Under the normativist theory of disease as described by Joseph Margolis, diseases are identified as conditions that are considered departures from social norms or values. The notion of value judgements is used to determine whether such a condition is considered socially normal or abnormal. Margolis claims that it is necessary to use value judgements to determine whether something is a disease or not, and that certain diseases must invoke the use of value judgements in their diagnosis, because not much is understood about their biological etiology. In this paper, I will attempt to support Margolis’ claim about the normativist view of disease by arguing that alcoholism is a disease, in the normativist sense. In Margolis’ 1976 paper, Ian Gregory
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The normativist theory can claim that being an alcoholic is an undesirable state without having to cite a physiological cause or etiology, because the normativist theory does not define diseases in biological terms. When a patient is presented to the emergency room with alcohol poisoning, the doctors will ask the patient about their drinking history, mental illnesses, and other socioeconomic variables that may distinguish who is an alcoholic and who is not. There is no biological test that says whether a person is an alcoholic or not, thus it is the responsibility of the physicians to be the judge. Further, treatment exists to help those who are diagnosed as alcoholics through rehabilitation centers, clinical psychology interventions, and medical prescriptions that may reduce the desire to drink. The treatment of alcoholism is often centered on correcting the social factors and understanding the motivations that influence a person to engage in their alcoholic lifestyle. In this sense, the treatment of alcoholism relies on the ability of a psychologist to identify other undesirable conditions, and social abnormalities that may influence a person’s inhibitions towards alcohol, in order to cope with …show more content…
Though its vagueness does not do anything to identify how alcoholism is a disease, its definition does force us to be particularly definitive about what alcoholic conditions we consider as illnesses. In terms of defining different types of alcoholism as a disease or not, I will argue that only the form of alcoholism that constitutes a disease is a case that shows an acquired tissue increase in tolerance of alcohol, a collection of craving and withdrawal symptoms, and a loss of drinking control. In normativist terms, this means that the alcoholic is no longer adhering to social standards of drinking, and that the ability to adhere to these “set” norms is beyond their own control. It may also be said that alcoholism, in this form, may result from a progression from one of those individual conditions to the full set of disease criteria. The loss of control may result in damaged personal relationships, loss of employment, and social standing. Because this pattern of drinking, and conducive behavior to such habits, is not reflective of social norms, or desirable states that people strive for, alcoholics often lose social standing, and respect from society. One of the strongest arguments against alcoholism as a disease, is the idea that alcoholism represents a personal choice, to drink, and that
The normativist theory can claim that being an alcoholic is an undesirable state without having to cite a physiological cause or etiology, because the normativist theory does not define diseases in biological terms. When a patient is presented to the emergency room with alcohol poisoning, the doctors will ask the patient about their drinking history, mental illnesses, and other socioeconomic variables that may distinguish who is an alcoholic and who is not. There is no biological test that says whether a person is an alcoholic or not, thus it is the responsibility of the physicians to be the judge. Further, treatment exists to help those who are diagnosed as alcoholics through rehabilitation centers, clinical psychology interventions, and medical prescriptions that may reduce the desire to drink. The treatment of alcoholism is often centered on correcting the social factors and understanding the motivations that influence a person to engage in their alcoholic lifestyle. In this sense, the treatment of alcoholism relies on the ability of a psychologist to identify other undesirable conditions, and social abnormalities that may influence a person’s inhibitions towards alcohol, in order to cope with …show more content…
Though its vagueness does not do anything to identify how alcoholism is a disease, its definition does force us to be particularly definitive about what alcoholic conditions we consider as illnesses. In terms of defining different types of alcoholism as a disease or not, I will argue that only the form of alcoholism that constitutes a disease is a case that shows an acquired tissue increase in tolerance of alcohol, a collection of craving and withdrawal symptoms, and a loss of drinking control. In normativist terms, this means that the alcoholic is no longer adhering to social standards of drinking, and that the ability to adhere to these “set” norms is beyond their own control. It may also be said that alcoholism, in this form, may result from a progression from one of those individual conditions to the full set of disease criteria. The loss of control may result in damaged personal relationships, loss of employment, and social standing. Because this pattern of drinking, and conducive behavior to such habits, is not reflective of social norms, or desirable states that people strive for, alcoholics often lose social standing, and respect from society. One of the strongest arguments against alcoholism as a disease, is the idea that alcoholism represents a personal choice, to drink, and that