SOCI 1002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Talcott Parsons, Price Gouging, Social Epidemiology
13 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Sociology of Health
Lecture 6
The Sociology of Health
• Health:“a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being” (WHO definition,
Little et al, p. 586)
• Medical sociology: “the systematic study of how humans manage issues of health and
illness, disease and disorders, and health care for both the sick and the healthy” (ibid, p.
586).
• Social epidemiology: “the study of the causes and distribution of diseases. Social
epidemiology can reveal how social problems are connected to the health of different
populations” (p. 587).
Theorizing health
Functionalism Talcott Parsons (1953)
Sick role: “patterns of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for
those who take care of them” (Little et al, p. 598).
The “sick role”:
You are not held responsible
You are exempt from normal activities
You don’t like the role
You seek out help/ acquiesce to experts in order to get better
Conflict theory
Intersections between health & social class
Health not equitably distributed throughout a society
Social determinants of health
Social class and medical school (Steckley and Letts 2014, p. 291).
Average medical school tuition in Canada, 2015: $13 000/ year, dental school=
$18 000/year (Stats Canada)
Average medical student debt load at graduation= $71 000 (Queen’s School of
Medicine).
Medicalization
Medicalization “the process by which previously normal aspects of life are redefined as
deviant and needing medical attention to remedy” (Little et al, p. 593).
Disease Mongering
the role pharmaceutical companies have in “defining as diseases conditions for which
they have developed an effective drug” (p. 333)
Beauty Contraption
Price gouging
Foucault and biopolitics
Knowledge → Power
Language
Biopolitics: “the relationships of power that emerge when the task of fostering and
administering the ‘life’ of the population becomes central to government” (Little et al, p.
600).
Biomedicine: “a system of medical practice that defines health and illness in terms of the
mechanics of the physical, biological systems of the human body” (p. 600).
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The sociology of health: health: a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (who definition, Little et al, p. 586: medical sociology: the systematic study of how humans manage issues of health and illness, disease and disorders, and health care for both the sick and the healthy (ibid, p. 586): social epidemiology: the study of the causes and distribution of diseases. Social epidemiology can reveal how social problems are connected to the health of different populations (p. 587). Sick role: patterns of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for those who take care of them (little et al, p. 598). You seek out help/ acquiesce to experts in order to get better. Social class and medical school (steckley and letts 2014, p. 291). Average medical school tuition in canada, 2015: 000/ year, dental school= Average medical student debt load at graduation= 000 (queen"s school of.
