Class notes
Samenvatting boek medische sociologie take home tentamen - cijfer behaald 8,3
- Course
- Institution
Lecture notes of 16 pages for the course Medische sociologie at VU
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Nynkevanleuven
Reviews received
Content preview
Boek Overzicht:H1
Introduction
Health and illness is now much more than just hospitals, nowadays it also involves healthy
foods and exercise. The sociology of health and illness is concerned with all those aspects
of contemporary social life that impinge upon well-beings. The development of the sociology
of health and illness has to be understood in terms of its relation to the dominant paradigm of
western medicine: biomedicine.
Medicine and the biomedical model
The biomedical model has 6 assumptions:
1. mind/body dualism: onderscheid tussen lichaam en geest
2. mechanical metaphor: lichaam als machine (repaired like a machine)
3. technological imperative: dwingend effect (technology can be overplayed)
4. reductionist: biologische uitleg (focus on biology not on sociology)
5. doctrine of specific aetiology: identificeerbare ziekte-entiteit (every disease is caused
by a disease entity)
6. universalized (imposed throughout the world)
Students of sociology believe that this model ensures that the body is isolated from the
person, the social and material cause of disease are neglected, and the subjective
interpretations and meaning of health and illness are deemed irrelevant. Further
assumptions state that it is based on objective science, which in turn involves empirical
observation and induction. However, Medicine has scribed its own history.
Whig history is one that sets out the achievements of the past and details how they have
contributed to present success in a linear and progressive manner.
Challenges to biomedicine
The institution of medicine and the biomedical model were challenged by critiques. They
criticise within the context of escalating costs of healthcare and mecine’s efficacy has been
overplayed. Medicine is not a homogenous institution. The decline in mortality had more to
do with nutrition than it had to do with medical interventions.
Biomedicine does more harm than good, it actually contributes to illness through the
iatrogenic effects of its interventions. The move to develop ‘evidence-based-medicine’ is the
institutional and policy response to these critiques. People have become deskilled and are
dependent on so-called medical experts. Biomedicine fails to locate the body within its
socio-environmental context, it fails to account for the social inequalities in health. Medicine
treats people as passive objects and it is essential to recognize lay people have their own
valid interpretations. Medicine needs to place human dignity at its core. Sociocultural factors
influence people’s perceptions and experiences of health and illness, which cannot be
presumed to be simply reactions to physical bodily changes.
Having a baby was medicalized (= a normal life event came to be treated as a medical
problem). Sociologists have suggested that disease and the body are socially constructed.
Boundaries of the medical profession are best viewed as the outcome of sociopolitical
struggles rather than being based on the demarcations of scientific knowledge. Sociopolitical
processes have permitted continuation of professional medical dominance.
The structure of the sociology of health and illness
,authors have organised and structured the contents of the sociology of health and illness
within different sociological approaches or paradigms. Sociology in medicine refers to the
sociological research that serves the needs and interests of medicine. The sociology of
medicine views the lay rather than the medical view of health and illness is privileged.
Sociology and medicine share common origins.
Medicine and the sociology of health and illness: some common interest
The nature of illness itself is changing, as is society’s response to it. Sometimes the focus
lies on social, economic and environmental conditions that give rise to the emergence of
diseases, illness and health risks. Lifestyle factors are now presumed to be important
determinants of health. Both medicine and sociology have come to focus on health, and not
just on illness and disease. Medicine has come to acknowledge the thinking person who
resides within a social context, and sociology has come to accept the physical as well as the
lived body as central to its study.
, H2
Introduction
Disease refers to the pathological changes within the body, illness refers to the individual’s
subjective interpretation and response to these signs and symptoms. All knowledge is
socially contingent, and thus socially constructed.
The social construction of bodies: an example
Our understanding as well as the experience of the body has changed with time. The body is
a cultural construction, how it actually experienced must be related to the historical context in
which it resides. Most illnesses and treatments were related to the general idea of internal
and external bodily fluids, or flux. The main concern was that the flow of fluids should not be
obstructed. Diseases associated with inner flux were usually caused by mishaps or
emotional upsets. The history of medical knowledge contains categories that are contingent
on their social, cultural and historical context. They are socially constructed.
Social constructionism
The social-constructionist debate is an enduring and important strand within sociology of
health and illness. One aspect of medicine that came under particular scrutiny was that of
psychiatry. The assumption on which doctor’s position in society was based was questioned,
as well as the application of medical knowledge. Decisions surrounding the use of the
technological equipment should lie beyond the doctor’s remit. The medical profession not
only legitimates what counts as sickness, but is also able to create the very possibility of
illness. Moreover, everyday knowledge is produced creatively by individuals and is oriented
towards particular practical problems.
Debates with social constructionism
Six headings of social constructionism:
1. the problematization of reality: implies that disease entities are not simply real but are
products of social reasoning and social practices. The stable realities of the human
body and disease are in fact fabrications.
2. the social creation of facts: all scientific facts are products of the scientific
communities from which they emerge and that our presumed stable realities are in
fact realised within variable discursive contexts. Scientific facts are the product of
social processes. The interaction between popular and scientifically acceptable ideas
is evident. The discourse analysis is the claim that medicine’s objects are created
through the language and practices which surround them.
3. Medical knowledge mediates social relations: disease categories may be applied to
reinforce existing social structures, and their application may give social relations the
appearance of being natural. The content of medical knowledge has been variously
determined by those who control its means of production. Medical knowledge is
permeated by social relations and serves to construct what is accepted as disease
and illness. Bedside medicine: doctors had close relationships with their patient;
patients in charge. Hospital medicine: doctors took charge. Laboratory medicine:
scientists controlled the mode of knowledge production. Surveillance medicine:
production of clinical knowledge, focusing on risks to health. Escaped medicine:
knowledge is not created by experts but is open to revision. Digital medicine: digital
media facilitates a participatory production of health knowledge
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Nynkevanleuven. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.08. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
62890 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now