In relation to health and medicine, explain the functionalist perspective on the sick role

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

According to the functionalist approach, if society is to function as a stable system, it is important for people to be healthy and to contribute to their society. Consequently, sickness is viewed as a form of deviant behavior that must be controlled by society.

This view was initially set forth by the sociologist Talcott Parsons in his concept of the sick role—the set of patterned expectations that defines the norms and values appropriate for individuals who are sick and for those who interact with them. According to Parsons, the sick role has four primary characteristics:

1 . People who are sick are not responsible for their condition. It is assumed that being sick is not a deliberate and knowing choice of the sick person.

2 . People who assume the sick role are temporarily exempt from their normal roles and obligations. For example, people with illnesses are typically not expected to go to school or work.

3 . People who are sick must want to get well. The sick role is considered to be a temporary one that people must relinquish as soon as their condition improves sufficiently. Those who do not return to their regular activities in a timely fashion may be labeled as hypochondriacs or malingerers.

4 . People who are sick must seek competent help from a medical professional to hasten their recovery.

Parsons believed that illness is dysfunctional for both individuals and the larger society. Those who assume the sick role are unable to fulfill their necessary social roles, such as being parents or employees. Similarly, people who are ill lose days from their productive roles in society, thus weakening the ability of groups and organizations to fulfill their functions. According to Parsons, it is important for the society to maintain social control over people who enter the sick role. Physicians are empowered to determine who may enter this role and when patients are ready to exit it. Because physicians spend many years in training and have specialized knowledge about illness and its treatment, they are certified by the society to be "gatekeepers" of the sick role. When patients seek the advice of a physician, they enter into the doctor–patient relationship, which does not contain equal power for both parties. The patient is expected to follow the "doctor's orders" by adhering to a treatment regime, recovering from the malady, and returning to a normal routine as soon as possible.