economic factors influencing health.
• Sometimes ignores cultural nuances of medicine.

Medicalization

• Medicalization is the process of defining behaviors or conditions as medical problems.
• Medical intervention becomes the dominant strategy for addressing these “medical problems” impacting social control.
• Medicalization can be critiqued for reducing complex issues to biomedical causes, disregarding social factors like sociopolitical issues.
• The concept of iatrogenesis, coined by Ivan Illich (1927–2002), highlights medical policies and practices that can cause harm rather than improve health.

3 Kinds of Iatrogenesis

• Clinical iatrogenesis: Diagnostic or treatment methods can cause new health issues.
• Social iatrogenesis: Social systems may cause conditions that masquerade as illness.
• Cultural iatrogenesis: Dominant medical views can detract from individual recovery and create a sense of medical dependence.

Big Pharma

• "Big Pharma" refers to large pharmaceutical companies.
• These companies profit from the development, manufacturing, and marketing of drugs.

Medicalization and Deaf Culture

• The Deaf community actively resists medicalizing deafness.
• They view their communication style as integral to Deaf culture, not a problem to be "fixed".
• The Deaf community rejects hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Critical Issues in Medical Sociology

• Healthcare system problems, like shortages of doctors, are often related to factors like physician unemployment and immigration.
• Rural communities, often marginalized, face medical access inequities.

The Racialization of Disease

• Certain diseases are often unfairly linked to specific racial groups.
• This can lead to unequal access to care and resources.
• The disease itself isn't inherently racial; however, perceptions and treatment are shaped by social conceptions of race and ethnicity.

Gender Relations in Medicine

• Women used to be under-represented in medicine.
• Women are now entering medical school and practice medicine in increasing numbers.
• Career paths and practice specialties differ between men and women physicians.

The Inverse Care Law

• The inverse care law states that better medical resources tend to be less accessible to those who need them most.
• Underserved communities face doctor shortages, overworked physicians, and out-of-date equipment.

Conclusion

• Health is influenced by a multitude of factors (biomedical, political, psychological)
• Temporarily able-bodied status is not permanent (can change)
• Compassion drives effective care.
• Individuals and systems have responsibilities related to health.