Sociology For World Health Organization: Social Theories And The Effect Of Social Determinants On Health And Illness

HSC210 Health Sociology

The Role of Medicine in Society

Discuss about the Sociology for World Health Organization.

As per the view of World Health Organization, “health has been defined as a absolute physical, mental and social happiness and not simply the nonappearance of illness and ill-health”. Illness was on the other hand would be regarded as poor health ensuing from sickness of body or mind, sickness or an ailment (W.H.O, 2014).  Such meanings lay emphasis on the significance of being more than a free from ant disease, and recognizes that a healthy body relies upon a healthy surrounding and a stable mind.

Medicine was regarded as the communal institution that diagnoses, treats and avoids such diseases. So, in order to achieve these tasks, medicine relies upon most of the other sciences such as physics, chemistry, etc. Though, Preventive medicine was a more current approach to medicine, which lay emphasis on the heath behaviors that would prevent disease, such as eating a healthier diet, attaining sufficient exercise and insuring a secured surrounding (Health Knowledge, 2011).

On such subjects, Sociology makes an assumption that a working community relies upon healthy individuals and upon calculating the amount of ill health. But in investigating the communal builds of health and illness. But a sociologist Talcott Parsons recognized what was defined as “the sick role,” or the communal meaning of, the actions of, and the action toward those whom community defines as ill. He identified 4 constituents with regard to the sick role (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016).

The sick individual would be regarded as the one who was:

• Not apprehended accountable for being ill.
• Not accountable for usual obligations.
• Not believed to like the function.
• Believed to look for assistance to get out of the function.

So, the community permits those who accomplish these criterions in order to presume the sick function, but community misplaces understanding for and rejects the function to those who emerge to like it or those who do not look for conduct. In other matters, family and friends may confirm sympathy for a while, but may be unable to find endurance with the sufferer party and presume that he or she was looking for attention or was a hypochondriac.

Although a number of people may believe that science alone conclude illness, this sociological view points out that community concludes sickness as well.

Therefore, it has been stated that Sociology has been defined as a subject which was used in following an objective technical approach which was adopted in order to answer the questions and tries to explain the specific sets of rules. Also it was theory based. As a sole amalgamated sociological perception relating to the nature of societal reality does not subsists. As, in this deference sociology was not unusual like any other academic restraint, in regard to all the clinches which were challenging outlook.

Sociology and the Concept of Illness

The chief long-lasting epistemological division states that it subsists within sociological theory as it was there among those sociologists who dispute that community could be studied in an objective manner by way of recognizing and groping the structures of community, and those who dispute for an interpretative scheme in regard to social phenomena which was more centered on communal actors. Structuralist theories often be disposed to centre on the macro level while subjectivist theories tend to centre on the micro level of communication.

Sociology brings about two different phenomenons of different levels in relation to the study of health and illness such as: 

• At one level it attempts to build sense of sickness, by pertaining sociological perceptions both to do a study of the understanding of illness, and to the shared constitution of fitness and sickness. At this level, sociology makes a significant giving to multi-disciplinary investigation into the problems of their wellbeing to people and other psychological experts, the growth of psychological policy.
• At a second level, sociological investigation could open gates to a thoughtfulness of the effect of broader societal procedures upon the fitness of people and communal communities (World Health Organization, 2010).

In regard to health there has been certain social determinant which may be present such as Material situations like Living and working, circumstances, Food Availability, etc., Behaviors and Biological issues, psychosocial issues, etc.

At the same time Gender biasness as been regarded s a social determinant which contributes to the heaths and illness of an individual (Davis, Birks & Chapman 2015).

As per the perspective of the sociological way, Parsons sick role model has been defined as a significant theory, which discloses evidently that how an ill individual would be regarded as an internal part of a society. There was though numerous numbers of flaws that have been unruffled against it. Though it has been disputed that the sick role was incapable to imprison the knowledge of sickness, and that it could not be useful worldwide. The sick function does not work for individuals who have experienced with long-lasting ailment and indications for years, and have been misdiagnosed constantly. The authenticity of health and illness were therefore regarded as more multifaceted than the sick role implies. The sick role was constructive in accepting acute sickness, but it was less constructive in the matter of chronic disease (Conrad, 2008).

Marxism on the other hand, was regarded as a structural theory that educations sociology as a whole. Marxists were serious of capitalist communities which they observed as a community of two sections. The first constituent of community was the monetary foundation. The second constituent was the structure, which comprises of chief activities of societal governor such as education, remedy and faith (Weitz, 2013).

Marxists theory was so related to be alarmed with the manner in which the overriding monetary structure of community establishes discrimination and power, as well as shaping the dealings upon which the main social organizations were made. Medicine though was regarded as a social institution, and in entrepreneurial communities, it was fashioned by the entrepreneurial wellbeing (Holman & Borgstrom, 2015).

