Chapter 15: The Body,

Medicine, Health and Health

Care
Social Institutions Group Assignment
Group 4
Eric Rubio | Destiny Bosco | Gustavo Gil | Gary
Moss
Victor Medrano | Lana Gaspar | Allen Gaspar |
Martin Munoz
Prof. Gloria W. Anderson SOCI1301
August 9, 2016

Agenda

Chapter Introduction
Key Terms
Topic Questions
Applying the Sociological Imagination
Summary
Q&A

Please hold all

question to the
END!!!...

Chapter Highlights - Michel

Foucault
Health is determined by what we consume, what we
consume is structured by socialization and cultural norm

There are many contributing factors to what we

consume, yet Health is not a priority for some consumers
rather:
Taste
Peer pressure
Commercialism
Popular Culture
Economy
Health concerns increase with age
French theorist, Michel Foucalt, observed that the
Human body is major factor in society

The Thinking of Michel

Foucault
Foucaults observations of the
Human body derived from
methods that explored the
condition of authoritative cruelty,
harsh environments, and cadaver
studies.
Foucault theorized that sexuality
can be manipulated by society in
order to find ways of controlling its
it may
have the
on cultural
Foucault strongly believed that influence
relationship
between
body and
groups
its surroundings impact the overall
well-being of the individual to
perpetuate further in all that they encounter

Globalization and Health

Growing Global Inequality
Women and children are more suspect to health problems because of:
Poverty
Lack of Health care services
Low education
Hygiene
Nutrition
Living conditions
Disease
Chronic diseases begin to show symptoms among the young in
low/mid income countries
Obesity and diabetic conditions are stimulated by tobacco, alcohol,
sugar, and high-fat foods within the global market

Globalization and Health

Malnutrition
Global South is greatly impacted by hunger and malnutrition
Obesity is a form of malnutrition
Conflict of those who have plenty to eat and those that do not
have anything to eat, which effects:
Growth in stature
Minimal Education
Substandard productivity
Birth complications
Food insecurity is when people do not have an edible and
nutritious source of food
Key factor of undernutrition

The Sociology of Health and

Medicine
Medical Sociology
Conflict Theory in medical sociology include:
Racial and ethnic differences in health care
The basic causes of health inequalities by social class, gender
and race and ethnicity
The relationship between stress and health
The relationship between patients and health care providers
The increasing use of advanced medical technology
The increased cost of medical care
Changes within the medical profession

The Sociology of Health and

Medicine
The Sick Role
Structural Functionalist Theory refers to the expectations of
how we should act when we are feeling unhealthy
The role as a sick person has been under scrutiny due to
impact it has on the well-being of the entire workforce, and
also for its liability to be a false claim
High expectations are given to the Sick Role and the
professionals that work in the medical field, a sick person:
are exempted, within limits, from normal role obligations
are not expected to take responsibility for being ill; the
sick person did not cause the illness and needs help in
dealing with it

Key Terms
Food insecurity: The state of being without reliable access to a
sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food There is more
than 800 Million people that live every day with hunger or food
insecurity as their constant companion.
Undernutrition: Inadequate nutrition resulting from lack of food
or failure of the body to absorb or assimilate nutrient properly.

Key Terms
Profession: are occupations characterized by theoretical
knowledge base and skills acquired through extended education
and extensive training.
Deprofessionalization: is the process by which highly
educated and skilled professional are first displaced then
replaced with individuals of inferior training and compensation.

Cheap Labor!!!

 Medical Sociology: is concerned with the relationship between social

factors and health, and with the application of sociological theory and
research techniques to questions related to health and the health care
system.
Medicalization: Medicalization is a social process through which a
human experience or condition is culturally defined as pathological
and treatable as a medical condition. Examples: Obesity, alcoholism,
childhood hyperactivity, and sexual abuse have all been defined as
medical problems that are, as a result, increasingly referred to and
treated by physicians
Sick Role: is a term used in medical sociology regarding sickness and
the rights and obligations of the affected. It is a concept created by
American sociologist Talcott Parsons in 1951.

Topic Questions
We live in an increasingly
reflexive society with a
heightened awareness of our
bodies. According to Naomi
Wolf, how does the beauty
myth perpetuate such
reflexivity?

