Sociology › Section S · Health and medicine › Topic S.5
Theoretical perspectives on health and medicine
Why does a doctor's note excuse you from work, why do the poor get sicker, and how did heavy drinking turn from a sin into a disease? Sociology's three main perspectives each answer a different one of these questions.
In this topic
- Three lenses on one hospital
- Functionalism and the sick role
- The rights and duties of the sick
- Critiques of the sick role
- The conflict perspective
- Weighing the conflict view
- Symbolic interactionism and medicalization
- Worked example: from drunkard to alcoholic
- Worked example: demedicalization
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
This topic is part of Wuanberri Pro. Checking your access…