Sociology 2179A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Involuntary Treatment, Natural Childbirth, Medicalization
16 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Last week, we talked about three strands of research: One was: medical knowledge as being socially constructed. Not only medical professionals who play a role, but also social movements, organizaions, biotechnology, consumers, and insurance industry. The process through which a condiion or behaviour becomes deined as a medical problem requiring a medical soluion. Process whereby more and more of everyday life has come under medical dominion, inluence and supervision (zola) Deining behaviour as a medical problem or illness and mandaing or licensing the medical profession to provide some type of treatment for it (conrad) Extends medical jurisdicion and authority into increasingly broader areas of people"s lives. However, medicalizaion is not accomplished by doctors alone. In some instances, the medical profession is uninvolved or only marginally involved (ex: alcoholism) Medicalizaion occurs on three levels: conceptual: a medical vocabulary is used to deine the problem at hand, few medical professional need be involved; medical treatment not necessarily applied.
