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Through the use of our sociological imagination this paper investigates whose interests the medical model of health serves, and why? The concept of sociological imagination was coined by Charles Wright Mills, the American Sociologist (1916-1962). To use our sociological imagination we need to look at, at least one or more of the following four perspectives: Cultural/Anthropological, Historical, Critical, or Structural and make the link between personal troubles and public issues. (Germov, 2014) In doing this we take a look at the concepts of medicalisation, medical -industrial complex and pharmaceuticalisation. By the 17th and 18th centuries Physicians were considered the experts of ailments and illness, with their knowledge, power followed and the power imbalance between Physicians and patients was established. Over time, changes in medical practice took place driven by the quest for profits. This caused intense competition between the Physicians for fees, the lure of the dollar saw the establishment of ‘Quacks’, people who passed themselves off as qualified Doctors to make money...
The concepts discussed within the article regarding medicalization and changes within the field of medicine served to be new knowledge for me as the article addressed multiple different aspects regarding the growth of medicalization from a sociological standpoint. Furthermore, the article “The Shifting Engines of Medicalization” discussed the significant changes regarding medicalization that have evolved and are evidently practiced within the contemporary society today. For instance, changes have occurred within health policies, corporatized medicine, clinical freedom, authority and sovereignty exercised by physicians has reduced as other factors began to grow that gained importance within medical care (Conrad 4). Moreover, the article emphasized
In 1959, C. Wright Mills released a book entitled ‘The sociological’. Imagination’. It was in this book that he laid out a set of guidelines of how to carry out social analysis of the data. But for a layman, what does the term ‘sociological imagination’ mean? actually mean.
...e gap in attitudes between pre-medicalized and modern time periods. The trends of technological advancement and human understanding project a completely medicalized future in which medical authorities cement their place above an intently obedient society.
The Sociological Imagination speaks to the understanding of our own actions being a part of a larger historical and social picture. It encourages us to see what influences we have and what influences society has over our own individual lives, whether our decisions are determined by sociological factors and forces or are entirely in our own control. The sociological imagination enables us to see the relationship between history and biography. It helps us to understand the relationship between personal troubles and public issues, and as well as this, it addresses the three profound questions that C. Wright Mills asked. The three videos given, offer a range of successful and unsuccessful insight and explanations about the sociological
Preventative medicine comes with the potential for making our lives both better and worse. Today the world in which we live in has faced steady medicalization of daily existence. Many factors have contributed to the rise of medicalization. For instance the loss in religion, the increase of faith in science, rationality, progress, increased prestige and the power of the medical profession. The medical profession and the expansion of medical jurisdiction were prime movers for medicalization. Medicalization has also occurred through social movements. Doctors are not the only ones involved in medicalization now, patients are active collaborators in the medicalization of their problem. Critics try to argue for or against the idea that this leads to a favorable versus a non -favorable outcome. This increased establishment and development of medicine, including technoscience, has resulted in a major threat to health. The medicalization of normal conditions, risks the creation of medical diagnoses that are widely inclusive and that hold the potential for further expansion. Many biologically normal conditions, like shortness, menopause, and infertility, are currently considered medical problems. These naturally occurring states are now regarded as undesirable and deviant. This process is referred to as medicalization. Although they are considered deviant, however, the process of medicalization also removes culpability: a person’s problems can be ascribed to a chemical imbalance rather than seen as reflecting his or her character or accomplishments. Some of the articles I will be looking into are Dumit’s “Drugs for life” as well as Healy’s “Pharmageddon” and Cassel’s “Selling Sickness” to explore if this process of overmedicalization has le...
