Sociological Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Illness

Sociological Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Illness

Introduction

Health is a symbol for well-being. To be healthy means to be of sound body and mind, to be whole and to be integrated. Over societies and time, dominant theorists have emphasized that health consists of balance of being centered (Antonovsky, 1979). The sociology of health and illness studies the interaction between the society and health. Sociologists examine how social life influences the rate of morbidity and mortality and how the rate of mortality and morbidity is influencing society. The sociology according to the perspective of health and illness also look in relation to various social institutions like work, family, religion and school. The sociology of health and illness should not be confused with medical sociology which mainly focuses on medical institutions and physician offices. Diseases are inspected and evaluated based on the conventional medicine, economics, culture, and region that is precise to each county. For example, HIV/AIDS serve as an ordinary basis of judgment among regions. Whilst extremely challenging in certain areas, in others it has pretentious a relatively minute proportion of the populace. Sociological factors can help out to clarify why these inconsistencies are present.

Different sociological perspectives of mental health and illness can be linked to theoretical contributions from Freud, Weber, Foucault and Marx. These theoretical perspectives includes, functionalism, Marxism, Weberianism, symbolic interactionism, feminism and contemporary modernism and post structural modernism. The sociology of health and illness involves analysis on a global approach because the influence of societal factors is different throughout the world (Bendelow, 2004).

Discussion

Because of different approaches of sociologists, each sociological theory of illness focuses on a different set of questions and concludes a different set of answers. The classic structural functionalist theory of health and illness looks at how illness can help society to run smoothly and how society is limiting illness that can impede with the smooth flow.

Functionalist Theory

The functionalism perspective on health and illness or the functionalist theory was formulated by Talcott Parsons in 1951. Parson related the functioning parts of society as organs within a body. Parson assumed that for smooth functioning of society, society would have to keep illness and other potential problems away from damaging it.

Parson's contribution to society was the understanding that illness is a form of deviance that keeps individuals away from performing their normal social roles. The last time when someone is sick, he might have taken a day off from work or asked the coordinator to give up an extension on a deadline. In fact, someone might even have claimed to be sick just in order to get off from such obligations. According to Parsons, illness or claim of illness is dysfunctional as it could threaten the social stability.

Parsons viewed illness as a pressure valve for society, by stating that allowing some illness is good for social stability. If no one can take a mental healthy day or call in sick, no one would be able to get time to get better and bitterness would ...