Foucault And Medicalization

1. Medicalization is defined as being “the way in which increasing areas of social life are seen as falling under the remit of doctors” (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008:280). In modern society, where science is used to explain and define everything, it comes as no surprise that a simple problem, such as shyness or embarrassment, which can be dealt with by using other means is given a medical term and is dealt with through medical means. A simple and temporary infection such as the flu, which could be treated with rest and warmth, is now being termed using medical names making it sound like it is something deadly, and prescribing up to eight different forms of medication for it.

The concept of medicalization is set out in an article published
We have become so naïve that we are spending thousands, annually, on medical treatment, and even psychological treatment for conditions which are part of human reproductivity. Western medicine has become the most dominating form of treatment for all illnesses, so much that traditional ways of healing are being used less and less and because of this are starting to fade away. In Foucault’s view, the use of Western medicine is and has become a form of social control in the sense that society believes and trusts doctors and scientists because it is something that has been drilled into them by the media (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008:317). There is no evidential proof that traditional healing methods work, yet there are thousands of articles and news reports about how a surgery or a certain drug, for something as simple as a headache, has helped someone and has changed their
Healthism is said to be the type of lifestyle that prioritizes health, disease prevention, and fitness, such as exercise, the use of vitamins and diets, over everything else (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008:281). It is seen as being very influential in shaping our images of not only ourselves but those of other people as well, be it our physical appearance in terms of the shape of your body and its size, and also whether or not you look too old for your age (Jones, 1998:253). Instead of using medication and surgery as a way of solving health issues, Healthism promotes the use of exercising, using the correct diet, and staying fit and healthy as a way of preventing illness leading up to medicalization of a non medical condition such as