Sociological Perspectives for Health and Social Care

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P2: EXPLAIN DIFFERENT SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO HEALTH AND ILL HEALTH CONCEPTS OF HEALTH: The concept of health is wide and the way we define health also depends on individual perception, religious beliefs, cultural values, norms, and social class. A POSITIVE CONCEPT OF HEALTH A positive concept of health is the belief that being healthy is a state achieved only by continuous effort. People with this belief take active steps to maintain their health for example, through their choice of food, by taking exercise and other activities they believe will keep them well. Such people are likely to feel responsible for their own health. They will take credit for the continued absence of disease and blame themselves if they develop symptoms. A NEGATIVE CONCEPT OF HEALTH A negative concept of health is the view that being healthy is the absence of illness for example, not having any symptoms of disease, pain or distress. People with this view are likely to believe that good health is normal and to take it for granted that they are well. They assume they do not need to take any special actions to keep healthy. They are unlikely to think of themselves as ill when they have minor discomfort caused by colds or headaches, or when they feel tired or depressed. A HOLISTIC CONCEPT OF HEALTH A holistic concept of health is the belief that being healthy means being without any physical disorders or diseases and being emotionally comfortable. For example, a person who feels anxious or who has low self-esteem would, according to this concept, not be well. People with this view are likely to label themselves as ill when they experience a wide range of unpleasant feelings, not just physical discomfort or pain. They are likely to interpret minor discomforts, such as tiredness as symptoms of illness. THE WORLD OF HEALTH ORGANISATION DEFINITION The world health

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