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Sociological Theories and Perspectives in Health Care Assignment

   

Added on  2021-06-18

8 Pages2768 Words158 Views
Running Head: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES IN HEALTHCARE1Sociological Theories and Perspectives in Health Care System in AustraliaStudent NameSchool Name

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN AUSTRALIA2IntroductionBefore in-depth discussion of the main topic, it is important we understand the conceptsthat lay the foundation for this essay. The question pertinent to this essay is whether hierarchy and power are an intrinsic part of the human social interaction. Though there are difficulties in giving a definite answer, mainly because of fuzzy definitions of “hierarchy”, “power”, and “intrinsic”.In the context of sociology, “power” according to Weber “the ability of an individual or group to achieve their own goals or aims when others are trying to prevent them from realizing them”. From his definition of power, we view it as being authoritative and coercive. On the other hand, “hierarchy” in social science refers to the ranking of positions of authority, mostly associated with the chain of command and control. It involves the arrangement or network of units constituting of subunits which are organized the same way down the organization structure. And “intrinsic” is almost generally practised by all humans and resilient across otherwise extremely divergent cultures. For instance, the desire to eat food is an inherent aspect of every human being.The overall discussion question of this essay is how hierarchy and power are intrinsic to the healthcare system in Australia drawing the arguments from the sociological theories and concepts. (Gabe and Monaghan, 2013), Healthcare system forms the critical part of the government concerns in Australia. The reason is that health is the basic need of every citizen. This essay will discuss the sociological theories in the context of hierarchy and power in healthcare and the impact to the health practitioners. From the sociological theories, we understand the social interaction, relationships, and behaviours of people in the healthcare. It will also discuss the implication of these theories to the healthcare practitioners. Understanding sociology and health careAccording to Becker (2017), generally, sociology studies the human behaviour or society. It uses the empirical research and critical analysis to explain social phenomena like order, disorder and change on one hand and social science on the other. To understand sociology in academic terms, it is viewed as the study of human societies. Sociology is also understood in terms of the research-based study of society (2017). In health, sociology includes

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN AUSTRALIA3social medicalization, disease, mental health, disability, and epidemiology. It studies the interaction between society and health.Sociology has proved that health and illness cannot only be isolated as only biological and medical phenomena. They are in constant evolution from one society to the other. When we control existing diseases, a new one develops requiring new approaches. In analyzing health and illness, sociology uses the following focuses:Using sociological perspectives to explain the illness. It applies the experience of illness and the social structuring of health and disease. Sociology is used by the clinicians and other healthcare professionals in researching the development of health policies and epidemiological studies.Used to get a better understanding the impact of social processes in health practitionersand social groups. These include the social disparities, practitioners’ relationships, personal identity, hierarchy, and power.Sociological Perspectives on health care in AustraliaThe Functionalist ApproachThe Functionalist perspective was conceived by Talcott Parsons in 1951. This perspectivefocuses on the stability of the society by emphasizing on the good and effective medical care. Unhealthy and ill people are unstable to perform their societal roles which affect the stability and functioning of the society. In this context, societies constitute more than aggregates of its functional parts but rather the functionality of each part is critical for the whole society. In order to achieve stability, harmony, and cooperation, socialization must exist within agreed norms and values. Parsons discussed this approach in terms of sick role. He established how thesick are expected to behave and how those taking care of them also carry themselves.According to Parsons, the sick has the role to play and should never be blamed for their conditions. The sick should be treated with care and not seen to be responsible for their sickness. They should be exempted from the normal activities in the society. They should not beobligated to carry out any role that is beyond what they are capable of at their condition. However, the legitimacy of illness must be ascertained by the medical physician as genuine.

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