Jay Hopper
Year 2 Group D
Sociological Perspectives in Health and Social Care
Unit 7

Contents
Page 3: P1- Explaining the principles of the sociological perspectives
Page 7: P2- Explaining the different sociological approached to health and ill health
Page 9:M1- assessing the biomedical and socio-medical models of health
Page 11: Bibliography

P1- Explaining the principles of the sociological perspectives
Sociology is the study of human societies, especially groups within societies, and how these groups relate to each other and influence individual behaviour. Sociologists presume that societies are made up of social institutions:
Family
Economy
Education system
Political system
Religious organisations
Health and social care services
Etc.
Terminology
Societies are made up of…
Social structure- this refers to the pattern of social relationships in society. The social structure provides guidelines for the cultural norms. Cultural norms achieve the goals set by cultural values. Social structure maintains societal stability. The structure must embrace social change to allow society to survive and continue healthy development. The social structure of the United Kingdom has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class. Social structure involves the family, education system and health care services, these three examples all have social structure and are structured by different roles. (New World Encyclopedia, 2008)
Social Diversity- This refers to that each individual is unique. It also shows that individuals and their societies are inter-related and inter-dependent. And thirdly, that societies and cultures are dynamic: change may be rapid or gradual, but will always affect different members of society in ways that reflect differences in power and status. Social class, gender, culture, ethnicity, age and locality are all examples of social diversity; everybody is different because of these examples! National statistics socio-economic classification makes us social class; it is based on economic factors:
Class 1 (higher managerial & professional): Doctors, Lawyers, and Architects. Class 2 (lower managerial and professional): Nurses, Teachers and Journalists. Class 3 (Intermediate): Armed Force, Paramedics, and Bank Staff. Class 4 (small employers and own account workers): Farmers, Shop keepings and Driving instructors. Class 5 (lower supervisory and technical): Electricians, Plumbers and Chefs. Class 6 (semi routine): Receptionists, Telephone salesperson and Care worker. Class 7 (Routine): Laborers, Bar staff and Lorry drivers.
Socialization- This is a term used by sociologists to show that we begin to learn things at birth, although this is a lifelong process of learning and adapting to norms, customs and ideologies. We have agents of socialization which are also the social structure, some examples are:
Family
Peers
Religion
Government
Media
Work
Ethnic background
Clubs/Social groups
Education
The norms, values, beliefs, roles and status all make up socialization.
National statistics socio-economic classification
Class 1 (higher managerial & professional): Doctors, Lawyers, Architects
Principle sociological perspectives
Functionalism- The functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, functionalism interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society. Society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each part of society is functional for the stability of the whole society. The functionalist approach to health: for society to function efficiently, individuals need to be healthy. The family is responsible for caring for the sick; they view illness as a form of deviance. This perspective describes individuals who are ill as performing a role- the sick role. Talcott Parsons says that being ‘sick’ is a socially conditioned role. He states that we behave in a certain way once we know we are sick, it links in with labelling. Talcott Parsons theory