From Badness To Sickness Analysis

The concept of social construction is a human creation that gives meaning and value to something that has no implication and significance on its own. Our society is full of social constructions, which are made and defined from the means of language. For instance, the concepts of health, illness, and disease are social constructions. Also, because social constructions are formed by people, the implications can vary between individuals and cultures. Lastly, the process of making these constructions is a dynamic one, as definitions can change over time with various events. In “Deviance and Medicalization: From Badness to Sickness”, Peter Conrad and Joseph Schneider discuss how meanings of disease and health can vary between cultures. In a South American Indian tribe, colored spots on the skin caused by dyschromic spirochetosis were seen as normal and were signs of well being because spots were heavily …show more content…
The cultural trend of society is one that favors and honors men who show masculine qualities, such as being confident, valiant, stoic, and showing no feminine traits. Because of this, men are led to think that they must strive to become that persona (William Marsiglio, “Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids”, 25). When males are stressed because they feel the pressure to become “masculine”, the chronic stress can harm their health. But also, in the realm of sports, the ability to “shake off” an injury and play through to the end of a match is often honored (William Marsiglio, “Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids”, 25). This culture can induce men to take harmful and dangerous risks. In addition, when they are injured while playing, they may not treat the wound because they do not want to be seen as frail. The false standards and ideals linked to a gender role can cause people to make poor choices that lead to adverse health