Sociology is and what do sociologists study. It is also vital to look at the three basic
Wright Mills, an American sociologist coins the term sociological imagination as “the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society (Mills, 1959). This term is not necessarily a theory, rather an outlook of society and the ability to consider life beyond the typical day-to-day attributes. This results in a greater understanding of individual development in a larger social context contributing to a greater quality of mind distinguishing individuality and the correlation between societies at large (Sociological Imagination, Video file). Sociological imagination to me personally means the ability for one to imagine oneself on a bigger
Throughout history people have used marijuana for its dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds to relieve pain, stress, and other medical issues from one’s life. Within the recent years it has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) claimed that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and was a powerful, addicting substance. During the sixties marijuana became a symbol for rebellion against authority so it became very popular by college students and “hippies”. So in 1982, Drug Enforcement Administration increased pressure on drug farms and houses which decreased the use of marijuana. In the past twenty years marijuana has become a
The sociological imagination is a strong driving force for societies to understanding and change their norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors etc... However, there is much that goes into understanding what a sociological imagination is. So the question must be asked, what is a sociological imagination and how does it affect our views on the world? Simply put there are many things that occur in society that need to be changed in order to have equality and justness in a society or even in the world. Sociology strives to link why humans do certain things and what are the factors that can be changed over time to positively affect society. There are different levels of evaluation in regards to sociological imagination, for example: the difference
Marxist theory argued that the problem is not just about access to medical care. It is the capitalist economy that defines health and medicine. Under the umbrella of this system, “the main goal of medicine is not health but profit. The profit turns doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical industry into multibillion do...
Kendrick’s Doctoring Data, is an extremely engaging, and thought-provoking book in which he makes a lot of compelling arguments about medicine in general. It left me puzzled with just about any scientific claims that have been made so far. Most importantly, Kendrick looks into depth at both the medical and pharmaceutical research leaving me to question the motivations behind the manipulation, and the use of dirty tricks by pharmaceutical companies would practice to convince their audiences into thinking that their products are the best. In addition, I was confused with what the morality behind medical establishment in the United States are. Are they valuing money more than lives? How did money become so involved? What can we, as patients, do to solve this problem? What can doctors do to solve this problem? How do we advertise information to consumers of healthcare to be aware of the bias and gamesmanship of medical research? On the other hand, I dispute Kendrick’s explanations of medical research. Kendrick made an argument that one of the core reasons behind why researches conducted are
According C.Wright.Mills (1959), sociological imagination enables one to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables one to take into account how individuals, in the welter of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social positions. It is not only information that they need - in this Age of Fact; information often dominates their attention and overwhelms their capacities to assimilate it. It is not only the skills of reason that they need although their struggles to acquire these often exhaust their limited moral energy. What they need, and what they feel they need, is a quality of mind that will help them to use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within them.
Sociology of Health and Illness The sociological approaches focus on identifying the two sociological theories. We critically analysed the biomedical model and doctor-patient relationship. We also evaluated how the medical professionals exercise social control and the medical professional’s contribution to ill health. The difference between society and health is studied by sociologists in relation to health and illness.
In what situation is it appropriate to label one’s personal problem as the community’s problem? The term sociological imagination stem from this issue. Little (2016) cites C. Wright Mill’s definition of the sociological imagination as “how individuals understand their own and others’ lives in relation to history and social structure” (Mills 1959 as cited in Little 2016:5). An individual must recognize the relationship between their own self and society. Distinguishing one’s self and the public’s dilemmas are crucial because the individual and the community can address the problems. By looking into the sociological lens, we determine one’s personal affairs and the society’s issues in “the macro and micro divide in sociology” (Little 2016:5). The personal problem and opinion of an individual regarding animal cruelty, have escalated
The concept of power is a very broad topic that exists in many different forms. The ability to distinguish who has power from those who do not is very clear to determine. However this is not always the case. Power can be defined as the ability to force someone’s will against another in the face of resistance. Everyday activities and societal intuitions contain an inherent power structure that is constantly at play even if those affected are not aware of it. By studying power and who wields it along with the effects in society, it proposes an explanation as to why certain people possess a higher amount of opportunities than others. The sociological imagination can be used to study power by going beyond personal struggle and connecting it to