HLTB41H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: George Herbert Mead, Chronic Condition, Sick Role
12 Dec 2016
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HLTB41 – Social Determinants of Health Chapter 10
Chapter 10 – Constructing Disability and Living with Illness
Introduction
• Sociological approach to the body = notion that we both are and have a body
o People’s odies are etral to their self-identity
o The thing in which we present ourselves to others and through which we
experience the world
Understanding Illness: It’s Not Just Biological
• Social class – a factor in how illness is defined
• Illness is socially constructed
o Social construction – refers to the socially created characteristics of human life
based on the idea that people actively construct reality, meaning it is neither
natural nor inevitable.
▪ Therefore, notions of health/illness are subjective human creations that
should not be taken for granted
• Disease – refers to a biophysical condition diagnosed by a medical practitioner
• Illness – subjective response to a disease
• Illness = more subjective phenomenon; it is something that people experience when
they believe that they are not well and may be considered an embodied experience
o Embodied – the lived experience of both being a body and having a body
• Illness = how sick the person and the members of the family or wider social network
perceive, live with, and respond to symptoms and disability
• Sickness = the actions an individual takes while sick, including taking on the sick role
• Sick Role – concept used by Talcott Parson to describe the social expectations of how
sick people should act and of how they are meant to be treated
• Biomedical and sociological approach = a distinction made between acute illness and
chronic illness
o Acute illness – an illness that develops quickly and is short-lived
▪ Self – by George Herbert Mead to refer to a core identity. A social
product that emerges through our interaction with others
o Chronic illness – an illness that is ongoing, often lasts a last time and has no
known cure
Constructing Chronic Illness
• Mid over ody
• Ill = not only inconvenient, experiences of illness remind us of our limitations and our
dependencies and ultimate mortality
• Chroi illess = leads to a radial assesset of oe’s self i relatio
o Certain illness (example: HIV/AIDS) carry a great deal of stigma
▪ Stigma – a physical or social trait (such as a disability or a criminal record),
that results in negative social reactions (such as discrimination and
exclusion)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Chapter 10 constructing disability and living with illness. Understanding illness: it"s not just biological: social class a factor in how illness is defined. A social product that emerges through our interaction with others: chronic illness an illness that is ongoing, often lasts a last time and has no known cure. Impairment = a loss of abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical functions (example: a limb amputation, loss of vision, or paralysis: disability = any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in a manner considered normal. Criticisms of the social model: disabilities = does not adequately address the personal experiences of impairment, social model does not consider the pain and suffering the accompanies impairment, not adequately incorporating other oppressions (example: racisms, sexism, homophobia) Canadians with disabilities: participation and activity limitation survey (pals) a national survey designed to collect information on people whose activities are limited because of a condition or health problem.
