Sociology of Health and Illness Essay Example

Sociology of Health and Illness Essay The state of our health is very important to us, we spend a lot of time and money on trying to stay healthy, but what do we mean by Health? The world Health Organisation (WHO) describes health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being which is more than just the absence of disease.When we think of health and illness, there is a general conception that it involves health habits such as exercise and eating the right food, as well as institutions such as hospitals and doctors. In Western societies it is commonly accepted that if we are ill it is a result of an infectious disease that can be cured by modern medicine, or is a result of genetics or lifestyle choices. Sociologists propose a different cause. They examine patterns within society, and they seek social rather than biological answers and suggest that the differences in health and illness between different groups within society are influenced by social, economic, cultural and political factors. It is from thes e observations that sociologists have concluded, health is unevenly distributed in a systematic way.Social class has always been a fundamental concept in medical sociology, demonstrating its empirical value for the understanding of ‘health chances’ for the individual ever since the early years of this century when Stevenson constructed a classification based on father’s occupation for the purpose of analysing infant mortality in England and Wales. In the past, however, medical sociologists have been criticised for an atheoretical use of class. Medical sociology, and especially the ‘inequality in health’ debate, have thus been criticised as being isolated from developments in wider sociology. (Fitzpatrick, 2004, 199-202) The objective of this paper, however, is to document how this is changing. It is argued that, currently, medical sociology is both taking note of contemporary theory of class and contributing to it. This is occurring largely through a n attempt to incorporate the concept of time. Health is a characteristic where time cannot be ignored: the sociology of health is concerned with birth and death, ageing and the life course, becoming ill and getting better, moving through both personal and historical trajectories. Health is neither simply a characteristic of the individual nor an event, but their meeting as they come together in biography. Thus health is a topic which adds in a special way to both structure and action as they are conceived of in the theory of class.This observation has been linked to class, gender, race, ethnicity and geographical location, in understanding why certain groups experience significantly different rates of illness. The sociology of health and illness is concerned with the social origins of and influences on disease, rather than the professional interests of medicine that examine health and illness from its biological development and regards illness as a malfunction of the human body. (Wi lkinson, 1999, 391-412) The social theory of health and illness is critical of the medical model and treats concepts of health and illness as highly problematic and political. It also gives special attention to how patients experience and express their distress when ill, but is critical of the ideal of the so-called sick roles. It argues that modern societies are primarily concerned with illness because of the emphasis that the medical professions have placed on it. Finally, the social approach has been critical of the medicalisation of social problems, such as lifestyle illness, like stress (Abercrombie, Hill, 2001, p. 337).Our ideas about what health and illness are have been shaped by the influence of contemporary medicine. It has been given high priority by British society with many industries being built around it whose main goals are not only health but also profit. However health and illness is far more than just medicine and medical treatments. Health and illness is closely linked to social structures and economic forces that go a long way to determining our health and our access to health resources. (Drever, 2001, 93-100) Health is linked inversely to income, with the poor generally suffering from worse health and limited health care as compared with the wealthier who tend to have better health and far greater access to health care.( Mensah, 2002, 1-7) Deficiency diseases such as Rickets and Scurvy are caused due to a lack of certain vitamins or minerals in the diet. Self-Inflicted diseases such as Lung Cancer, Alcohol Abuse, Anorexia and Bulimia are caused by peoples lifestyles, environment and maybe lack of education and awareness.( Smith, 1999, 10-12)We are concerned with infectious diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and lifestyle diseases. All the diseases that fit under one of the above titles can be reduced or even eradicated, if humans change their attitudes and behaviours towards them. Below is a list of some of the diseases that humans p ass on to one another or threw lifestyle:Impetigo Alcohol AbuseGonorrhea Drug AbuseSyphilis Food PoisoningInfluenza ChickenpoxMeasles PolioDiet HerpesTuberculosis Heart DiseaseHIV/AIDS ColdsCholera ChlamydiaLung Cancer Cold SoresIllegal Drugs HepatitisGlandular Fever ImpetigoSkin Cancer ScabiesSome of the diseases listed above are more fatal than others, but they all affect our health one way or another. In third world countries the number of infected is the highest, this may be due to the lack of sex, health education, poverty and living conditions. (Mili, 2003, 160-66)In the U.K we are still contracting HIV/AIDS, why is this? We all have access to free protection (condoms), and we have all been educated to the risks and dangers of HIV/AIDS threw some sort of media form. But still we continue to spread the disease, could this be cause our attitudes towards it is it wont happen to me or have we a lack of self respect? Many non-infectious diseases are a result of the lifestyle people are either forced or choose to lead, for example: the diet they eat, to smoke or not to smoke, or to use illegal drugs or not. Theses diseases are self-inflicted as they are well within our control. Some factors to why we inflict theses diseases upon ourselves may be a lack of awareness, addiction, social class also living conditions.