Two roles for sociology of health 
   & illness
    Employ a sociological perspective to 
     increase understanding of
      - experience of health
      - social distribution of health disorders
      - role of institutions that provide care/cure
    Use sociology of health & illness to 
     understand changes in society generally 
       – e.g. consumption and consumerism
                                                          
   Sociology in medicine v sociology 
   of medicine (1)
    Sociology in medicine
    - somewhat accepting of medical categories
    - trying to satisfy objectives of health care 
      providers & policy makers
    - improving effectiveness of practitioners
    - e.g. evidence of social causes / consequences 
      of disease
    - similar to social medicine, health services 
      research
                                                                
   Sociology in medicine v sociology 
   of medicine (2)
    Sociology of medicine
    Adopts a more critical / analytical approach
    Questions categories of biomedicine 
    Questions the power of medicine
    Employs sociological theory
    Sometimes delivers critical political 
     messages (Straus 1957)
                                                       
   Three levels of analysis for IN / OF 
   medicine (Turner 1995)
   1. Individual – analyses of perceptions / experiences of health & 
      illness
   2. Social – social creation of illness (construction / causation)
   3. Societal – health care systems national/global
                                                    
     Individual level
        In medicine / health 
        Health behaviour
         Lay beliefs
         Lay referral
         Compliance
         Social support and stress / psycho-social perspectives
      
        Of Medicine / health
        Social construction of disease categories / medical knowledge
        Narratives of self and identity
        Sociology of body