HLTA02H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Medical Sociology, Sick Role, Microanalysis
Chapter 4: Sociology and Health
Warwick et al.
What is Sociology?
•Sociology: study of interaction between groups and individuals in human societies and
involves the critical examination of everyday aspects of human life !
•Discipline that examines both macro- and the micro level—examining large organizations,
and institutions s/a economy, education and work as wells looking at individual i=behaviour
such as the interactions that take place bw people
•Micro level: very lowest level of society, which means individual components I.e people.
Interactions theory are concerned with examining patients interactions at the micro level!
•Does not just look at micro an macro level separately—attempts to explore the relationships
and interactions between the two—how does society influence individuals and how do
individuals influence society?!
•Interested in social processes and how society is structured and works !
•Key lesson: social structures can often exert more influence over our behaviour than we
would expect and is true in relation to health !
•Sociology in relation to health—explores dimensions of health, illness, and health care!
•Crucial in drawing attention to the experiential aspects of health and illness—ie examining
doctor patient relationship and lay perspectives about health and illness!
•Described as the science of society—and uses a social imagination when examining
aspects of society such as health and illness!
•Mills—using sociological imagination invites us to think beyond our subjective perceptions;
a mechanism for moving away from common sense understanding of society!
•To think beyond our own personal experience and beginning to challenge any obvious
explanations of human actions!
•Think about society in a specific way by distancing themselves analytically from what are
considered the usual and normal practices of everyday life—process described as
defamiliarizing the situation
•Can be used to explore aspects of health and experiences associated with health !
Sociology of Health and Illness
•Theories that adopt a consensus approach tend to be more positive in their analysis of
society whereas conflict theories are more critical of the processes and organizations found
within the social world !
•i.e.. Marxist theorists are critical of the power of medicine !
•Theorists examine power and how it functions within society from different perspectives—
feminists are critical of male dominated medical power!
•Theories also differ in terms of level at which they discuss society; macro (large scale), vs
micro ( small)!
•Interactionists are for example concerned with doctor-patient relationships as the micro
level!
•Debates about structure and agency!
•Some focus upon the structures of society—concerned with features of the social world that
constrain people or force them into an action!
•Others—investigate the meanings that attach their actions (agency) and the events that
occur in their life!
•Structure refers to factors that help determine our experiences through establishment of
expected ways of behaving !
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