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The “sick role” is a term in sociology used to describe the social behaviors of sick people and those around them. It was coined by Talcott Parsons in the 1950s and suggests that sick people have both rights and duties, including the obligation to get better. However, people can also be held accountable for their health conditions, leading to marginalization. The role of the patient can also influence perceptions of disability and mental illness.
In sociology, “sick role” is a term used to describe the social behaviors exhibited by both sick people and the people around them. The term was coined by researcher Talcott Parsons in the early 1950s. Since then, many people have drawn on Parsons’ work to explore the role sick people play in society and the experiences of sick people.
Parsons saw society as a system that emphasized structure and order over functionality. Sick people break the structure of society because they are not seen as positive contributors. Unlike other types of deviants who contribute to a decline in social order, however, sick people may not necessarily want to be in the position they are in, and their position, according to Parsons, is generally not their fault. This creates the need for a social and behavioral structure that welcomes the “sanctioned deviance” of the patient.
The sick role theory states that sick people are subject to social norms which state that they have both rights and duties which they must fulfil. As part of the rights, sick people can refrain from participating in events, work, social activities and other aspects of society because of their illness. Furthermore, Parsons believed that, in general, society does not hold people personally responsible for getting sick.
Being sick, however, also comes with obligations. Sick people are expected to get better and also to work towards getting better by going to the doctor, adhering to drug regimens, and cooperating with treatment plans.
These social beliefs about illness and sick people can manifest themselves in interesting ways. For example, people are sometimes held accountable for their health conditions, and because they violate the sick role by being personally responsible, they can be marginalized. This is seen, for example, in lung cancer patients, who are often assumed to have developed the disease because they smoked. Similarly, people who don’t cooperate with treatment plans can be criticized for not fulfilling their duties to get better.
Indeed, being ill can lead to heavy responsibilities and social burdens. The role of the patient may also be involved in social perceptions of disability and disabled people. For example, many people believe that people with mental illnesses should adhere to prescribed medications in order to be functional members of society or to be eligible for benefits, an illustration of how perceptions of this role influence how people view mental illnesses. other members of the company.
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