UNIT 01: APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCE IN HEALTH AND ILLNESS

Learning objectives
Define various sociological terms such as:
Applied social science, social science, sociology, medical sociology,
health and illness.
 Terms and Concepts

Sociology:
• Studies people in the group context, i.e. their living, working and
playing together.
• Is specifically concerned with something that takes place where more
than one person is involved.
• Is concerned with the character or nature of society.
• It studies man in his interaction with his fellow human beings, man in
his social relationships
 Terms and Concepts (2)
Social science:
• Is an academic discipline concerned with society and the relationships
among individuals within a society, which often rely primarily on
empirical approaches.
Applied social sciences:
• Those social science disciplines, professions and occupations which
seek to use basic social science research and theory to improve the
daily life of communities, organizations and persons.
 Terms and Concepts (3)
Society:
• Refers to a group of human beings who interact with one another in
pursuance of their major interests, such as self-maintenance and self
–perpetuation
Anthropology:
• Is the study of the development of different cultures over the
centuries
• It is a general organizational system within which man gives
expression to his social nature
 Terms and Concepts (4)
Medical Sociology:
• Studies the effect of disease on human environment, illness behaviour,
• The relationships and interactions between patient and health care professional,
the hospital,
• The causes and consequences of illness.
Medical sociology:
• “Is concerned with the social facets of health and illness,
• The social functions of health institutions and organisations,
• The relationship of systems of health care delivery to other social systems, and
• Social behaviour of health personnel and those people who are consumers of
health care” (Cockerham, 1986) .
 Terms and Concepts (5)
Health:
• Is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity’’ (World Health
Organization (WHO).
Illness:
• Is an abnormal process in which aspect of social, physical, emotional
or
• Intellectual condition or function of a person is diminished or
impaired compared to that person’s health condition.
• Illness is a state of being unwell. It simply means sickness