Health Care – Social Issues, Research Paper Example

Health is a crucial aspect of complete well-being, composed of overall mental, physical as well as emotional aspects of individuals and society. This definition recognizes the importance of a society of being more than disease free; and realizes that a healthy body is dependent upon a healthy environment and a stable mind. This article will discuss three main sociological theories- structural functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic Interactionism in the light of health care system of our society.

Three Major Perspectives in Sociology

Sociologists usually interpret social phenomena at different levels and from diverse viewpoints. Sociologists study logical evidences to generalizations of society and social behavior, which ranges from micro level to macro level analysis of social patterns. In recent times, sociologists employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the functionalist perspective, the symbolic Interactionism perspective, and the conflict perspective. These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical knowledge and parameters to explain the societal influence on people, and vice versa. Each perspective intricately conceptualizes society, social forces, and human behavior in the process.
Social perspectives in health care:

Structural Functionalist Perspective: Socialists like Emily Durkheim believe that the society is bonded together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the society in consortium agree on, and in consonance work jointly to achieve and perform roles best for society as a whole. In this theory society functions like the human body – where the interdependent body parts work in harmony for proper function. When one part does not work, it can cause breakdown of the entire body. Similarly, in society a equilibrium or balance needs to be achieved to function normally.

Sociologists in health care are concerned to reflect on the fact how illness, health and health are simultaneously affected by other aspects of social life. Defining structural functional perspective aspect in the essence of health care implies that health care is a social institution that operates to maintain the well-being of society member. Consequently it means to take care of the social system as a whole. Illness is dysfunctional and interferes with the role of people and their needed social roles. Society assigns a unique and temporary role to the individuals who are ill. The sick role helps to cope and adjust with the no functional members and to control the negative effects of illness (Parsons, 1951). This role also carries with it an expectation that the ill receives competent medical care, prescribe and adhere to the health care regimen, and return back to possible normal role obligations.

Conflict Perspective

This theory envisages that the organization or society functions so that its groups coagulate to reap maximum benefits, which inevitably leads to social change. The theory is mostly focused on conflict between the proletarian versus bourgeoisie or the discrimination within the social classes. Moreover, the theory refutes functionalism, which considers that societies and organization function so that individuals and groups plays specific objective roles, like organs in the body.

The conflict perspective focuses on how wealth, power, status, and the profit motive influence health care. Worldwide, population living in poverty, with little power and status, experience greater health problems and have less access to quality medical care (Feachum, 2000). The conflict perspective criticizes the pharmaceutical and health care in industry for placing profits above people. In her book, Money- Driven Medicine, Mahar (2006) insists that power in the health care system has shifted base from the hands of the physicians to the corporations based on shareholders’ stake and profit. Thus, the interest of patients are almost neglected in lieu of individual monetary interests of insurers, drug makers- they develop products and facilities on what their marketers tell them will sell more than the health requirements of the ill. Since the people of the developing countries do not have the money to spend on expensive drugs, medicine companies do not provide adequate emphasis on innovation of drugs related to diseases in these countries.

Secondly, there is the question of drug safety. Most of the pharmaceutical companies outsource the clinical drug trials of their products into the developing countries. Such franchises are known as Control Research Organizations (CRO’s) and operate in flexible, low cost conditions, with poor regulatory norms or laws of these countries. Since the validity of the research trials from these CRO’s are questionable – it puts the lives of thousands of people in risk and jeopardy. A recent example of such a case had been with the renowned drug Tylenol. Thus, the conflict perspective points out at the way in which powerful institution and groups influence and determine the health related policies and laws through financial contributions to political section of the country.

Symbolic Interactionism: Symbolic interaction defines the case where (1) meanings, definitions and labels influence the health care sector (2) how meanings are learnt through interaction with others and through media messages and portrayal. It was Herbert Blumer (1969), who first coined the term of symbolic Interactionism that sets basic three principal perspectives:

• The reaction of human beings towards things or situations depend on the meanings of the meanings that the things and situation have for them
• The meaning of such things evolves from social interaction between individuals
• These meanings are handled/modified in accordance with an interpretive process used by the person.

Symbolic interactionists attempt to understand the specific meanings and cause that we attribute to specific events. In studying the health care sector, symbolic interactionists focus on the meanings that the social actors attribute to their illness or disease. It also emphasizes how these meanings affect people’s relationship and self concept with others. According to symbolic interactionists, we socially create and construe “illness” and “health” and how both the concepts should be treated. This theory provides us with new innovative insights on the social construction of illness. It also highlights the fact that health and illness cannot be determined by strict medical criteria and analogy. This theory also makes us aware about the importance of communication between patient and physicians, including factors that may reduce effective medical treatment for some individuals. It was observed that doctors are often reluctant and apprehensive to share the medical technicalities with the patient. This spoils the transparency between both of them resulting in the failure of interaction between them. Symbolic interactionists stresses on interaction, verbal communication and information in the health sector so that there is no scope of misunderstanding on behalf of the patient or the doctor.

However, these approaches have been deeply criticized for suggesting that few objective medical criteria exist for many illnesses. It is also blamed for over emphasizing micro level issues without giving proper relevance to macro level issues such as the effects on health care of managed care, health maintenance organizations, and for profit hospital chains.

Comparison of the theories

Structural Functionalist Perspective emphasizes in society needing to work in tandem and in consortium to achieve equilibrium. Health care is important for equilibrium because the society has to strike a balance between the ill and the healthy members of society. So a constant health care system needs to be developed, which will take the onus to treat and care for the ill and unhealthy to function adequately. If there is no proper health care system- then many members of the society will stay ill and the society will be thrown out of equilibrium. Having a healthy society is critical and important to achieve equilibrium and would be of potent important in a functionalist society. It is more of a hypothetical concept – too good to be true and viable in this society.

Conflict theory is most crucially interpreted in health care and illness issues. The problems present in coherence in the healthcare system of the United States are best highlighted by ascertaining the conflict theoretical framework. Conflict theory considers human societal existence in a system of dialectics. Dialectics implies that conflict is natural and will tend to occur in society due to the opposing forces within social/structural arrangements. United States is equipped with a range of hospitals, doctors, medical schools, and superb medical technology. But there is an immense constriction that exists in the realm of access to these vital resources. If an individual do not have health insurance or your health insurance does not cover enough of your required medical expenses, one has to pay the money from his/her own pocket. Thus, the wealthy or the proletariat frame laws keeping in mind the soaring profits of the healthcare services. However, the middle and the poor sections of the society struggle to meet the most basic healthcare needs. Without insurance, a serious illness can easily cause bankruptcy in a hardworking family. There is also a positive aspect of this argument – the proletariat bearing the fact that the health of the workers are essential to their prosperity, might often undertake or influence policies for giving them maximum healthcare benefits.

Symbolic interactionists are more synonymous to mental illness. In simple terms, if the society views us as ill, both physically and mentally – we will come to perceive ourselves as the society perceives us. However, with more interaction and communication such mental weaknesses and obscurities can be avoided.

References

Kendall, D (2010) “Sociology in our times”: The essentials, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Mooney, L. A., Knox, D., & Schacht, C (2009) “Understanding Social Problems” Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Parsons, T (1951) “The Cost of Childbirth”

Feachum, R (2000) “Poverty and inequality”: A proper focus on the new century, retrieved from familiesusa.org

Mahar, M (2006) “Money- Driven Medicine”, New York, Harper Collins, retrieved from www.businessweek.com