Glossary of terms PDF

Title Glossary of terms
Author Emma Bushnell
Course Social Factors in Health and Social Care
Institution Distance Learning College
Pages 4
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Summary

extended glossary of terms. do not quote from this document....


Description

Extended glossary of terms for Unit 13 Do not quote from this document

Microsociology: One of the main points or focuses of sociology, concerning the nature of everyday human social interactions and individual agencies on a small scale: face to face. “Micro sociology is concerned about the studies or people in face to face interactions. This basically studies the day to day connections of individuals with each others in a smaller scale. Since micro sociology is mostly dealing with individual interactions, it uses interpretation methods to analyze the collected data. It is difficult to use empirical data analysis or statistical methods in micro-sociological studies. In addition, the most common research method in this subject field is symbolic interactions. By observing the different methods of interactions among individuals, the micro sociologist can come into a conclusion. Moreover, the subjects like social psychology, social anthropology can be considered as subdivisions of micro sociology. These subject fields focus more on individuals, thinking patterns in a smaller scale. When we consider about the micro level of a society, status of the society’s members, social roles are the most important phenomena in a particular social structure. Though the micro social analysis is important in understanding micro social interactions, it has its drawbacks as well. For example, we cannot determine the larger forces that might influence on individual behaviour and interactions. However, micro sociology has been developed as a significant field in Sociology.” https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-micro-and-vs-macro-sociology/ Macrosociology: An approach to sociology which emphasizes the analysis of social systems and populations on a large scale, at the level of social structure, and often at a necessarily high level. “This study area focuses on the social structure on a larger scale. Usually, macro sociology analyses the social system as a whole and also it focuses on the whole population as well. Through macro sociology, we can come into broader concepts, unlike in micro sociology, and also macro studies can be applied to individuals as well. That mean, macro sociology sometimes studies on the individual phenomena since individuals and their interactions are part of a broader social system. Macro sociology deals with statistical analysis and also it incorporates empirical studies to come into conclusions. Further, macro-sociological studies focus more on the broad subject areas but later on the findings can be applied to small phenomena as well. For example, a macro sociology study can be based on the English speaking people as a whole and though they are scattered around the world, the final results are able to relate even to the smaller groups of people in a particular area who speaks English. However, the most common topics of macro sociology are war, poverty, social change etc.” https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-micro-and-vs-macro-sociology/ Micro and macro sociology – the differences: “When we look at both micro and macro sociology, we can identify differences as well as similarities. Both these fields are very important subject areas in Sociology. Also, they analyse the human behaviour in the society in different angles. Both micro and macro sociological theories can be applied to individual interactions.    



When we look at the differences, the major difference is that micro sociology deals with small scale human interactions whereas macro sociology focuses on wider social systems and structures. Moreover, micro sociology uses symbolic interpretation method in research and in contrast macro sociology uses statistical and empirical analysis in its findings. Micro sociology results cannot be applied to broader concepts, but macro-sociological theories can be applied to the individual level as well. Macro sociology is more concerned in broad topics, such as war, gender relations, law and bureaucracy whereas micro sociology is mostly interested in topics like family, social status and individual interactions. However, both micro and macro sociology are very important in understanding and analysing human behaviour and the society.”

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-micro-and-vs-macro-sociology/

Meso level: Indicates a population size that falls between the micro- and macro- levels, such as community or an organisation. However, meso-level may also refer to analyses that are specifically designed to reveal connections between micro- and macro- levels. Micro Sociology and Macro Sociology “The study of everyday behaviour in situations of face-to-face interaction is usually called microsociology. Macro sociology is the analysis of large-scale social systems, like the political system or the economic order. It also includes the analysis of long-term processes of change, such as the development of industrialism. At first glance, it might seem that microanalysis and macro analysis are distinct from one another. In fact, the two are closely connected. Macro analysis is essential if we are to understanding institutional background of daily life. They ways in which people live their everyday lives are greatly affected by the broader institutional framework, as is obvious when the daily cycle of activities of a culture like that of the medieval period is compared with life in an industrialised urban environment. Micro studies are in turn necessary for illuminating broad institutional patterns. Face-to-face interaction is clearly the main basis of all forms of social organisation, not matter how large the scale. People do not live their lives as isolated individuals, nor are their lives completely determined by national states. Sociology tells us that our everyday life is lived in families, social groups, communities and neighbourhoods. At this level the meso (or ‘middle’) level of society it is possible to see the influences and effects of both micro- and macro-level phenomena.” https://www.sociologyguide.com/introduction-to-sociology/micro-sociology-and-macrosociology.php Social constructionism: Social constructionism, or the social construction of reality (also social concept), is a theory of knowledge in sociology and communication theory that examines the development of jointly constructed understandings of the world that form the basis for shared assumptions about reality. “Social constructionism is the theory that people develop knowledge of the world in a social context, and that much of what we perceive as reality depends on shared assumptions. From a social constructionist perspective, many things we take for granted and believe are objective reality are actually socially constructed, and this, can change as society changes.” “Key takeaways: Social Constructionism:  



