THE SOCIO-SYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS

HEALTH: is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity (WHO 1948)

ILLNESS: is a state in which a person’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social developmental or spiritual
functioning is diminished or impaired

ILLNESS AND STRESS:

In every society, illness causes some disturbances in people’s social functioning. These disturbances
arise as a result of the illness itself, and from the individual’s interpretation of the illness and the effect
of the interpretation on his physical, intellectual and emotional state

WHAT ARE SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

It has been shown in the area of social medicine that peoples are interested in the social aspect of
illness. They study the characteristics of the people who have certain disease (e.g mental health ) and try
to determine the effect of their environment on the cause and course of the disease

In order to examine the problem, they usually employ the use of four (4) fact-finding questions as
follows

1.Who has the disease?

2.Where does the disease occur?

3.When does the disease occur?

4.How does the disease occur?

 SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Poverty
Ignorance
Illiteracy
War
Divorce
Unemployment
Urbanisation
Overcrowding
Robbery
Alcoholism
Smoking
Changes in life style

 PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
Environmental issues
Social issues
Unemployment
Changes in life style
Death of a close relative
Lack of a close relative
Lack of affection or love
Separation
Divorce
Disease
Immigration
War
Sexual deprivation

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ILLNESS