Social Determinants of Health

Marxist asserts that health issues which were intimately joined to detrimental and demanding work surroundings. Rather than observing health issues as the consequence of personal weakness, they should be observed in relation of the uneven societal structure and class drawback that were duplicated under entrepreneurship. Patterns of humanity and morbidity were intimately connected to occupation particularly in the matter of the manufacturing working class. Critics have established that flaws in the views of Marxist, as it centers more on its insufficiency than its practice of placing medication resolutely within entrepreneurship. The opponents recognize they should give more courtesy to the changing nature of the medicinal procedures, the knowledge of sickness and the condition of being a sufferer party (Conrad & Barker, 2010).

Although, it has been stated that ‘Doing health sociology’ creates a connection theory to put into practice as well as emphasizes sociological investigation and theories for notifying health care practice, health policy, and to find out that what amounts to the origin of the concept of health and illness (Germov, 1998).

Though there have been different theories in regard to mental illness such as social building and social realism. Social realism has been a word utilized to define the advances of researchers who, accept that there were a characteristic set of unusual act, which cause suffering to people and to those around them. These forms of unusual act were differentiated as psychological ailment. Communal construction has been very powerful in sociological advancements to psychological fitness, and initiate from the disagreement that what was recognized standard varies, over time and from community to community.

Labelling theory respites decisively upon a communal contructionist meaning of mental health. It has been stated that those individuals who develop a pain, or who avert other from doing approximately which they want to do, were far more probable to be measured as being spiritually sick, than those who pretense no risk, may be overlooked. Though, the labelling perception on mental illness has not gone unconcealed (Sartorius, 2007).

Structuralist perceptions on mental health were personally joined to the societal realist meaning of psychological ellbeing. These advances accept the authenticity of psychological wellbeing and outlines the point to determine what issues in community might source ailment. There was clear proof of psychological wellbeing divergences among communal groups.

So, it has been stated that psychological ailment has been there meanwhile the commencement of time. There were a numerous kinds of psychological ailment and they differ in cruelty and extent. There were also a lot more societal influences over the very meaning of the condition and to the explanation of the divergences which prevails in mental sickness within a community.

Marxism and Healthcare

Although, these theories may be defined to be different from the medical model as the biomedical model has been regarded as the maximum leading theory in Contemporary Western medication of fitness and sickness which was apprehended by a number of  lawful health experts such as doctors, guides, who has categorized the ‘biomedical line ideal’.

This ideal assumes that sickness would always be due to irregularities in the working of figure.  As it was the foundation of up-to-date Western medical exercise. It plants on the concept that if a section of the physique verves erroneous it should be predetermined or restored, in the similar manner that a mechanism would be fixed (National Institute of Mental Health, 2005).

It was a reductionist observance of sickness which means that it proceeds the modest probable reason of the sickness and be relevant to the pretentious therapy. Nothing like other ideals and theories such as the community ideal and theories which were defined above it could be stated that it gazes to other issues and centers on them, like philosophy, and societal phases. The model of medical science was regarded to be utilized in order to bring down numerous untimely humanity killings. It was a model where people observed at the sections of the figure that might do something jointly to assure that people have decent wellbeing.

So, it has could be concluded that the model of medical science centers on the real individual, rather than the communal and emotional procedures of the people. The aim of this model unlike social theories was to identify individuals who were at risk from a disease and focuses on what treatment could be provided rather than the granting them prevention.

References

Conrad, P & Barker, K. (2010). “The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and Policy Implications.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 51:67–79.

Conrad, P. (2008). The medicalization of society: On the transformation of human conditions into treatable disorders. (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press).

Davis, J. Birks, M. & Chapman, Y.B. (2015).Inclusive Practice for Health Professionals. (Australia: Oxford University Press).

Germov, J. (1998). Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology. (5^th ed.) (New Zealand : Oxford University Press)

Health Knowledge. (2011). Section 1. The Sociological Perspective. Retrieved on 9^th March’ 2017 from: https://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/medical-sociology-policy-economics/4a-concepts-health-illness/section1

Holman, D. & Borgstrom, E. (2015). Applying Social Theory to understand Health- Related Behaviours. Medical Humanities.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (2016). Sociological Perspective on Health. Retrieved on 9^th March’ 2017 from: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/health-and-medicine/sociological-perspective-on-health

National Institute of Mental Health. (2005). “National Institute of Mental Health Statistics.” Retrieved on 9^th March’ 2017 from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/index.shtml

Sartorius, N. (2007). “Stigmatized Illness and Health Care.” The Croatian Medical Journal, 48(3):396–397.

W.H.O. (2014).  “What Is the WHO Definition of Health?(Frequently Asked Questions)” World Health Organization. Retrieved on 9^th March’ 2017 from: https://www.who.int/suggestions/faq/en/

Weitz, R. (2013). The sociology of health, illness, and health care: A critical approach (6th ed.). (Thousand Oaks, CA: Wadsworth).

World Health Organization. (2010). A Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved on 9^th March’ 2017 from: https://www.who.int/sdhconference/resources/ConceptualframeworkforactiononSDH_eng.pdf