( Davey, 1997, 547-52)There have been extensive changes in the world of production, with the decline in manufacturing industry. The middle classes have not only increased in size, in both absolute and relative terms, but have also become more differentiated. There has been a shrinkage of the wage labour society, through extended education, earlier retirement, shorter hours, and the development of part-time, shared, and contract work. The boundaries between work and non-work become more fluid, with flexible forms of employment and domestic and wage labour less clearly separated. There is a shortening of the proportion of the lifespan spent in work. Risi ng living standards, a decline in the influence of traditional institutions, and the erosion of traditional status orders, have all been implicated in the changing meaning of class. (Davey, 1998, 934-39)These practical problems of applying RG Social Class, and doubts about the continuing validity of the system, have caused increasing unease about using class as an explanatory variable in health. In the field of inequality of health, for instance, class continues, despite all the problems noted above, to be a useful descriptive variable, but it offers little to explanation, to the identification of the factors which cause social variation. There is no clarity about what RG Social Class actually measures, or with what accuracy. (Davey, 1994, 131-44) The basis is officially described as level of occupational skill, implicitly presumed to be associated with both a material, economic dimension and a status dimension. The conflation has been criticised by Weberians and Marxists alike. In fact, rather little attention has been paid by theoretical sociologists to mapping either changing rewards or shifting prestige in RG classes over time, since in the wider sociological arena it is preferred to dismiss the simple RGSC I-V altogether. It is only medical sociology which has remained to some extent tied to the system because of its use for census and mortality data. (Eyler, 2002, 23-30)Emotions lie at the juncture of a number of classical and contemporary debates in sociology including the micro-macro divide, positivism versus anti-positivism, quantitative versus quantitative, prediction versus description, managing versus accounting for emotions, and biosocial versus social constructionist perspectives. (Hill, 2001, 329-36) Temptation to overstretch their explanatory frames of reference (i.e. move to the other extreme of the organic-social spectrum). Indeed, a purely constructionist perspective in the sociology of emotions, as Armstrong, Â  rightly argues: ignores bio logical process and presents a disembodied view of human emotions. The relationship between body and emotions are not resolved by ignoring the body’s relevance or by viewing emotions simply as cognitive products’ (1995:404). ‘Going beyond’ the biological, in short, does not mean ignoring it altogether. Rather, it necessitates a more intricate model than organismic theorists or social constructionists propose of how social and cognitive influences ‘join’ physiological ones in the genesis of human emotions.( Higgs, 1998,45-50)Emotions are embodied experiences; ones which radiate through the body as a lived structure of on-going experience and centrally involve self-feelings which constitute the inner core of emotionality. For individuals to understand their own lived emotions, they must experience them socially and reflectively. It is here at the intersection between emotions as embodied experiences, their socially faceted nature, and their link s with feelings of selfhood and personal identity, that a truly sociological perspective and understanding of emotions can most fruitfully be forged. (Bury, 2002, 167-82) Building on these insights, Emotions are best seen as complexes rather than things; ones which are multi- rather than uni-dimensional in their composition. (Blane, 1993, 1-15) Â  Emotions, he suggests, arise within social relationships, yet display a corporeal embodied aspect as well as a socio-cultural one; something which, in turn, is linked to techniques of the body learned within a social habitus.The pursuit of health has become an important activity, especially for the American middle class. Millions of people have become concerned about their health and have changed their behaviour in order to protect or improve it. Millions more continue to act as always or with minor changes but now with awareness that such behaviour puts them ‘at risk’. In either case, health has become an important topic in everyday conversation, reflecting an extraordinary expansion of medical, political, and educative discourses about health hazards and ways to protect individuals and populations against them. There are several kinds of health discourse. Health promotion means the set of discourses and practices concerned with individual behaviours, attitudes, dispositions or lifestyle choices said to affect health. Protecting and improving individual health appear to be prototypical acts of practical reason and personal responsibility—a matter of common sense. The appearance is based on the assumption that, given accurate medical information about hazards to health and naturally desiring to live a long life free from debilitating disease, the rational person will act to avoid unnecessary dangers and adopt healthy behaviours. Yet, there is a parallel appearance. No matter how much or how little is undertaken in the name of health, we all know that the attempt falls short. Health promotion is a n imperfect practice, an experience of conflicting urges and varied outcomes. Few of us live consistently healthy lifestyles and those who approach that ideal seem to be engaged in an unhealthy obsession. In short, we are both ambivalent and inconsistent in following the rules of health.

