Sociological Theory and Studying Sociology

Defining Health and Medicine WHO’s definition of Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease, or infirmity. Medicine: “The Greatest Benefit to Mankind” Hippocrates- “The art has three factors, the disease, the patient, the physician.”

The difference Medical Sociology is divided into two subfields with some differences: Sociology of Medicine Sociology in Medicine

Differentiation Sociology of Medicine Sociology in Medicine Social Epidemiology Sociology of Health and other subsequent fields

Theoretical Perspectives Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, Feminist and Symbolic Interactionism: Review of basic premises Functionalism: the influence of the rest of society on individual health patterns and status. Durkheim and social processes Being constrained by laws and customs of society. Durkheim’s suicide- handout

Durkheim’s suicide Egoistic: people are detached from society and are suddenly on their own, overwhelmed by stress Anomic: people suffer a sudden dislocation of normative systems where their norms and values are no longer relevant Altruistic: people feel themselves so strongly integrated into a demanding society that their only escape seems to be suicide Fatalistic: people kills themselves because their situation is hopeless-not developed by Durkheim Examples for each?

Functionalism cont... Brenner’s study of heart disease, stoke and kidney failure Thesis: there are few areas of our lives not intimately affected by the state of economy. Heart attacks and recession Stress causes exposure to risk factors associated with these particular health phenomenon. Rates of employment and mental hospital admissions The provocation hypothesis and the uncovering hypothesis as explanations for his findings.

Conflict Theory Text: the unequal social arrangements and racialization present in our society and others. Power differences present in society and the structures within society. The main focus is on stratification and power struggles for those who are considered “proletariats.” Access to medical care and medicine The term medicalization- definition

Medicalization and Capitalism Medicalization: the process that defines a condition or activity as a disease or an illness; treatment of the conditions is then considered the responsibility of the medical professional. The notion of social control in Conflict theory and in the process of medicalization Article “Medicalization and Social Control” The definition of medicalization- too many variations and no concrete definition available. The social factors responsible for part of the medicalization process

Factors contributing to Medicalization Secularization The Medical Profession Social Control- Durkheim, Parsons, and other theorists- an issue of power

Consequences of Medicalization Assumption of medical moral neutrality Domination by experts Individualization of social problems Depoliticization of behaviour Dislocation of responsibility Using powerful technologies The “exclusion of evil.”

Feminist Theories The oppression of women in the medical profession The oppression of women as objects of medical practice Midwifery a good example

Symbolic Interactionism Cooley, Thomas and Goffman Micro level perspective and all focus on interactions and behaviours of individuals. The theory of the looking-glass self The basic components of the theory: We see ourselves in our imagination as we think we appear to the other person We see in our imagination the other person’s judgment of our appearance. As a result of what we see in our imagination about how we are viewed by the other person, we experience some sort of self- feeling, such as pride or humiliation.

SI Theory Cont... Thomas and the definition of the situation The same crisis will not produce the same effect uniformly in all people. Crises lie in the interaction between a situation and a person’s capacities to meet it. Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis- life as a theatre We live in worlds of social encounter in which we act out a line of behaviour- our scripts. The maintenance of face is a condition of interaction.

Critical Race Theories The relation to the body being different for those of different races and ethnicities. The role of differentiation and inequality in medicine for those of different races/ethnicities. The article “Describing the White Ethnic Group.” Stark differences in life expectancy and morbidity rates. Social group differences in terms of support and buffering of stress.

Post-Modernist Thinking There is no truth to our claims and there is no way to get to truth All arguments are opinion based and follow rules of discourse to attain truth. Discourse of Medical profession and the “The Birth of the Clinic” The Body and medical profession’s labelling of disease

Methodology in Sociology of Medicine Based on the theoretical orientation Functionalists and Conflict theorists can use either quantitative or qualitative methods. Same is said for most theoretical frameworks SI and Post Modernists focus on interactions and use mainly qualitative and content analyses for their methdologies.