Explain How Sociological and Lay Ideas About Illness Differ from Those of Biomedicine. Essay Example
Explain how sociological and lay ideas about illness differ from those of biomedicine.
Health is a giant wheel subject with several aspects and it is nearly impossible to explain wellness and health without considering the aspects of illness. And just as health is multi-faceted, illness, too, is studied in different perspectives. And that includes sociological, lay and biomedical concepts.
Sociological Perspectives of Illness:
In sociological terms, a functioning society is based on the well-being and health of the people and the control of illness. This is where the finding of sociologist Talcott Parsons comes relevant. He introduced the term “the sick role”, which dealt with the social behaviour of, and the behavior toward those whom society defines as ill. Parsons stated that, the sick person is: • Not held responsible for being sick. • Not responsible for normal duties. • Not supposed to like the role. • Supposed to seek help to get out of the role. Many suppose that illness is determined solely by science, but there is this sociological view, as per the definition of the sick role (Parsons, n.d.), in which the society considers those four points as the criteria for an individual to assume the sick role but the society rules out those who like sickness or does not seek treatment as ineligible for the role (Sociological Perspective on Health, cliffnotes.com). This suggests that society plays a big part in determining sickness, too. However, drastic changes have taken place in the sociological perspectives of illness and the ‘sick role’. Chemical dependency like addiction to alcohol and drugs were considered as character weakness in the past, but the scenario has changed with the advent of drug-rehab programmes, centers and the likes, which classify the addictions as diseases, though not quite as literally, but however, the individuals are allowed to assume the sick role as long as they seek treatment. Another instance is
Health is a giant wheel subject with several aspects and it is nearly impossible to explain wellness and health without considering the aspects of illness. And just as health is multi-faceted, illness, too, is studied in different perspectives. And that includes sociological, lay and biomedical concepts.
Sociological Perspectives of Illness:
In sociological terms, a functioning society is based on the well-being and health of the people and the control of illness. This is where the finding of sociologist Talcott Parsons comes relevant. He introduced the term “the sick role”, which dealt with the social behaviour of, and the behavior toward those whom society defines as ill. Parsons stated that, the sick person is: • Not held responsible for being sick. • Not responsible for normal duties. • Not supposed to like the role. • Supposed to seek help to get out of the role. Many suppose that illness is determined solely by science, but there is this sociological view, as per the definition of the sick role (Parsons, n.d.), in which the society considers those four points as the criteria for an individual to assume the sick role but the society rules out those who like sickness or does not seek treatment as ineligible for the role (Sociological Perspective on Health, cliffnotes.com). This suggests that society plays a big part in determining sickness, too. However, drastic changes have taken place in the sociological perspectives of illness and the ‘sick role’. Chemical dependency like addiction to alcohol and drugs were considered as character weakness in the past, but the scenario has changed with the advent of drug-rehab programmes, centers and the likes, which classify the addictions as diseases, though not quite as literally, but however, the individuals are allowed to assume the sick role as long as they seek treatment. Another instance is