Sociological Analysis Of Doctors

Analyzing doctors using various sociological perspectives Choosing career wasn’t extremely hard for me, considering that I have always wanted to be a doctor. From early childhood I would imagine helping people and loved watching doctors do their job. Analyzing this career choice based on various sociological perspectives is extremely interesting, because discovering how each theory applies to being a doctor opens your eyes about what it means to be a doctor. Traditionally, we define doctor as someone who practices medicine and treats people from various health related conditions. Becoming a doctor is a lengthy and quite demanding path that requires a person to completely devote self to studying and developing needed skills. It means being …show more content…
It is a common stereotype that male doctors are more skilled than female doctors. This becomes a clear example of symbolic interaction. While in theory, there should be no difference in male and female doctors, who have received same education, have same experience and are of the same age, society has formed an idea that male doctors are more trustworthy. While this might not be a stereotype in the entire country, it definitely affects how certain people choose their doctors and how they view the quality of care based on the gender of the doctor. Thus, symbolic meaning of being a male and a female has replaced actual meaning of the …show more content…
Functionalism discussed two types of functions: manifest functions and latent functions. Manifest function is the one that is clear and obvious for everyone, while latent function is unintended functional consequences, which we might not even be aware about. In case of doctors, we can think about this profession in terms of manifest and latent functions. Manifest function of doctors is obviously treating people from various diseases and injuries. This is something that anyone can easily identify. However, there is also a latent function which is definitely present when it comes to the function of a doctor, but people are not usually aware of it. For example, doctors are there not only to cure patients, but also to educate them and thus prevent future injuries. People often forget that in addition to giving prescriptions, doctors also give various advice regarding lifestyle, nutrition, and other stuff that is supposed to teach people how to avoid being sick and how to lead healthy lifestyle. Thus, latent function of every doctor is to be an educator for the