Before considering it a biomedical construct, illness is a human experience, deeply rooted in the social and cultural context in which we live. Besides clinical disease definitions; health problems are experienced at different levels in the life of each person. The whole course of an episode of illness, from its first sow until the therapeutic approach is felt different by each particular individual, shaped by multiple coordinated of his life. The identification, investigation and deepening of aspects of diseases is a favourite object of study of more than many social disciplines, among which sociology and health studies. In recent decades, social scientists concerned with health and illness focused on the notion of the body; the debate about the human body and its representations in the medical field as well as in social and cultural context constitutes an important chapter in sociology and health studies. In this essay, my intention is to undertake a detailed analysis of how different models of conceptualizing the body allow addressing more insights or deeper approaches, and the impact that it has on personal and social life of an individual. The first part of the essay is a brief exploration of the mechanistic model of the body, based on the Cartesian dichotomy of mind / body, and how the disease is conceptualized in this model. In the second part we will focus on theoretical approaches on the human body coming from social sciences and humanities, by trying to supply the integral perspective on the relationship between body, self and society, perspective that allows a rethinking of illness and its effects , taking into account the context of the entire life of the individual. Considering the Cartesian philosophical assumptions,... ... middle of paper ... ... the dichotomy disease / Illness established to differentiate between pathology and suffering of the individual. While disease is an organic condition that can be discovered through various laboratory procedures, illness is much more subjectively, describing the status of the individual suffering and how the suffering is influencing his daily experience of life ( EJ Sobo , 2004:3 ) .The concept of illness includes both individual reactions to the state of being ill, and beliefs and attitudes that he has on the disease of suffering ( M. Winkelman 2009:60 ) . At least in theory, disease is universal, pathological damage of the body can be labelled and classified. Illness, however, is a variable factor, influenced by human personality traits, family background and social context, as well as, by the cultural context which acts as a modelling vector of human suffering.
Holmes explained that he was really concerned with both theorizing social categories and their relationships with bodies and with the possibility that suffering might be alleviated in a more respectful, egalitarian, and effective manner. Additionally, he cites Kleinman’s writings on illness narratives and the explanatory models of patients as well as Farmer’s essays on pragmatic solidarity and structural violence. Kleinman’s work focuses on the ways in which patients somatize social realities and on the importance of clinicians listening to their patients understandings of illness. Farmer’s work basically explains the importance of structural determinants of sickness and calls for more equal distribution of biomedical resources. Moreover, chapter
The notion of health is contextual and an interactive, dynamic process between person and environment (Schim et al, 2007). Both wellness and illness are conceptualized by the ‘person’, existing on a continuum across the lifespan (Arnold & Boggs, 2001).
In this essay I am going to investigate whether health is easily defined as the absence of disease or physical injury. According to Health psychology (2009) ‘World Health Organisation defined health as a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. In order to achieve good physical a nutrition diet is needed, healthy BMI, rest and adequate physical exercise is needed.
Since the beginning there has been many crimes that have had severe consequences. These crimes are crimes such as rapes, genocide, murder, and aggravated assaults (CITE). The Restorative justice system tries to help individuals that have committed some of these crimes. Some of the Restorative justice system founders are John Braithwaite, Howard Zehr, and Mark Umbret .The Restorative justice system emerged in 1970 (CITE). The Restorative justice system is a response to crime and wrongdoing that emphasizes the repairing of the harm that was created, recognizes the importance of victim, offender, and community involvement, and promote positive future behavior (CITE). Restorative justice is a response to what was considered to be an overly harsh
The uncertain nature of chronic illness takes many forms, but all are long-term and cannot be cured. The nature of chronic illness raises hesitation. It can disturb anyone, irrespective of demographics or traditions. It fluctuates lives and generates various inquiries for the patient. Chronic illness few clear features involve: long-lasting; can be managed but not cured; impacts quality of life; and contribute to stress. Chronic illnesses can be enigmatic. They often take considerable time to identify, they are imperceptible and often carry a stigma because there is little sympathetic or social support. Many patients receive inconsistent diagnoses at first and treatments deviate on an individual level. Nevertheless, some circumstances require
There are many ways to categorize illness and disease; one of the most common is chronic illness. Many chronic illnesses have been related to altered health maintenance hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are associated with diet and stress, deficient in exercise, tobacco use, and obesity (Craven 2009). Some researchers define the chronic illness as diseases which have long duration and generally slow development (WHO 2013); it usually takes 6 month or longer than 6 month, and often for the person's life. It has a sluggish onset and eras of reduction for vanishing the symptoms and exacerbation for reappear the symptoms. Some of chronic illness can be directly life-threatening. Others remain over time and need intensive management, such as diabetes, so chronic illness affects physical, emotional, logical, occupational, social, or spiritual functioning. Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, all of these diseases are the cause of mortality in the world, representing 63% of all deaths. So a chronic illness can be stressful and may change the way a person l...
