A theoretical retrospection of changing social construction of health and illness

Abstract

Introduction: Health is a pre-requisite for human development and the pure medical knowledge normally will not give us with exact or mirror-like representations of the physical body and its various health related problems. Normally, various medical theories are some time highly contradictory to one another. Hence we should not perplex with medical theories with the disease or illness. Normally the context in which an individual lives it is of very vital and significant in developing his/her health culture and health status. Methodology: This paper is based on the review of various past and current literatures and the author’s personal experiences working in various health related projects. Conclusion: Health is basically a social construction. There are some external determinants which can decide the health status of any person including social factors, environment, hospitals, doctors or technologies. Health behaviour sole depends on the ‘health culture’ of a particular community/person. Health and illness are socially constructed and cannot be considered in separation from other elements of any given society.

Keywords

• Health
• Illness
• Change
• Behavior
• Medical