Sociological Perspectives of Health - Summary Notes

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON HEALTH - SUMMARY NOTES

Marxism:

Conflict Macro

• The origins of illness are structural in nature.
• Capitalism causes ill-health:
• Workers become sick from physical injuries obtained by capitalist workplaces, as well as the inequality and consequent poverty in a capitalist society;
• Products of capitalism make people ill.
• Althusser 1969: Ideological State Apparatus serves to mystify the real exploitative nature of capitalism; promoter of false consciousness. 
• Navarro 1979: Healthcare serves the interests of the bourgeoisie (making people well to work again). They are gate-keepers who work in the interests of capitalism.
• By following the Biomedical model, capitalist societies ignore the social causes of ill-health and help to maintain a false-class consciousness. 

Functionalism:

Consensus Macro

• Parsons 1951: “The Sick Role”
• Regarding the integral functionality of society:
• Doctors have key role in the healthy functioning…