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Unit 6 Experiencing Illness (societal perspective)

Learning objective

At the end of this session, students should be able to:

• Define illness
• Define disease
• Define sickness
• Describe the sociology of illness
• Describe the sick role model
• List the postulates of sick role model
• List the shortcomings of sick role model

Introduction

Experiencing illness develops in connection with experiencing somatic discomfort

which occur under the influence of culture, norms and values that is accepted by
the society.

Definitions

➢ Illness - a subjective term referring to an individual’s experience of mental and

physical sensations or states, and may not necessarily indicate the presence
of disease.
➢ Disease - an objective term referring to diagnosable abnormalities in organs,
body systems or physiology. According to sociologists, disease is mostly
influenced by individual’s socioeconomic status, ethnic, traditions/ beliefs and
other cultural factors. For example, HIV/AIDS. Medically, disease is a definite
pathological process having a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. It may
affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its aetiology, pathology, and
prognosis may be known or unknown.
➢ Sickness – this can be either subjective or objective, thus, encompassing both
illness and disease. Sickness is a state of being unwell.

Cassell (1976) summarised illness and disease as “Illness is what the patient feels when
he goes to the doctor, disease is what he has on the way home” (p.53). This
emphasises the role healthcare workers, including nurses, play in identifying the
condition of their patients and giving the right treatment to manage the patient’s
condition.
Sociology of illness
• Socioeconomic status influences the health of an individual, a community,
traditions, beliefs and culture.
• Biochemical view of why people fall ill limits a global view of illness.
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• Sociological perspectives give us an insight into the external factors that

dictates the demographics of those who contact or are prone to falling sick.

The sick role

According to Parson (1951) father of medical sociology, he describes sick role as the
right and responsibilities of people who are sick. This include the exemption from their
normal responsibilities/activities such as going to work, doing household shores and
they should not be blamed for their illness.

Parson’s postulates for sick role

➢ The person is not responsible for assuming the sick role.
➢ The sick person is exempted from carrying out some or all of normal social
duties (e.g. work, family).
➢ The sick person must try and get well – the sick role is only a temporary phase.
➢ In order to get well, the sick person needs to seek and submit to appropriate
medical care.

Shortcomings of the sick role model

• It makes assumptions about acute illness and recovery; this may not apply to
chronic conditions.
• It assumes recovery from illness, disregarding debilitating conditions that will
stop a sick person from working.
• Overlooks the fact that exemption from normal duties may not always be
necessary.
• Assumes medical doctors are proactive, while patients are passive. This has
been seen not to be true, especially when patients are able to look up their
ailments on the internet.
• Encourages blaming patients for their conditions especially when they engage
in social vices such as smoking.
• Encourages some people to stay away from work even when they are not sick.
Empathy is a necessary attribute a nurse has to imbibe while dealing with patients and
the community within which the patients are.