Man is deemed to be both a biological and a social being; and as such, man’s health is depicted scientifically and sociologically (Williams & Bendelow, 1998). This recognition of man’s health as more than a biological phenomenon has highlighted the significance of the ontological and emotional component of health and illness (Williams & Bendelow, 1998, pp. 21-22). Illness, described as the “social meaning of the biological condition [disease]” (Eisenberg, 1977 cited in Conrad & Barker, 2010), is experienced as influenced by culture and social systems (Conrad & Barker, 2010). The process whereby an individual experience an illness has, subsequently, appealed and interest many scholars and researchers alike as noticeably indicated by the diverse literature currently available. This increasing popularity of ‘illness experience’, however, is not without challenges and disputes. For decades, branches of both science and sociology have endlessly argued about the role of the “body” and the “self” in the illness experience of an individual and those around them (Thomas, 2007; Latimer, 2009). Nonetheless, it is acknowledged that both have a significant impact in genuinely understanding the lived experience of being ill of the individual and/or their families (Thomas, 2007, pp. 3-4) Despite this mutual recognition, however, ‘losing control of the self’ remains a complex paradigm that continues to bemuse health researchers and scholars alike, and as such, has gained much interest as opposed to its biological counterpart (Williams & Bendelow, 1998). The purpose of this paper then is to present how “losing control of the self” encapsulates the lived experience of being ill of the individual and their families. However, due to the extensive... ... middle of paper ... ...ries and other neurotraumatic diseases. Moreover, ‘loss of self’ was not only observed in ill individuals but in spouses and children as well. The justifications made for the argument are, however, by no means an exhaustive account of the complex concepts, models and theories involved in the relationship between the body and the self. Rather, these are merely a general overview of what the ‘self’ is to properly understand how the theme of ‘losing the self’ can be experienced by both ill individuals and their families. Therefore, a more in-depth research on the concepts presented needs to be focused on. Lastly, as emphasis was given entirely on the process of losing control of the self, as implications on further research on the recognition and re-living of the new ‘self’ as experienced by those individuals who have previously lost their known self are recognised.
“ Please understand: We do not impose certain rules and restrictions on you with out a great deal of thought about their therapeutic value. A good many of you are in here because you could not adjust to the rules of society in the Outside World, because you refused to face up to them, because you tried to circumvent them and avoid them. At some time – perhaps in your childhood – you may have been allowed to get away with flouting the rules of society. When you broke a rule you knew it. You wanted to be dealt with, needed it, but the punishment did not come. That foolish lenience on the part of your parents may have been the germ that grew in to your present illness. I tell you this hoping you will understand that it is entirely for your own good that we enforce discipline and order.” (Kesey 188).
This paper will also talk about the importance of self –care and what I would do, or things I could do to mitigate those biases and difficult reactions to clients and people that I am working with in a treatment team so that I am fully aware and not distracted by my personal reactions, to a case.
Weiss, G. L., & Lonnquist, L. E. (2011). The sociology of health, healing, and illness (7 ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall.
...ongress Briefed on the Self Management of Chronic Illness." (2011): 1-5. Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA). 2011. Web. 17 June 2011.
It is imperative to note that many patients believe that their illness is a form of punishment from God perhaps because of a past sin or an unfulfilled promise. When this happens, they lose hope and begin to turn alienate themselves in lieu of seeking the face of God.
The biomedical model of health has been criticised because it fails to include the psychological and social causes relating to an individual’s medical illness or health, looking only at the biological causes (Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Therefore, sociologists being aware of the impacts of social structure and lifestyle on health have put in various efforts to place the study of ‘the social’ at the core of health and healthcare examination.
Physical health is one aspect of life that most individuals take for granted. Most people assume that our health will always be there or if one becomes sick they will be able to recover their health with the new medical advances that are always happening around the world. However, this is not always the case some individuals have to face a chronic lack of health and deal with the implications of this on their life. The loss of health I will be talking about today is not a direct loss of personal health but a loss of health that my father experiences and all the different components that affect my family and I’s life because of it.
