Sociological Perspectives On Health And Social Care
Discussion Question #1: Choose any current social problem that interests you and explain it from each of the sociological perspectives as explained in the two part presentation and the assigned article.
The current social problem that interests me is healthcare in the United States. I see physicians and healthcare institutions raking in large sums of money for the care that they give patients, whether the care is good or bad. This cost of this care is out of reach for us, unless we are lucky enough to have healthcare insurance. I consider this system a significant social problem, and one that can be looked at from all three sociological perspectives.
Functionalism demonstrates how different factors work together to promote the stability of society (Colomy, n/a). How does healthcare fit in here? We have to look at the way healthcare affects and is affected by changes in society. A prime example of this is how modernization and industrialization has increased the quality of life for people around the globe. It has also created a major health concern – environmental pollution. It is definitely a social institution that functions to improved and maintain the well-being of society and the social system as a whole (Mooney, et al, 2010). …show more content…
The healthcare system in the U.S. reflects the inequalities in our society today. Due to the healthcare bureaucracies and the privatization of the system, the cost of healthcare has risen for years. The poor and those who are not offered insurance as a part of their benefits packages at work suffer due to this inequality. There is also an inequality in the distribution of healthcare by region. Those who live in rural areas for instance, have a higher likelihood of death due to the distance between their homes and the closest healthcare
The current social problem that interests me is healthcare in the United States. I see physicians and healthcare institutions raking in large sums of money for the care that they give patients, whether the care is good or bad. This cost of this care is out of reach for us, unless we are lucky enough to have healthcare insurance. I consider this system a significant social problem, and one that can be looked at from all three sociological perspectives.
Functionalism demonstrates how different factors work together to promote the stability of society (Colomy, n/a). How does healthcare fit in here? We have to look at the way healthcare affects and is affected by changes in society. A prime example of this is how modernization and industrialization has increased the quality of life for people around the globe. It has also created a major health concern – environmental pollution. It is definitely a social institution that functions to improved and maintain the well-being of society and the social system as a whole (Mooney, et al, 2010). …show more content…
The healthcare system in the U.S. reflects the inequalities in our society today. Due to the healthcare bureaucracies and the privatization of the system, the cost of healthcare has risen for years. The poor and those who are not offered insurance as a part of their benefits packages at work suffer due to this inequality. There is also an inequality in the distribution of healthcare by region. Those who live in rural areas for instance, have a higher likelihood of death due to the distance between their homes and the closest healthcare