Through week 9 of Cultural Anthropology, our subject involved health and illness. I feel this topic is one of the most important throughout the entire book because it pertains to literally everyone. Health and illness is brought into examination through a variety of questions throughout this chapter. For instance, Guest presents the question of how does culture shape our ideas of health and illness? Furthermore, while reading through Guest’s chapter, I came to a better understanding of how health and illness does not just involve one individual.
Disease. It is not everyday that a person hears that eye opening word. When anyone says the word disease, one’s mind goes to bad places. When a person begins to suspect that something is wrong with their body, they immediately seek a physician's help. Symptom after symptom a person becomes worried and afraid of that “what if feeling” that the one word leaves on someone. Diseases do not come very often but when they come, they come fast with lasting effects on one’s body. Sometimes, an individual diagnosed has to take a medicine or even multiple medicines that may not even help with the negative effects like pain. After running multiple tests, doctors begin to discuss possible treatments with the patient, while they are still in fear
Conrad, who was a medical sociology teacher discusses how the way they classify disease and illness has changed over time. Conrad talks about how illnesses, that are “behavioral,” mental illnesses, has become medical diagnosis and medical treatments, medicalization. Medicalization is defined as a process in which nonmedical problems are not being classified as medical problems. Conrad touches on the rise of medicalization, the social factors that have influenced it. Medicalization, viewed as a social construct, it is a form of collective action. Medicalization would have not happened if it wasn’t from the support of physicians and the medical professions, they were central to this whole medicalization. The controversies and critiques of medicalization
Health of an individual has to be evaluated first, to see the needs of the individual as a person. The patients might be having the same diagnosis, but the needs of the health status are different to each other. The body make up of an individual is different and the causes of an illness are different which indicates the treatment might be different as well. The social, economic, spiritual and psychological aspect of an individual determines health status of a patient. Social or psychological aspect of an individual can aggravate the disease process of a
Nelson Mandela once said, “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner”. This is essentially a main characteristic of restorative justice- to reconcile society, the victim and the offender- but also to rehabilitate the offender so that he is no longer an “enemy” of the criminal justice system. This form of justice is gaining support in South Africa; however there are limitations to this form of justice which also in turn limit its success in the future. Restorative justice alone is definitely not a method of justice which we can adopt but it may be possible that this form of justice can help if it is integrated into the criminal justice system.
Everyone look at illness differently because of their personal beliefs and the knowledge they have about the illness. According to the Emson, “Illness is a term occasionally used to refer specifically to the patient's personal experience of his or her disease” (Emson HE 1987). Chronic illness affects everyone, regardless of their race, gender and socioeconomic status. A chronic illness is a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time (WHO, 2012).
The main emphasis of this perspective is on value consensus, social order, stability, and functional processes at macro-level of society According to him, health is functional for the society and sickness is deviance that is dysfunctional for the society. Parson studied sickness from sociological point of view. The main focus of sociological approach is to explain the chronic illness from functional disabilities point of view.
Varied definitions of health are evident in medical studies. According to the World Health Organization, health is a condition of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing. The definition is opposed to the traditional view of health as the absence of disease (Barr, 2014). Studies suggest that definition of health should incorporate individuals, communities, and countries (Barr, 2014). A comprehensive definition of health should include all the aspects of health that consist physical, mental, physiological, economic, sociocultural, and, spiritual dimensions. All these aspects have the potential to alter an individual’s general health.
Here, we see the interference of psychology and health; one leading to the other. As earlier explained in this essay, the way a person experiences their life has a direct impact upon their body through changes in their physiology which can change their health status. She is faced with social conditions such as poverty which makes it hard for her to fend for her family. It is clear that there is direct pathway between her mental health and her physiological state. The feeling of fatigue from not being able to care for her children creates a continuum. From this overwhelming feeling, she develops chest pain and because of her social class, cannot afford to go to a hospital. Following the second stage which describes health and illness as a continuum, her mental state is directly involved in her illness. Since her mental and social well-being has been affected, her health status is incomplete and subsequently has an effect on her