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Strengths of functionalist perspective on health
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Health is a crucial element of human life. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined ‘‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’’, (1998). There are a lot of elements to affect health such as: biological, physical, environmental, and sociological. Predominately, social structure and health professionals’ knowledge have a huge implication on health and illness. The two theories Functionalism and Weberianism have various social impacts to cause illness (Germov, 2014). Similarly these two theories have implications on health care system and health professionals’ perception (Scott, 2005). This essay is an analytic overview of two main sociological theories: Functionalism …show more content…
Functionalism is a Sociological theory, which is also known as Structural Functionalism or Consensus Theory. This theory was developed by Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton. Functionalism is a social structure to keep our social function running and stable. Every part of society is serving with some intention and it helps society to function efficiently and effectively within a social order (Germov, 2014). Sheaff (2005) compares Factionalism with a human body. In human body all the cells and organs are interconnected with each other, and support each other to function properly. If any cell gets dysfunctional it would affect other’s function too. Social structure is also linked with one another for some purpose. Family, business, media, medicine, police forces, educational institutions, financial institutions, and law are some of the elements of social structures, and they all are …show more content…
As Germov, (2014) describes that our society is functioning perfectly due to the interrelated social structures. Each part of the society has some purpose, social obligation, and responsibility to continue the function and keep it stable. Unwell member of the society will be considered as sick, sociologist Talcott Parsons acknowledged as a dysfunctional social element or condition to the sick (Germov, 2014). Functionalism describes Sick role to affect social structure and function, so if anyone gets sick, they no longer will be able to execute or perform the social function and unable to continue the social responsibility (Jones & Creedy, 2008). Sick people need to get proper treatment and recover from the illness and come back to the normal function of the society. As Sheaff (2005) prospective, this approach is concerned about public health and wellbeing to maintain sociological functions. In contrast to the Functionalism, bureaucracies in Weberianism were found very effective tool to eradicate the fraudulence, mismanagement, and inefficiency (Germov, 2014). McFalls, (2007) suggests Weberianism bureaucracy approach has established layers of management, from the top level managerial role to supervisor, health professional and junior level staff. The chain of command deals with effective and consistent delivery of health services.
Functionalism views society as the stability and assimilation of a range of forces that function within it. While society is a separate entity with a life of its own, there are individual elements contributing to that stability. Functionalism as a sociological theory emphasizes assimilation rather than the dissociation of society. Therefore, the society is seen as a whole that is compromised of parts which give one another their identity and their function. The part, whether that is education, such as a school, or sports, such as a football team, operates in relation to the other parts, and cannot be entirely understood in isolation from the other parts. All the parts are interrelated, and when there is a disturbance in any one of the parts, is when you can see the interdependence. But what is important about this theory is that “there will always be some reorganization and tendency to restore equilibrium” (Wallace and Wolf 17). Functionalist do not believe it’s crucial that the people involved in the society to be aware of this interconnectedness anymore than the brain and heart consciously realize that they work together as an organism.
Functionalism is a theory in which various social institutions and processes in society serve a significant function in order for society to continue
The functionalist paradigm focuses on the integration of society, and how society how its own groups which has their own functions to help improve the peoples lives. Functionalist paradigm fits in the category of macro-sociology, because it focuses on the patterns that shape an entire society. Functionalists believe that society is maintained through the thought of trust and consensus on moral values for ideal behavior. Working together will result in a stable social environment that will create equality. Conflicts or dysfunctions will be view as a disease in the social system. Social conflict paradigm believes that society is divided into many groups that have their own goals, and that certain parts of the world have the luck of benefiting economic dominan...
