Chapter 14

Transcript Chapter 14

Third Edition

ANTHONY GIDDENS ● MITCHELL DUNEIER ● RICHARD APPELBAUM ● Slides created by Shannon Anderson, Roanoke College DEBORA CARR

Chapter 14: The Sociology of the Body

Health, Illness, and Sexuality 1

Important topics

• • • • • • Social forces and the body Theoretical approaches to health and illness Alternative medicine Health inequalities Global health and infectious diseases Sexuality and society 2

Sociology of the body

• • Explores the relationship between society and the body Examines the ways that cultural and social factors affect health and other conditions of the body 3

Bodies

Society and eating

• A dual example of a sociological approach to understanding the body:

our relationship with food

– Eating disorders – Obesity 5

Anorexia and bulimia

• • • 90% of those with eating disorders are women 20% of anorexics will die from anorexia Our diet culture: – 25% of men and 45% of women are dieting – 60% of girls age 13 diet – Over 80% of girls age 18 diet 6

BMI

BMI = 703 x ____weight ___ height x height

_____________________________________

Note: Weight in pounds, and height in inches.

Category Underweight Normal weight Overweight BMI Range < 18.5

18.5–24.9

25.0–29.9

Obese I Obese II 30.0–34.9

35.0–39.9

Obese III (Morbidly Obesity) 40.0 + __________________________________________________ Source: National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute 1998.

Obesity epidemic in the U.S.

• • • • • 1990: 0 states > 15% obese 2008: 32 states > 25% obese We live in an “obesogenic” social environment Poverty also contributes to obesity Despite the fact that over 60 percent of adults are overweight, there remains a powerful stigma attached to obesity.

Socialization of nature

• Processes that were once natural, or biological, are now influenced by social forces and social decisions.

• Norms and culture can lead to unhealthy behaviors.

• Society, then, is affecting the body.

Being ill

• • • A phenomenological or symbolic interactionist approach to illness: what is the

experience

of being sick?

• How are daily patterns, relationships, and activities disrupted?

How do we react? How do we cope?

How do we deal with stigma?

The sick role

• • A functionalist approach looks at how the sick person tries to minimize any damage her illness might create.

The sick role has three basic expectations; they are: – Not responsible for the poor health – Entitled to release from normal duties – Expected to work to get well 11

Alternative medicine

• • The norm in Western societies is a biomedical model of health.

– – – Increasingly alternative forms of medicine are now available.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) Traditional Chinese medicine Osteopathy 12

Health inequalities

• • Improvements in health and healthcare are not equally distributed among societies.

– – – There are inequalities both within and between countries dealing with: Class Race Gender 13

The spread of diseases

• • • Infectious diseases are often spread through travel and high population density.

Colonialism was a major engine for the spread of disease.

– New diseases were introduced to populations. – New farming techniques led to problems.

Infectious diseases are still a much bigger problem in the developing world today.

HIV/AIDS

• • • • Despite significant advances in treatment, HIV/AIDS remains a global epidemic.

• Major inequalities persist in terms of access to treatment and diagnosis of new cases.

The majority of new cases are heterosexuals.

Almost half are women.

Over half are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Barriers to success

• • • • • Money Stigma Lack of nutrition Lack of medical literacy Ongoing mother  child transmission • Economic impact keeps deepening the spiral 18

Sex and sexuality

• • Sex norms vary considerably across cultures.

There are many possible sexualities (not just heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual).

• There are great variations in norms of sex practice as well as sexual attractiveness.

Sex in Western culture

• • • • Increasingly permissive Increasingly egalitarian according to gender 1960s era was the shifting point Men are happy with the increasingly open sexuality of women, but also a bit undone or confused by it.

Sex in America

Number of Sex Partners Since Age 18 0 partners 1 partner GENDER AGE MARITAL STATUS Total average Men Women % of the population 18 – 24 25 – 29 30 – 39 40 – 49 50 – 59 % of the population Never married Never married Married Divorced * Divorced * % of the population 0% 0% 0% 2 –4 partners Social Influences on Sexual Behavior 5 –10 partners 11 –20 partners 21+ partners Median number of sex partners since age 18 25% 25% 25% 50% 50% 50% 75% 75% 75% 100% 100% 100% * Divorced, widowed, or separated Living alone Living with someone Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company © 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

SOURCE: Laumann et al. 1994.

Sex in America

Number of Sex Partners Since Age 18 0 partners 1 partner 2 –4 partners Social Influences on Sexual Behavior 5 –10 partners 11 –20 partners 21+ partners Median number of sex partners since age 18 EDUCATION RELIGION Some high school High school graduate Some college College graduate 0% No religion Mainline Protestant Conservative Protestant Catholic Jewish Other religion % of the population 0% 25% 25% RACE & ETHNICITY White Black Hispanic Asian Native American % of the population 0% Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company © 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

25% 50% 50% 75% 75% 100% 100% 50% 75% SOURCE: Laumann et al. 1994.

