Sick Role - Criticisms

Criticisms

• Rejecting the sick role.
  • This model assumes that the individual voluntarily accepts the sick role.
  • Individual may not comply with expectations of the sick role, may not give up social obligations, may resist dependency, may avoid public sick role if their illness is stigmatised.
  • Individual may not accept ‘passive patient’ role.

• Doctor Patient relationship.
  • Going to see doctor may be the end of a process of help seeking behaviour, Freidson (1970) discusses importance of 'lay referral system'- lay person consults significant lay groups first.
  • This model assumes 'ideal' patient and 'ideal' doctor roles See- Murcott (1981), Sacks (1967), Bloor & Horobin (1975).
  • Differential treatment of patient, and differential doctor patient relationship- variations depend on social class, gender and ethnicity. See- MacIntyre & Oldman (1984), Buchan & Richardson (1973), Sudnow (1967).

• Blaming the sick.
  • ‘Rights’ do not always apply.
  • Sometimes individuals are held responsible for their illness, i.e. illness associated with sufferers lifestyle. (See Chalfont & Kurtz: 1971, on alcoholism).
  • In stigmatised illness sufferer is often not accepted as legitimately sick.

• Chronic Illness...
  • Model fits acute illness (measles, appendicitis, relatively short term conditions).
  • Does not fit Chronic/ long-term/permanent illness as easily, getting well not an expectation with chronic conditions such as blindness, diabetes.
  • In chronic illness acting the sick role is less appropriate and less functional for both individual and social system.
  • Chronically ill patients are often encouraged to be independent.