Understanding Stockholm Syndrome

Understanding Stockholm Syndrome Stockholm syndrome develops when people are placed in a situation where they feel intense fear of physical harm and believe all control is in the hands of their tormentor. The psychological response follows after a period of time and is a survival strategy for the victims. It includes sympathy and support for their captors plight and may even manifest in negative feelings toward officers who are trying to help the victims. Situations in which the victims have displayed this kind of response have included hostage situations, long-term kidnappings, members of cults, prisoners of concentration camps, and more. Key Takeaways: Stockholm Syndrome People exhibiting Stockholm syndrome become protective of their captors, even to the point of foiling the police efforts at their rescue.The syndrome is not a named disease in any manual but rather a description of peoples behaviors whove been traumatized over a period of time.While hostages and kidnapping victims can exhibit these behaviors, so can people in abusive relationships or members of cults. Origin of the Name The name Stockholm syndrome was derived from a 1973 bank robbery (Kreditbanken) in Stockholm, Sweden, where four hostages were held for six days. Throughout their imprisonment and while in harms way, each hostage seemed to defend the actions of the robbers. As an illustration of the hostages strange thoughts and behavior under psychological distress, History.com presents this example: [T]he hostage recounted to the New Yorker, How kind I thought he was for saying it was just my leg he would shoot.† The hostages even appeared to rebuke efforts by the government to rescue them. They pled for the captors not to be harmed during the rescue and orchestrated ways for that to happen. Immediately following the incident, the victims couldnt explain to psychologists their sympathetic feelings and lack of anger and hatred toward their captors. Months after their ordeal had ended, the hostages continued to exhibit loyalty to the robbers to the point of refusing to testify against them as well as helping the criminals raise funds for legal representation. They even visited them in prison. A Common Survival Mechanism The response of the hostages intrigued behaviorists and journalists, who, following the incident, conducted research to see if the Kreditbanken incident was unique or if other hostages in similar circumstances experienced the same sympathetic, supportive bonding with their captors. The researchers determined that such behavior was common among people whod gone through similar situations. A psychologist whod been involved with the Stockholm hostage situation coined the term Stockholm Syndrome, and another defined it for the FBI and Scotland Yard to enable officers to be able to understand that possible aspect of a hostage situation. The study of the condition helped inform their negotiations in future incidents of the same type. What Causes Stockholm Syndrome? Individuals can succumb to Stockholm syndrome under the following circumstances: The belief that ones captor can and will kill him or her. The feelings of relief by the victim for not being killed then turn to gratitude.Isolation from anyone but the captorsThe belief that escape is impossibleThe inflation of the captors acts of kindness into genuine care for each others welfareThe passage of at least a few days in captivity Victims of Stockholm syndrome generally suffer from severe isolation and emotional and physical abuse also demonstrated in characteristics of battered spouses, incest victims, abused children, prisoners of war, cult victims, procured prostitutes, slaves, and kidnapping, hijacking, or hostage victims. Each of these circumstances can result in the victims responding in a compliant and supportive way as a tactic for survival. It is similar to the reaction from brainwashing. Victims show some of the same symptoms as those who have post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), such as insomnia, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, distrust of others, irritability, confusion, a sensitive startle reflex, and a loss of pleasure in once-favorite activities. Famous Cases In the year following the Stockholm bank incident, the syndrome was widely understood by the masses because of the case of Patty Hearst. Here is her story and other more recent examples: Patty Hearst Patty Hearst, at age 19, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). Two months after her kidnapping, she was seen in photographs participating in an SLA bank robbery in San Francisco. Later a tape recording was released with Hearst (SLA pseudonym Tania) voicing her support and commitment to the SLA cause. After the SLA group, including Hearst, was arrested, she denounced the radical group. During her trial her defense lawyer attributed her behavior while with the SLA to a subconscious effort to survive, comparing her reaction to captivity to other victims of Stockholm syndrome. According to testimony, Hearst had been bound, blindfolded, and kept in a small, dark closet, where she was physically and sexually abused for weeks before the bank robbery. Jaycee Lee Dugard On June 10, 1991, witnesses said they saw a man and a woman abduct 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard by a school bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, California. Her disappearance remained unsolved until August 27, 2009, when she walked into a California police station and introduced herself. For 18 years she was held captive in a tent behind the home of her captors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido. There Dugard gave birth to two children, who were ages 11 and 15 at the time of her reappearance. Although the opportunity to escape was present at different times throughout her