SOCI 1002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Talcott Parsons, Disease Mongering, Micromastia
11 Jun 2018
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February 26th, 2018
Sociology of Health
Health: a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
Medical sociology: the systematic study of how humans manage issues of health and illness,
diease and disorders, and health care for both the sick and the healthy
Social epidemiology: the study of the causes and distribution of diseases. Social epidemiology
can reveal how social problems are connected to the health of different populations
Theorizing health
Functionalism (talcott parsons 1953)
➢ Sick role: patterns of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for
those who take care of them
➢ The sik role
o You are not held responsible
o You are exempt from normal activities
o You don’t like the role
o You seek out help/acquiesce experts in order to get better
Conflict theory
➢ Intersections between health and social class
➢ Health not equitably distributed throughout a society
➢ Social determinants of health
➢ Social class and medical school
o Average medical student debt at graduation = 71,000$
o Average medical school tuition in Canada 2015: 13,000$/year
Dental school tuition in Canada 2015: 18,000$/year
Medicalization
➢ The process by which previously normal aspects of life are redefined as deviant and
needing medical attention to remedy
o Plastic surgeons found a new condition called micromastia
o Therefore, we can see how ideas of health and wellness are socially produced
o Aging is a classic example of medicalization
o Weight
✓ Capitalist interests and faith in medicines intertwine
Disease mongering
➢ The role pharmaceutical companies have in defining as diseases conditions for which
they have developed an effective drug
o Price gouging: medically necessary drugs are increased in devastating ways for
patients
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Health: a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Medical sociology: the systematic study of how humans manage issues of health and illness, diease and disorders, and health care for both the sick and the healthy. Social epidemiology: the study of the causes and distribution of diseases. Social epidemiology can reveal how social problems are connected to the health of different populations. Sick role: patterns of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for those who take care of them. The (cid:862)si(cid:272)k role(cid:863: you are not held responsible, you are exempt from normal activities, you don"t like the role, you seek out help/acquiesce experts in order to get better. Health not equitably distributed throughout a society. Social class and medical school: average medical student debt at graduation = 71,000, average medical school tuition in canada 2015: 13,000$/year. Capitalist interests and faith in medicines intertwine.
