CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 10

HEALTH AND HEALTH HEALTH AND HEALTH CARECARE

Functionalist View of Illness• Illness is a form of

deviance, in that it keeps individuals from performing their normal social roles

• Allowing some illness is good for social stability because it acts as a sort of “pressure valve” for society (Brinkerhoff et al, pp. 223-24)

“The sick role refers to four social norms regarding how sick people should behave and how society

should view them” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

Sick Role

• “First, sick persons are assumed to have legitimate reasons for not fulfilling their normal social roles” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

Sick Role

• “Second, cultural norms declare that individuals are not responsible for the illnesses” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

Sick Role

• “Third, sick persons are expected to consider sickness undesirable and work to get well” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

Sick Role

• Fourth, “sick persons should seek and follow medical advice” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

Conflict Perspective of Illness

• “Medicalization refers to the process through which a condition or behavior becomes defined as a medical problem requiring a medical solution” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 225).

“Social epidemiology is the study of how social statuses relate to the distribution of illness and mortality” (Brinkerhoff et al,

sixth edition, p 266).

Three modes of paying for health care:

• private payments

• insurance

• government