captivity, Jaycee Dugard bonded with the captors as a form of survival. Natascha Kampusch In August 2006, Natascha Kampusch from Vienna was 18 years old when she managed to escape from her kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil, who had kept her locked in a small cell for more than eight years. She remained in the windowless cell, which was 54 square feet, for the first six months of her captivity. In time, she was permitted in the main house, where she would cook and clean for Priklopil. After several years of being held captive, she was occasionally allowed out into the garden. At one point she was introduced to Priklopils business partner, who described her as relaxed and happy. Priklopil controlled Kampusch by starving her to make her physically weak, severely beating her, and threating to kill her and the neighbors if she tried to escape. After Kampusch escaped, Priklopi committed suicide by jumping in front of an oncoming train. When Kampusch learned that Priklopil was dead, she cried inconsolably and lit a candle for him at the morgue. In a documentary based on her book, 3096 Tage  (3,096 Days), Kampusch voiced sympathy for Priklopil. She said,  I feel more and more sorry for him- hes a poor soul. Newspapers reported that some psychologists suggested Kampusch may have been suffering from Stockholm syndrome, but she does not agree. In her book, she said the suggestion was disrespectful of her and did not properly describe the complex relationship that she had with Priklopil. Elizabeth Smart More recently, some believe Elizabeth Smart fell victim to Stockholm syndrome after her nine months of captivity and abuse by her captives,  Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. She denies that she had sympathetic feelings toward her captors or captivity and explained that she was just trying to survive. Her kidnapping is portrayed in the 2011 Lifetime movie, I Am Elizabeth Smart, and she published her memoir, My Story, in 2013. She is now an advocate for child safety and has a foundation to provide resources for those whove suffered traumatic events. Lima Syndrome: The Flip Side When captors develop feelings of sympathy for their hostages, which is rarer, its called Lima syndrome. The name comes from a 1996 Peru incident during which guerrilla fighters took over a birthday party for Japanese Emperor Akihito, given at the home of the Japanese ambassador. In a few hours, most of the people had been freed, even some of the most valuable to the group. Sources Alexander, David A.,  and  Klein, Susan. â€Å"Kidnapping and Hostage-Taking: A Review of Effects, Coping and Resilience.† Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, vol. 102, no. 1, 2009, 16–21.Burton, Neel, M.D. What Underlies Stockholm Syndrome? Psychology Today. 24 March 2012. Updated: 5 Sept. 2017. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201203/what-underlies-stockholm-syndrome.Conradt, Stacy. The Bank Robbery Behind Stockholm Syndrome. Mental Floss. 28 August 2013. http://mentalfloss.com/article/52448/story-behind-stockholm-syndrome.Elizabeth Smart Biography. Biography.com. AE Television Networks. 4 April 2014. Updated 14 Sept. 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/elizabeth-smart-17176406.Inside Jaycee Dugards Terror Tent. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/inside-jaycee-dugards-terror-tent/5/.Klein, Christopher. The Birth of Stockholm Syndrome, 40 Years Ago. History.com. AE Television Networks. 23 Aug. 2013. https://www.history.com/news /stockholm-syndrome. Stump, Scott. Elizabeth Smart on the one question that wont go away: Why didnt you run? Today.com. 14 Nov. 2017. https://www.today.com/news/elizabeth-smart-one-question-won-t-go-away-why-didn-t118795.

Describe your program of study, you goal or expectations for the Assignment

Describe your program of study, you goal or expectations for the practicum - Assignment Example While some employers have large, mature mobility programs with hundreds of expatriates in dozens of countries, others have small, newer programs. Yet all want to attract the right employees and send them on the right type of assignment for the right amount of time, all while controlling costs and the amount of effort it takes to administer their programs. One of the most interesting elements about Human Resources is the fact that it allows me to understand employee motivation. I find employee motivations as a pinnacle of Human Resources. Another major point that I find intriguing in my course of study is leadership. They are keen developing on employees by performance management systems leads to a better job improvement because employees are invested in the program itself and are willing to work hard. Most employees feel that they are happy with the goals of the organization as tuition is covered, work from home is a flexibility, and goal is inevitable. However, many employees also felt that growth is limited over short-term is not feasible. Additionally, larger organizations are known to segment its work in smaller departments, which can ruin personal development. Overall, the consensus was clear that larger organizations have a difficult time keeping the employees happy according to this theory. Senior executives are keen on the management practices rather than training employees on technical training. The vision of the organization is to be the key innovation while harnessing employees. These factors can be: job security, flexibility, future for themselves, and pay scale. These factors can be measured to truly understand the quality of employees because these are the qualities that measure job importance. This is detrimental to overall growth of the company that is trying to achieve new goals, especially in sales. Employees can often lose interest with the workplace when they feel as though their hard work isn’t being recognized and there