Introduction To Sociology PDF

Introduction to Sociology Dr. Srwa Rostam Sociology for Nurses Fall Semester/Week 1 2024-2025 Course overview The student will learn the social aspects and how they deal with social aspects during contact with patients, and they will learn how diseases effects on th...

Introduction to Sociology Dr. Srwa Rostam Sociology for Nurses Fall Semester/Week 1 2024-2025 Course overview The student will learn the social aspects and how they deal with social aspects during contact with patients, and they will learn how diseases effects on their social aspects.  Course Objectives At the end of the course the student will be able to: Develop positive attitude towards clients, nurses and other members of the health team. Explore the reflection of health and diseases issues on the social behaviours of individuals, groups and societies. Determine the role of the community in the preventive and curative aspects of health services. Analyse critically common health problems of the local society. Suggest solutions to the health problems of the society depending on scientific base Sociology as a science Sociology is the youngest of the recognized social science. The word sociology was coined by Auguste Comte – French Philosopher in 1839. He is considered as a father of Sociology.  The word 'sociology' is derived from the Latin word 'Socius', meaning 'society', and the Greek word logos, meaning 'study' or 'science’. Thus, sociology means the science of society. It essentially and fundamentally deals with the network of social relationships that’s called 'society'. Sociology is essentially the study of people, by people how people form cultures, societies, organizations, laws, beliefs, families, religions, and all other aspects of human life. In the past, it was unheard of for sociology to be a subject for nursing students. Now, nursing students are often required take the subject because it is widely viewed as essential knowledge to their daily work as nurses.  Why nurses study sociology? If a nurse has at least an understanding of these social processes, that nurse might be able to conduct a patient assessment in a more circumspect way. Nurses interact with a lot of people. And the demographics of this crowd is quite diverse. This is where knowledge in sociology comes in. If a nurse has a comprehensive know-how on certain sociological issues that would make his or her work a higher than only auxiliary to a doctor. 8 Sociology and Nursing Sociology enables nurses to understand their social responsibility as agents of change. When they have the capacity to heal or make patients feel better, they are not only treating their illnesses; they are also improving the quality of their lives. That may not be manifested on initial diagnosis, but with sociology, you begin to understand that the healing of a person is a process and more than just the giving of medicine. Sociology of health The sociology of health and illness, alternatively the sociology of health and wellness, examines the interaction between society and health. The objective of this topic is to see how social life affects morbidity and mortality rate, and vice versa. This aspect of sociology differs from medical sociology in that this branch of sociology discusses health and illness in relation to social institutions such as family, employment, and school. The sociology of medicine limits its concern to the patient-practitioner relationship and the role of health professionals in society. The sociology of health and illness covers sociological pathology (causes of disease and illness), reasons for seeking particular types of medical aid, and patient compliance or noncompliance with medical regimes.  Health, or lack of health, was once merely attributed to biological or natural conditions. Sociologists have demonstrated that the spread of diseases is heavily influenced by the socioeconomic status of individuals, ethnic traditions or beliefs, and other cultural factors. Where medical research might gather statistics on a disease, a sociological perspective on an illness would provide insight on what external factors caused the demographics who contracted the disease to become ill. There are obvious differences in patterns of health and illness across societies, over time, and within particular society types. There has historically been a long-term decline in mortality within industrialized societies, and on average, life-expectancies are considerably higher in developed, rather than developing or undeveloped, societies.