model of health predominated in defining sickness, he claimed that being unwell was also a
social function (with a set of norms and values attributed to the role) in addition to a
biological state. Because people who are unwell are unable to fulfil their usual social roles
and are therefore deviating from the accepted norm, Parsons saw illness as a sort of deviant
behaviour inside society. According to Parsons, the "sick role" needed to be regulated
because if too many people falsely said they were unwell, society would become
dysfunctional. (Milton).
Functionalists may argue that because doctors tell us when to assume the role of the sick
person and when we can engage in society, the medical profession affects the cultural
standard of what constitutes healthcare and what causes disease. By comparing society to
the human body, the functionalist theory of sociology can be better understood. similarly, to
how the body's numerous organs work in unison to maintain health and preserve life. The
functionalist perspective emphasises the need of professional medical care and good health
for a society's smooth functioning since ill health prevents people from performing their
obligations to society and requires them to play the sick role. Functionalists would argue
that there needs to be an imbalance in the power dynamics of society, with the higher class
and the lower class, for every individual to fulfil the social role expected of them in the
society. they believe that every individual has a role or purpose for the work and society to
function. The limitation of this theory is that it does not address certain areas of conflict,
functionalist tend to present a picture of a socialisation process that never fails, but they
don’t give any explanations about deviant behaviour, especially the forms of deviance in
delinquency, abuse and crime which are making the society unstable. Another limitation is
that functionalist believe that they way an individual behaves is a direct result of the
socialisation process and they also believe that our behaviour is a result of our personal
choice. They say that we are largely “programmed” to behave in particular ways. (Talman
327) . This concept is founded on the idea that every community has some fundamental
beliefs and values that its members share, and that these agreements aid in the socialisation
process. The advantage of this theory is that it explains how society eradicates conflict
through socialisation, and also it helps explain how different ways of the social system work
to maintain the whole, it also demonstrates how society adapts to deal with economic and
other changes, and it demonstrates how various institutions work together to produce
social stability overall.
A disadvantage of this theory is that false consciousness is the foundation of social stability,
which is created through institutions like the nuclear family, legal, educational, and political
systems.
Another disadvantage is that even Merton, a functionalist, understood that conflicts
between cultural values may arise. It is assumed that culture is a universal "glue" that unites
people and fosters harmony. It follows determinism. (James)
SOCIAL ACTION THEORY - INTERACTIONISM
The social action perspective is different from theorist perspectives in that it does not place
emphasis on how major institutions operate and interact with one another. The emphasis is
, instead on how people interact in smaller groups and how this affects behaviour and shapes
society. Interactionist theorist don’t believe that individuals are “programmed” by the
socialisation process, they rather see individuals as being influences by the socialisation
process and them having the ability to choose how they will behave and to create their own
individual role. This theorist believe that how we understand situations determines how we
behave and how we see ourselves individually and how other people see us. (Talman 327)
Social action theorists are criticised for not paying enough attention to issues of power in
society, despite the fact that they emphasise individual choice and acknowledge the
existence of social roles even when they are not clearly defined. Although this theorist
argues that these roles evolve and does not explain why they do, they do hold that, in
general, people exhibit predictable behaviour.
Additionally, social action theorists are sometimes criticised for explaining social behaviour
as "in a vacuum" because they frequently concentrate on group interactions rather than
larger issues. an example of this is in delinquent gangs, for instance, or in the interactions
between medical staff and patients, for instance, they characterise behaviour, but they do
not identify or describe the wider social or historical causes that have influenced, defined, or
caused the situation. In the empowered centre, everyone is treated equally and with
respect; nobody is put above anyone else. (Talman 327).
Benefits of the interactionism theory is that it has emphasis on individual rather than
putting them in different groups in the society, this theory also allows individuals to
compare the way they act with different people. This theory helps us to understand the
social construction of the world. (“Interactionism”)
This idea has the disadvantage of not considering every person, of not believing that
everyone can make decisions and has very little free will. Additionally, it undervalues the
significance of structure.. (“Interactionism”)
P3 – COMPARE THE BIOMEDICAL MODEL OF HEALTH WITH AN ALTERNATE MODEL
HEALTH -
The biomedical model of health, which emphasises the biological or physical components of
illnesses and diseases and has been the foundation of western industrialised nations since
the industrial revolutions of the mid-19th century, strongly supports the natural arguments..
It recognises health and other medical conditions. The social model openly supports the
nurture agreement because it primarily focuses on the economic, environmental, and social
elements that affect health and wellbeing, including the effects of substandard housing,
poor diet, poverty, and pollution.. This model fit well with the functionalist perspective
introduced and developed by Talcott Parsons, in which illness is defined as dysfunctional for
society, if individuals are ill, they will be unable to make their normal contributions to the
society running smoothly. For the functionalist, if individuals are ill, or if they adopt the “sick
role” and are exempt from their usual social responsibilities, and they also have a
responsibility to cooperate with health care professionals and take all the sensible steps to
get better.