100%

Sexual orientation

• • • • Homosexuality was once seen as mental illness.

The bigger question today: is it social or biological?

Most sociologists believe it is a combination.

While attitudes have clearly shifted, homophobia and overt discrimination and violence remain.

Gay and lesbian rights

• • Is this a civil rights issue?

What is being sought?

– Anti-discrimination laws – Marriage rights – Adoption rights 24

This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint Presentation for Chapter 14: The Sociology of the Body For more learning resources, please visit our online StudySpace at: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/soc/essentials-of-sociology14/

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Clicker Questions

1. Which of the following best describes the field known as “sociology of the body”?

a. It investigates how and why our bodies are affected by our social experiences and the norms and values of the groups to which we belong.

b. It investigates any kind of regular intervention we make into the functioning of our bodies in order to alter them in specific ways.

c. It investigates anything we use to adorn our bodies, such as glasses, watches, and jewelry.

d. It investigates the increasing use of such devices as cell phones, pagers, and hand-held computing devices that make it possible for people to communicate over large distances.

Clicker Questions

2. What is the “socialization of nature”?

a. Phenomena that used to be “natural,” or given by nature (such as the circumstances under which a woman can get pregnant), have now become “social”—they depend on our own social decisions (such as coming off the birth control pill or not using condoms).

b. It is the use of agricultural land for house building and of nature reserves for tourism.

c. It is the public ownership of natural resources.

d. It is the provision of birth control and abortion by public hospitals.

Clicker Questions

3. According to Talcott Parsons, which of the following is one of the three pillars of the sick role?

a. The sick person is personally responsible for being sick.

b. The sick person is not entitled to withdrawal from normal responsibilities.

c. The sick person should work to regain health by exercising and dieting.

d. The sick person should consult a medical expert.

Clicker Questions

4. Anorexia and obesity are both conditions of the body, yet the causes reflect a. social factors more than physical or biological factors.

b. the changing expectations about men’s and women’s roles.

c. the spread of fast food restaurants over the past forty years.

d. increased globalization and contact among societies with different standards.

Clicker Questions

5. Most sociologists currently believe that sexual orientation a. results from biological factors. b. results from social factors.

c. results from both biological and social factors.

d. results primarily from biological factors and secondarily from social factors.

Clicker Questions

6. Which of the following is a part of what Kelly Brownell calls the “obesogenic environment”?

a. sedentary jobs, which have replaced physical jobs such as farming b. restaurants that no longer offer “kids meals,” which provided smaller portions c. large grocery stores that are popping up in poor neighborhoods and selling low-cost produce d. lack of sidewalks in rural and suburban areas, which make exercising outdoors potentially harmful 31

Art Presentation Slides

Chapter 14

The Sociology of the Body: Health, Illness, and Sexuality

Anthony Giddens Mitchell Duneier Richard P. Appelbaum Deborah Carr

The ﬁrst woman is painfully thin as a result of famine and malnutrition, sadly common problems in areas of Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition the world plagued by frequent drought and crop failure.

The second has become painfully thin by her own doing; people suffering from anorexia feel compelled by a variety of personal and social pressures to lose weight, and will often continue to view themselves as overweight even when they have reached a state of emaciation.

The third woman is severely overweight and is preparing for a dangerous gastric bypass surgery.

Why do many parents turn to fast food to feed their families? What are the consequences?

Ayurvedic treatment: Ayurvedic physician Kumar Das uses a hot iron rod and fabric soaked in herbs to heal an arthritic hip.

Dr. Regina Benjamin, a family physician dedicated to serving the working- class families in a small shrimping community on the Gulf Coast, visits one of her patients at home.

Sex in America

SOURCE: Laumann et al. 1994.

Sex in America

25% 50% 50% 75% 75% 100% 100% 50% 75% SOURCE: Laumann et al. 1994.

100%

The Stonewall Inn nightclub raid in 1969 is regarded as the ﬁrst shot ﬁred in the battle for gay rights in the United States. Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

W. W. Norton & Company Independent and Employee-Owned This concludes the Art Presentation Slides Slide Set for Chapter 14

Essentials Of Sociology

THIRD EDITION by Anthony Giddens Mitchell Duneier Richard P. Appelbaum Deborah Carr

Chapter 14

Transcript Chapter 14

Important topics

Sociology of the body

Bodies

Society and eating

Anorexia and bulimia

BMI

Obesity epidemic in the U.S.

Socialization of nature

Being ill

The sick role

Alternative medicine

Health inequalities

The spread of diseases

HIV/AIDS

Barriers to success

Sex and sexuality

Sex in Western culture

Sex in America

Sex in America

Sexual orientation

Gay and lesbian rights

Clicker Questions

Clicker Questions

Clicker Questions

Clicker Questions

Clicker Questions

Clicker Questions

Art Presentation Slides

The Sociology of the Body: Health, Illness, and Sexuality

Sex in America

Sex in America

Essentials Of Sociology

Directory