According to WHO health is the complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely absence of disease or infirmity. (WHO 2010). When an individual is claimed to be healthy, it is considered the entire being is in a state of wellness and not merely absence of pathogens acting against one’s physical being. Cure and healing, although they may be interchanged have different meanings if taken in their rightful context. This misconception extend also to disease, sickness and illness.
When individuals experience disease, there is always a tendency to think in obsolete terms of being curable and incurable. When we talk of curing we talk of the restoration of health by eliminating the symptoms that characterise a disease. Healing on the other hand calls for the restoration of wholeness. Healing is an integrative process that go beyond the physical but also include mental, emotional and spiritual vitality and wellness. Whilst cure could be instant, healing usually takes time. Also one can be cured but without healing and the reverse is also true.
CPH 2712. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT UNIT ONE.
Concepts of Cure, Healing, Disease, and Illness and their sociological approaches and subsequent perspectives on Health.
According to WHO health is the complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely absence of disease or infirmity. (WHO 2010). When an individual is claimed to be healthy, it is considered the entire being is in a state of wellness and not merely absence of pathogens acting against one’s physical being.
Cure and healing, although they may be interchanged have different meanings if taken in their rightful context. This misconception extend also to disease, sickness and illness.
When individuals experience disease, there is always a tendency to think in obsolete terms of being curable and incurable. When we talk of curing we talk of the restoration of health by eliminating the symptoms that characterise a disease. Healing on the other hand calls for the restoration of wholeness. Healing is an integrative process that go beyond the physical but also include mental, emotional and spiritual vitality and wellness (Mooney Maria 2013)
Whilst cure could be instant, healing usually takes time. Also one can be cured but without healing and the reverse is also true.
“Healing is an intensely personal, subjective experience involving a reconciliation of the meaning an individual ascribes to distressing events with his/her perception of wholeness as a person.” Egnew T.R.(2005). It is the marriage of science and medicine that empowered physicians to intervene in the course of disease to effect cure. To prevent illness, and to eradicate disease. (Ludmerer 1985). Psychological conceptions of healing involve reordering an individual sense of position in the universe and define healing as ‘a process in the service of evolution of the whole personality towards ever greater and more complex wholeness’ (Comfort A. 1978). It focus on social organisation, roles, meaning, and personal growth.
Guzzetta, Dossey, & Keegan (2005) defined healing as ‘the bringing together aspects of one’s self, body-mind-spirit, at deeper levels of inner knowing, leading toward integration and balance with each aspect having equal importance and value’ Healing is not a core function of medicine but curing is.
Sociology of health encompass social epidemiology, disease, mental health, disability and medicalisation. Sociology views health and illness as not biological or medical phenomena but are perceived, organised, and acted upon in a political, economic, cultural and institutional context. (Opentext 2019 Chapter 19). The functionalist perspective is micro-analytical in that it looks at the bigger picture. It focuses on the way that all aspects of society are integral to the continued health of the whole. Functionalist put emphasis on efficient restoration of an individual to a healthy state.
Critical perspectives focus on the power struggle between pharmaceuticals and medical knowledge over the medicalisation of the whole body. (Opentext 2019).
Interactionists focus on how individuals understand their health, and how their relationship to their bodies is medicated by social concepts of health and illness and how it affects their relationship with those around them. (Opentext 2019)
It is therefore inherent that emphasis be put upon treating the entire being and not only curing the symptoms of a disease. In dealing with patients, medical practitioners should involve the patient in the treatment process. Where possible those in close contact with the patient should be factored into the treatment process.
The social construction of health involve the doctor-patient relationship, the structure and socioeconomics of health care, and how culture impacts attitudes toward disease and wellness.
Sociologists, Conrad & Baker (2010) offered a comprehensive framework for understanding the social constructs of health, and they summarised their findings under three subheadings: 1)the cultural meaning of illness,2)the social construction of the illness experience, and 3)the social construction of medical knowledge.
It is agreed among medical sociologists that illness have both the biological and an experimental component that exist independently of each other. It is our culture that stigmatise illnesses and dictates which are considered disabilities and those that are contestable as opposed to definitive to the medical fraternity. (Conrad & Baker 2010)
Stigma hinder individual from integrating into society. Stigmatisation of illness has the greatest effect on the patient and the kind of care available to him/her. It is evident that society and even health care discriminate against certain illnesses such as mental disorders, HIV/AIDS, venereal diseases, and skin disorders. (Sartorius 2007). Stigma might prevent individuals from seeking medical help for their illnesses.
Contested illness might lead to individuals shun seeking medical help. Disorders like fibro-myalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome that may be considered illusory by the medical practitioner.
It is not uncommon for individuals to fail to fully disclose what ails them. It is now acknowledged that the degree of individual perceptions shape the nature of health and illness
Medical knowledge is socially constructed in that it can both reflect and reproduce inequalities in gender, class, race and ethnicity. (Conrad & Baker 2010)
Although in some context illness, sickness and disease are used interchangeably, in their true sense they do not convey the same meaning.
Sickness is considered a role and illness is a form of deviance from norm that disturb the social function of society, according to functionalist, Parson (1902-1979). The concept of sickness as a role was conceptualized by the American sociologist Talcott Parson (1951). His argument was that a sick person cease being a productive member of the society one is a member of. He called it ‘sanctioned deviance’ This deviance, therefore needs policing and the role of policing the sick falls on the medical profession.(Parson 1951).
“‘Being sick’ is not simply a ‘condition’; it contains within itself customary rights and obligations based on the social norms that surround it” (Boundless Sociology: Health and illness. 2019).
The conflict perspective are of the mind that the economic and political structures of a society create social divisions, inequalities and conflicts. (Boundless Sociology 2019). Conflict theory is associated wit Karl Marx (1818-1883). He termed it ‘false consciousness’ the explanations of social problems as the shortcomings of individuals rather than the flaw of society. (Boundless Sociology 2019)
Symbolic interactionist perspective view health and illness as socially constructed. Interactionists believe individuals behave as they do because of how they define situations. (Boundless Sociology 2019)
The Labeling approach to health and illness claims that mental illness is only viewed as a result of societal influence. (Scheff 1966). Labeling is borne out of the majorities to negatively label the minorities or those seen as deviant from standard cultural norms. Behaviour and self-identity are determined or influenced by the terms used to describe them. (Boundless Sociology 2019) It is sometimes called self-fulfilling prophecy or stereotyping. Mental illness are socially constructed illnesses and psychotic disorders that are non-existent according to hard labeling. Certain expectations are placed on individuals viewed as mentally incapacitated, who over time unconsciously change their behaviour to fulfil the expectations. HIV/AIDS is viewed as a punishment for deviant and inappropriate sexual behaviour since in the early days it was associated with homosexuality. (Boundless Sociology 2019)
However, while labeling can be stigmatizing, they can also lead to proper treatment for those labeled. Labels might lead individuals to seek psychotherapy or medication. (Boundless Sociology 2019)
In conclusion it can be learnt from the above-mentioned information that it is imperative that bio-psychosocial approaches be adopted in addressing health and illness outcomes. Gone are the times when the objective of health care was to treat symptoms of disease only. The wellness of the entire being should be paramount.
REFERENCE.
Boundless Sociology (2019). Sociological Perspectives on Health and Illness. Retrieved from https://www.lumenlearning.com/
Conrad P & Baker KK. (2010). The social construction of illness: key insights and policy implications. J. Health Soc Behav 2010. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Mooney M (2013). What is the difference between healing and curing? Retrieved from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/
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- Citation du texte
- Tadgemore Murigwa (Auteur), Concepts of Cure, Healing, Disease and Illness, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/512891