Topic Question Discussion

The Naomi Wolf's Beauty Myth
suggests that society is held to a
standard on what people should
look like, especially women. Each
day we are bombarded by
advertisement and media
propaganda that promotes
sensuality, and sexual impulses,
as healthy living and beauty. At
times the process of attaining
such beauty is by unhealthy
dieting, practices, and
supplements. Targeting
the reality that true beauty is reflected
from the
heart.goals,
The impact
unfeasible
physical
society
of such reflexivity is a butterfly effect
of how society
identifiesscrutiny
is subjected
to superficial
beauty, and ultimately how said beauty
reflectedus
in from
us all.
whichisdistracts

Topic Question Discussion

Ancient Beauty (Aesthetics)

Topic Questions
You decide to go to a party with friends on the night before a big
exam. You end up drinking too much and sleep through your alarm
clock.According to a person's idea of the sick role, why would your
professor be justified in deciding not to give you a makeup exam?
What would you have to change in order to be excused?

Topic Question Discussion

Part 1:
The professor will be justified if he decides not to allow you to receive a
make-up exam according to the definition of a "sick person" is that the
illness was not caused by the sick person in question which in this case
"you" went to a party and drank therefore you were the cause of the
hangover and waking up late. Besides this a sick person would need help
with their illness but a hangover isn't really an illness and there is yet to
be a cure.
Part 2:
In order for you to qualify as a sick person and be able for you to receive
a make-up test or exam is to actually have received medical attention for
an illness to get A.K.A doctor's note. If not the only possible way would be
if someone were to drug you un-willingness, but that is a far-fetched idea,
so there is nothing you could change besides the fact of actually being
sick so that your professor could not be justified in not giving you a

Topic Question
How is McDonoldization of childbirth related to the
increasing medicalization of society? what
consequences has this had for the birthing
process?

Topic Question Discussion

Mcdonaldization has led to more childbirths being done by a
physician instead of through midwifery. This led to the whole
process eventually being refined to allow for more efficiency. The
establishment and availability of hospitals attracted more
pregnant women, bringing the percentage of childbirths done in
a hospital to almost 100% by 1960 from less than 5% in 1900.
One consequence of this process is the fact that the women that
give birth in hospitals feel that the process is less emotional
than with a midwife, which is done at home with family and
friends. The cesarean procedure, a process during which the
baby is removed from incision in the womans abdomen and
uterus, is a perfect example with it being predictable, efficient,
and less time consuming. However, irregularities associated with
surgery can occur which removes the wonder from the childbirth
and makes feel like just another surgical procedure.

Applying the Sociological

Imagination
This chapter highlights the inequalities in U.S health care and health
care around the world. We compared the United States to two other
countries-one from the Global North and one from the Global Southbased on their health care spending and health outcomes (such as like
expectancy and infant mortality)
What does data suggest about the health care in each of the
countries?
How could globalization be use to help change the outcomes in
these countries?

Weaknesses in the U.S. Health

Care System
Rising costs of health care remain
a significant issue within the
health care system of the United
States
At the same time, the US lags
behind comparable systems in
other nations
Inequalities in the US Health Care: 15% of Americans have little or
no money to pay for health care and health insurance.

Applying the Sociological

Imagination
United States vs Greece: HealthCare
There are many differences in these two countries health
care systems.
US might have a higher fertility rate, people from Greece
have a higher life expectancy.
In Greece anyone is accepted into the hospital or care
center for free or low cost treatment, while in the united
states there is a cost depending on the area.
o Although experts say that Greece's health care
system is on the brink of collapse.
Compared to the money we spend, the U.S. health system is an appalling, inefficient
disaster that neither political party has been able to address.
Greece the government and individuals spend about $2,300 per capita on health care
each year, and the average life expectancy is 79 years
United States spend more than $6,000, yet life expectancy is below 78.
At this point in time globalization would not have a major effect at a small scale. In
Greece
there could be changes to amount payed depending on the person.

Applying the Sociological

Imagination
United States vs Greece: HealthCare

Applying the Sociological

Imagination

United States vs Argentina: HealthCare (Global

Argentina has three sectors for its South)

healthcare.
The public sector which is framed
through taxes, the private sector which
is financed through voluntary insurance
and the social security, financed
through obligatory insurance schemes.
Argentina spent 8% of its GDP (Gross
domestic product) on healthcare in
2015
o which is half of what the United States

spent on its healthcare

Argentinas infant mortality rate is 1

infant (per 1000 live births)
Life expectancy throughout Argentina is
76.01 years.

Summary
What is HEALTH? Are you HEALTHY?

Kahoot Time :)
go to KAHOOT.IT on devices
enter the pin number that i will give you the code.....

Q&A
What are your questions for the group?

References
Ritzer, George. Introduction to Sociology. London: U of Maryland, 2015. Print.
"World Health Organization." World Health Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2016.
http://www.who.int/en/
Flicker. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2016.Flicker. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2016.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/flicker/