HLST 1010 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Symbolic Interactionism, Social Constructionism, Sick Role
16 Jan 2016
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Document Summary
Chapter 2 gives us an overall breadth of the health care system from a sociological perspective. The chapter thoroughly goes through many major sociological theories that include functionalism, conflict theory, and materialism. It evolves onto exploring other social frameworks such as symbolic interactionist, social constructionist and to more recent developments such as feminism, anti-racism and finally postmodernism. All of these have been applied to develop and evolve many sociological perspectives in health and health care. First of all, structural functionalism was an early criticism of the social system, which primarily focuses between individuals and groups in a society and how it is built to maintain social role. Parsons introduces the sick role stressing the functions of modern medical practice and the complementary roles of physicians and patients. Goffman and concerns with the interaction in creating meaning for individuals. Next, social constructionism argues that medical facts are socially created products and focuses on who really has the power in society.
