{"id":351,"date":"2016-05-01T01:36:30","date_gmt":"2016-05-01T01:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontosociology-waymaker\/?post_type=chapter&p=351"},"modified":"2024-04-25T16:34:21","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T16:34:21","slug":"the-cultural-significance-of-health","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-introductiontosociology\/chapter\/the-cultural-significance-of-health\/","title":{"raw":"The Cultural Significance of Health","rendered":"The Cultural Significance of Health"},"content":{"raw":"
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Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n
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  • Explain the cultural significance and social construction of health<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nMedical sociology<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is the systematic study of how humans manage issues of health and illness, disease and disorders, and healthcare for both the sick and the healthy. Medical sociologists study the physical, mental, and social components of health and illness. Major topics for medical sociologists include the doctor\/patient relationship, the structure and socioeconomics of healthcare, and how culture impacts attitudes toward disease and wellness.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    The social construction of health is a major research topic within medical sociology. At first glance, the concept of a social construction of health does not seem to make sense. After all, if disease is a measurable, physiological problem, then there can be no question of socially constructing disease, right? Well, it\u2019s not that simple. The idea of the social construction of health emphasizes the socio-cultural aspects of the discipline\u2019s approach to physical, objectively definable phenomena.<\/p>\r\n

    Sociologists Conrad and Barker (2010) offer a comprehensive framework for understanding the major findings of the last fifty years of development in this concept. Their summary categorizes the findings in the field under three subheadings: the cultural meaning of illness, the social construction of the illness experience, and the social construction of medical knowledge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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    The Cultural Meaning of Illness<\/h2>\r\n

    Many medical sociologists contend that illnesses have both a biological and an experiential component, and that these components exist independently\u00a0of\u00a0and external to\u00a0each other. Our culture, not our biology, dictates which illnesses are stigmatized and which are not, which are considered disabilities and which are not, and which are deemed contestable (meaning some medical professionals may find the existence of this ailment questionable) as opposed to definitive (illnesses that are unquestionably recognized in the medical profession) in the medical field\u00a0(Conrad and Barker 2010).<\/p>\r\n

    For instance, sociologist Erving Goffman (1963) described how social stigmas hinder individuals from fully integrating into society. In essence, Goffman (1963) suggests we might view illness as a stigma that can push others to view the ill individual\u00a0in an undesirable manner. The stigmatization of illness<\/strong><\/span> often has the greatest effect on the patient and the kind of care they\u00a0receive. Many contend that our society and even our healthcare institutions discriminate against certain diseases\u2014like mental disorders, AIDS, venereal diseases, and skin disorders (Sartorius 2007). Facilities for these diseases may be sub-par relative to facilities aimed at addressing and alleviating other conditions; they may be segregated from other healthcare areas or relegated to a poorer environment. The stigma attached to a specific condition\u00a0may keep people from seeking help for such conditions,\u00a0consequently being detrimental to the individual's and society's well-being.<\/p>\r\n

    Contested illnesses<\/span><\/strong> are those that are questioned or questionable by\u00a0a fraction of\u00a0medical professionals. Disorders like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome may be either true, objective,\u00a0and tangible\u00a0illnesses or, as argued by some medical professionals, may exist only in patients\u2019 heads. This dynamic can affect how a patient seeks treatment and what kind of treatment they\u00a0receive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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    Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/25ca7b02-22f7-4b62-af55-fd2fb7c51e89\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/62116eb4-9207-47db-934a-e40331bacf88\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    The Sick Role<\/span><\/h2>\r\nSick role is a term used in medical sociology regarding sickness and the rights and obligations of the affected. It is a concept created by the American sociologist Talcott Parsons in 1951.\u00a0Parsons argued that the best way to understand illness sociologically is to view it as a form of deviance that disturbs the social functioning of society. The general idea is that the individual who has fallen ill is not only physically sick, but now adheres to the specifically patterned social role of being sick. \"Being Sick\" is not simply a \"condition\"; it contains within itself customary rights and obligations based on the social norms that surround it, and therefore plays a role in everyday, normative interactions.<\/span>\r\n\r\nParsons' theory outlined\u00a0two rights of a sick person\u00a0along with two obligations. The sick person's rights are: being exempt from normal social roles, and not being responsible for their condition. Conversely, the sick person's obligations include trying to get well and cooperating with medical professionals.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/section>
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    The Social Construction of the Illness Experience<\/h2>\r\nThe idea of the social construction of the illness experience is based on the concept of reality as a social construction. In other words, there is no objective reality; there are only individual perceptions of it, which are always relative and involve a process of construction. The social construction of the illness experience addresses the way some patients control the manner in which they reveal their diseases, and the lifestyle adaptations patients develop to cope with their illnesses.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"250\"]\"A Figure 1.\u00a0<\/strong>The Mosby pain rating scale helps health care providers assess an individual\u2019s level of pain. What might a symbolic interactionist observe about this method? (Photo courtesy of wrestlingentropy\/flickr)[\/caption]\r\n

    In terms of constructing the illness experience, culture and individual personality both play a significant role. For some people, a long-term illness can have the effect of making their world smaller, leading to a life that is\u00a0more defined by the illness than\u00a0by anything else. Their illness becomes their marker, or their focal status.\u00a0For others, illness can be a chance for discovery, for re-imagining a new self (Conrad and Barker 2007). Culture plays a substantial role in how an individual experiences illness. Widespread diseases like AIDS or breast cancer have specific cultural markers that have changed over the years and that govern how individuals\u2014and society\u2014view both the condition and the individual directly affected by the condition.<\/p>\r\n

    Today, many institutions of wellness acknowledge the degree to which individual perceptions shape the nature of health and illness. Regarding physical activity, for instance, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that individuals use a standard level of exertion to assess their physical activity. This Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) gives a more complete view of an individual\u2019s actual exertion level, since heart rate or pulse measurements may be affected by medication or other factors\u00a0<\/span>(Centers for Disease Control 2011). Similarly, many medical professionals use a comparable, somewhat universal\u00a0scale for perceived pain to help determine pain management strategies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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    Watch It<\/h3>\r\nWatch this video to learn more about the sick role and ways that society influences health. Look for examples of how health, disease, and illness are socially constructed.\r\n\r\n