The theory of social constructionism states that meaning and knowledge are socially created. Social constructionists believe that things are generally viewed as natural or normal in society, such as understandings of gender, race, class, and disability, are socially constructed, and consequently aren’t an accurate reflection of reality. Social constructs are often created within specific institutions and cultures and come to prominence in certain historical periods. Social constructs’ dependence of historical, political, and economic conditions can lead them to evolve and change.”

https://www.thoughtco.com/social-constructionism-4586374 Complimentary medicine: Any of a range of medical therapies that fall beyond the scope of conventional medicine but may be used alongside it in the treatment of disease and ill health. Examples include acupuncture and osteopathy. Placebo effect: A beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment, which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must therefore be due to the patient’s belief in that treatment. “The ‘gold standard’ for testing interventions in people is the ‘randomised, placebo-controlled’ clinical trial, in which volunteers are randomly assigned to a test group receiving the experimental intervention or a control group receiving a placebo (an inactive substances that looks like the drug or treatment being tested). Comparing results from the two groups suggests whether changes in the test group result from the treatment or occur by chance.

The placebo effect is a beneficial health outcome resulting from a person’s anticipation that an intervention will help. How a health care provider interacts with a patient also may bring about a positive response that’s independent of any specific treatment.” https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/placebo-effect Compliance: The action or fact of complying (following) a wish or command. “Healthcare compliance is the process of following rules, regulations, and laws that related to healthcare practices. Compliance in healthcare can cover a wide variety of practices and observe internal and external rules. But most healthcare compliance issues relate to patient safety, the privacy of the patient information, and billing practices.” https://www.powerdms.com/blog/definition-compliance-healthcare/ Adherence: Commitment to a cause, or belief. “In medicine, patient compliance (adherence, capacitance) describes the degree to which a patient correctly follows medical advice. Most commonly, it refers to medication or drug compliance, but it can also apply to other situations such as medical device use, self care, self-direct exercises, or therapy sessions Both patient and health-care provider affect compliance, and a positive physician-patient relationship is the most important factor in improving compliance.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adherence_%28medicine%29 Coping: Dealing effectively with something difficult. Social support network: The perception and actuality that one is cared for, has assistance available from other people, and that one is a part of a supportive social network. Health: The state of being free from illness or injury. Ill health: Poor physical or mental condition.

Sociology of Health and Illness https://www.thoughtco.com/sociology-of-health-and-illness-3026283 “The sociology of health and illness studies the interaction between society and health. In particular, sociologists examine how social life impacts morbidity and mortality rates and how morbidity and mortality rates impact society. This discipline also looks at health and illness in relation to social institutions such as the family, work, school, and religion as well as the causes of disease and illness, reasons for seeking particular types of care, and patient compliance and noncompliance. Health, or lack of health, was once merely attributed to biological or natural conditions. Sociologists have demonstrated that the spread of diseases is heavily influenced by the socioeconomic status of individuals, ethnic traditions or beliefs, and other cultural factors. Where medical research might gather statistics on a disease, a sociological perspective of an illness would provide insight on what external factors caused the demographics who contracted the disease to become ill. The sociology of health and illness requires a global approach of analysis because the influence of societal factors varies throughout the world. Diseases are examined and compared based on the traditional medicine, economics, religion, and culture that is specific to each region. For example, HIV/AIDs serves as a common basis of comparison among regions. While it is extremely problematic

in certain areas, in others it has affected a relatively small percentage of the population. Sociological factors can help to explain why these discrepancies exist. There are obvious differences in patterns of health and illness across societies, over time, and within particular society types. There has historically been a long-term decline in mortality within industrialised societies, and on average, life-expectancies are considerably higher in developed, rather than developing or undeveloped, societies. Patterns of global change in health care systems make it more imperative than ever to research and comprehend the sociology of health and illness. Continuous changes in the economy, therapy, technology, and insurance can affect the way individual communities view and respond to the medical care available. These rapid fluctuations cause the issue of health and illness within social life to be very dynamic in the definition. Advancing information is vital because as patterns evolve, the study of sociology of health and illness constantly needs to be updated. The sociology of health and illness is not to be confused with medical sociology, which focuses on medical institutions such as hospitals, clinics, and physician offices as well as the interactions among physicians.”...


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