Psychosomatic illness will be examined through the mechanism of stress and the fight or flight response, particularly as it functions in relation to the suppression of trauma and or emotional disturbances. The body's reaction to suppressed emotional stressors is crucial in understanding how psychosomatic illnesses are formed, perpetuated and unfortunately subjected to: misunderstanding, stigma, and dismissal. The underlying and deeply embedded causes of the negative connotations around psychosomatic illness, will be explained and examined through a sociological, political and psychological lense. Through this lense the medical industry will be understood as a mechanism of power and social control, legitimized by its own production of knowledge.
The uncertain nature of chronic illness takes many forms, but all are long-term and cannot be cured. The nature of chronic illness raises hesitation. It can disturb anyone, irrespective of demographics or traditions. It fluctuates lives and generates various inquiries for the patient. Chronic illness few clear features involve: long-lasting; can be managed but not cured; impacts quality of life; and contribute to stress. Chronic illnesses can be enigmatic. They often take considerable time to identify, they are imperceptible and often carry a stigma because there is little sympathetic or social support. Many patients receive inconsistent diagnoses at first and treatments deviate on an individual level. Nevertheless, some circumstances require
The uncertain nature of chronic illness takes many forms, but all are long-term and cannot be cured. The nature of chronic illness raises hesitation. It can disturb anyone, irrespective of demographics or traditions. It fluctuates lives and generates various inquiries for the patient. Chronic illness few clear features involve: long-lasting; can be managed but not cured; impacts quality of life; and contribute to stress. Chronic illnesses can be enigmatic. They often take considerable time to identify, they are imperceptible and often carry a stigma because there is little sympathetic or social support. Many patients receive inconsistent diagnoses at first and treatments
Oftentimes, people reach a point in their lives when they realize that they need to think for themselves and take responsibility for becoming who they are cut out to be. Whether or not they actually become that person is questionable. In Sickness Unto Death, Soren Kierkegaard argues that to become the "self" we must avoid despair and the influence of the world, and we must become what God wants us to be. In his essay, Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson promotes the idea of individualism and how we must rely upon only ourselves and God to establish and support ourselves. I will first explain Kierkegaard’s idea of what it is to become a “self” then I will show the many parallels between Sickness unto Death and Self-Reliance.
The notion of health is contextual and an interactive, dynamic process between person and environment (Schim et al, 2007). Both wellness and illness are conceptualized by the ‘person’, existing on a continuum across the lifespan (Arnold & Boggs, 2001).
Kevin White pp: 5-8k introduction to sociology of health and illness second edition books.goole.co.uk accessed 11-04-2014
A prognosis is the likely course of a condition or chance of recovery (oxford dic). When confronted with a poor prognosis to an unfamiliar condition the individual is likely to develop psychological stress, grief and depression, which arouse physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses (Kasparian, 2013). In addition, the likelihood or degree of these responses is also dependent on the individual themselves for example, their emotional and physical capabilities, personality, age and gender (Kasparian, 2013). Through the breakdown of the responses in this order physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural, discussing what they are and how they are aroused. This essay aims to provide an understanding of these four likely responses an individual experience’s when presented with a poor prognosis to an unfamiliar condition.
Deep in the minds of human beings lies a vast ocean of emotions and experiences. The human mind is often misconstrued and simplified by those who possess one, but delving deeper into the mind and it’s processes you see a whole other world that is veiled beneath the surface. One of the most famous examples of the human mind is the image of an iceberg, what is on the surface is so minimal compared to the immense body that lies underneath. Sigmund Freud was the father of psychoanalysis and believed in the idea of the unconscious and subconscious that help power who we are. Through psychoanalysis Freud began to reclaim the self as an individual and stressed the importance of the external world and it’s direct role with the internal realm of an individual. Although it was originally found to be a sort of therapy for those with mental illnesses, it has an interesting and analytical and philosophical view of the self, and through this spawned new beliefs in philosophy. Through the establishment of the id, superego, and ego, and the past’s affect on the shaping the present state of the self, psychoanalysis reclaims the self for an individual and is successful in doing so.