UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE

HS 2712: COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH II:

PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE & SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

TOPIC: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND

HEALTH CARE

WEEK ONE ASSIGNMENT

Explain the concepts of cure, healing, disease, and illness with reference to at least 2 different

approaches and subsequent perspectives on health as discussed in the readings.

The World Health Organization defines "health" as an individual's physical, mental, and social

wholeness rather than the absence of illness or disease (Frank, 2002). In layman's terms, "curing"

refers to the process of recovering from or alleviating disease symptoms, whereas "healing"

refers to maintaining health or returning to one's previous level of well-being. The word

"disease" describes an organism's aberrant internal processes that make it less effective at

carrying out specific tasks. Medical analysis can identify a disease, which is a pathological state.

The inability to perform bodily tasks properly is termed "illness," which is not always a sign of a

disease. Although illness and disease are interchangeable, Crinson & Martino (2017) made a

distinction between the two in their article "Illness as a Social Role": "Illness is what the patient

experiences when he goes to the doctor; disease is what he has on the way home." The idea that

illness plays a social role supports the idea that social conceptions or views of illness influence

how patients, physicians, and caregivers behave. The concepts of cure, illness, and disease

cannot be seen exclusively from a biological standpoint but sociologically analyzed, just as

health incorporates physical, social, and mental components.

Analysis in the study of health and illness is at the center of sociology's influence. One of these is

an attempt to "make sense" of illness by analyzing the social organization of health and the

experience of illness from a sociological perspective. In contrast to the biological viewpoint of

chronic illness, which often focuses on the mechanics of functional restrictions and activity

restrictions, a social approach aims to go beyond these aspects (Crinson & Martino, 2017).
The concept of disease  

The term "disease" refers to an organism's biological system working abnormally, which lowers

the organism's ability to accomplish specific tasks. Amzat and Razum (2014) described the

symptoms of the disease as follows:

 Through the presence of infections or other foreign substances that disrupt the body's

normal functions or cause organs to malfunction and necessitate medical intervention, the

disease causes pain, suffering, and discomfort (malaria and whitlow).

 Treatment by a physician: A disease should be treatable by medical practitioners. The

idea of disease is compatible with Parsons' 1951 definition of the sick role. It is a state in

which a person is cognizant of feeling unwell, sometimes resulting from pain and

suffering. Parson described the "sick role" as the exemption of regular activities to enable

the patient to recuperate (Crinson & Martino, 2017).

 Disability: A disease may also cause a variety of disabilities. A prominent illustration of a

condition that might result in physical deformities is poliomyelitis. In a different scenario,

an illness might impede activity.

 Value: Staying healthy is better than getting sick. Therefore, health is a social value in

human civilization. However, it is also impossible to separate sickness merely based on

unfavorability. Shortness and ugliness are not seen as diseases, although they may not be

appealing.
The concept of illness

Illness is the transition from an unidentified sensation to the emergence of symptoms when the

patient visits the doctor. The inability to perform bodily functions properly is termed illness,

which is not always a sign of disease (Crinson & Martino, 2017). A condition in which the

person is unaware that they are ill. It is a condition having the characteristics of a medical issue

—an impairment, a flaw, or a disability—and necessitates medical intervention.

The concept of cure and healing

The terms "cure" and "healing," which have different perspectives, are used interchangeably. The

patient undergoes curing or treatment to cease a clinical condition or illness, providing a remedy

for a clinical issue. This treatment or technique to restore health might be medical, non-medical

(traditional), or surgical to stop an illness or its symptoms from recurring. One aspect of the

healing process is giving a living thing its health back. The body's reaction to the treatment is the

main factor in one's capacity to recover from illness and regain health. Healing is distinct and

progressive, as one might be treated for HIV but still carry the infection. Think about a man who

had a stroke and recovered with no complications. Different people heal differently; in my

opinion, what heals or makes someone entirely whole is their will to live.

The following are some examples of sociological approaches to health and illness, according to

Lumen Learning (n.d.):

individuals cooperating to advance unity and stability. Sickness is viewed by a

functionalist as a deviation that prevents an individual from performing well. For the

success of good hygiene in the community, everyone has to be in good health and receive

quality medical treatment. According to Crinson & Martino's work on illness, patients

must play the "sick role" to be recognized as ill and exempted from their regular

responsibilities. The physician-patient relationship is hierarchical: The physician provides

instructions, and the patient needs to follow them.

 Conflict-based theory states that the level of social inequality impacts the effectiveness of

the healthcare system and the population's general health. The standard of healthcare

depends on the social background of the patient. As a result, those from underprivileged

social origins are more likely to fall ill and receive subpar medical care, and the reverse is

also true. They concluded that, from a medical standpoint, experts should be responsible

for establishing medical standards and furthering societal issues.

 Symbolic Interactionism: Health and sickness are social constructs. Conditions of the

body and mind have little to no objective truth, but they are classified as healthy or

unhealthy only when society defines them. This approach promotes labeling theory,

which has helped people stop unhealthy behaviors while others adopt the names people

label them.
In conclusion, a person's health extends beyond the body and must be assessed on a social and

mental level. The various viewpoints on health support the advancement of healthy living in our

culture.

REFERENCE

Amzat, J., & Razum, O. (2014). Health, Disease, and Illness as Conceptual Tools. Medical

Sociology in Africa, 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03986-2_2

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/

Crinson, I., & Martino, L. (2017).  Section 2: Illness as a social role. In Concepts of Health,

Wellbeing and Illness, and the Aetiology of Illness.  Accessed

at: http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/medical-sociology-policy-

economics/4a-concepts-health-illness/section2

Crinson, I., & Martino, L. (2017).  Section 6: Impairment, disability and handicap. In Concepts

of

Health, Wellbeing and Illness, and the Aetiology of Illness. Accessed

at: http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/medical-sociology-policy-

economics/4a-concepts-health-illness/section4
Frank, G. (2002). The Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization. Bulletin

of

the World Health Organization, 80(1), pp 981 -

984. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/268691/PMC2567708.pdf?

sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Lumen learning (n.d.). Sociological Perspectives on Health and Health Care

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-socialproblems/chapter/13-1-sociological-

perspectives-on-health-and-health-care/