Functionalism focuses on each aspect of society being independent and contributes to stability (Cliffsnotes, 2016.) It ignores the dysfunction of stratification such as poverty (Cliffsnotes, 2016.) Fails to recognize the negative impact of low income, education, mortality and life choices have on people’s life and what this can mean for people trapped in such life cycle (Cliffsnotes, 2016.) The main difference between functionalism and weberianism is functionalism believed that society was naturally heading towards equilibrium (check where this is from)Durkheim believed that there were two types of structures within society, (institutions and social facts), for society to maintain social equilibrium each structure must work together to create a balance (check where this is from .) For example, schools educate the children so they can get a job and put back into society, this relationship was termed ‘manifest functions’ (Brown, 2013.) Functionalism looks at society on a large scale (Moore et al, 2006.) Weberianism focuses more on individuals and how they hold the power to change their status within a competitive society. It describes how people can fight for economic gains; this is proved in history with the rise of the working class (Moore et al, 2006.) This idea later becomes the sociological theory we know as capitalism. Max Weber was interested in understanding the human behavior (Bartle, 2012.) He believed we should show empathy for individuals as understanding the meaning behind the way the individual behaves, is important when determining their place in society and the product of their behavior (Bartle,
Structural Functionalism is the sociology theory that emphasizes how everything and everyone has a purpose in society. That each and every one of us is a puzzle piece that comes together in order to form a society, any missing puzzle piece would result in the downfall or shortcomings of the whole society. Whether this may be religion, education, economy, etc, all of these structures much work together in order to have a flourishing society where everyone works uniformly. Stability is achieved when everyone fulfills their duty is society.
The focus on how social structures determine, and are effective in maintaining the equilibrium is functionalism or structural-functionalism, which is the theorizing of Durkheim and Parsons (Dillon, book, 179). What this means is that we need to look at the structures effectiveness of social structures and make sure that it is at a satisfying state of equilibrium. An example of this would be the human body, we have many different organs and they all work together to produce the fully functional human. What it comes down to is, everything has its own place in society and even if a conflict is introduced, there is a way of working itself out and the society will go back to functioning normally.
The biomedical model of health has been criticised because it fails to include the psychological and social causes relating to an individual’s medical illness or health, looking only at the biological causes (Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Therefore, sociologists being aware of the impacts of social structure and lifestyle on health have put in various efforts to place the study of ‘the social’ at the core of health and healthcare examination.
Health as a Social Construction In my essay, I aim to find out why social construction affects the health of our society. Ill health may be defined as 'a bodily or mental state that is deemed undesirable'. This means that health is the condition of the body both physically and mentally. Social construction of health refers to the way health varies from one society to another.
The world is a very complex system with over a 100 diverse cultures and norms. Religion, wealth, poverty, and political diversity pull us apart. Since the beginning of time humans were never similar for a purpose. What if we try? Try to find our differences more alike in ways we never thought of. What will happen when these views and perspectives coincides with one another?
It has been proved by sociologists that position of an individual in the society, racial belief and other communal factors considerably impact the growth of diseases (Crossman, 2017). There has been a constant advancement in technology and economy, changes in insurance, which largely affects the health care facility available to an individual. There are diverse approaches to sociological analysis which are commonly referred to as perspectives. Firstly, the functionalist model perceives that for the society to perform proficiently, it is necessary to have good health and efficient health care as indicated by Talcott Parsons (Libraries, 2015). It emphasizes on the “sick role”.
Functionalism is the oldest and most commonly used theoretical approach used to understand social issues. Functionalism is a macrosociological perspective that presents the idea that society consists of different components working together to help a society function as one. Sociolog...
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 the event of an individual falling ill, we as a nation are very lucky to have such excellent Physicians. Sociology has a variety of different perspectives when it comes to the understanding of the honest purpose of healthcare. With the new era emerging with new technology, humans have become inattentive to the environment and health wellness. I will be explaining the importance of healthcare from the Functionalistic Perspective, targeting three main factors; sick role, gatekeeper and social class. Along with some interesting facts, and studies of the environments role in health within a community.
Technological advancement has often outperformed scientific knowledge associated with the causes that determine health. Increasing complications in social organization increase the possibilities by which multiple agents can disturb health, including factors such as those that risk physical health like venomous chemicals or radiation, restricted access to sanitary and pure natural resources, and the infinite amalgamation of them all. Decisions taken in areas apparently detached from health frequently have the prospect to have an impact on people’s health in either positive or negative manner due to a large number of links and connections in modern life. Health is an area comprised of highly intricate systems, which can be accidentally disturbed in unpredictable ways and end up in adverse health concerns that may be serious and irrevocable.
Structural Functionalism or what I call just functionalism, is just another theory that has society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. This approach looks at society through the macro-level of orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms. This approach looks at both social structure and the social functions. Functionalism has society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms and customs, traditions, and institutions. There is a common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer that presents these parts of society as "organs" that works towards the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole. In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes "the effort to impute and the rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or even practice the effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable and cohesive system.