Theories of Models of Health and Well-being

Theories of Models of Health and Well-being Health is Wealth: Did you know? â€Å"A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses.† Hippocrates, The Anthropology of Health and Healing Many people do not realise the significance of good health, and even if they do, they may still disregard it, whether at home or at work. When people talk about health, they usually refer to the condition of the body. However, health does not simply mean being free from pain or the symptoms of disease, it is everything that keeps us alive. The purpose of this essay is to expand the boundaries of our knowledge by exploring some relevant facts and figures relating to the different models of health. In this paper, it will tackle on two models of health the lifestyle theory model and the biomedical model. Biomedical model focuses on the physical processes, for instance biochemistry, pathology and physiology of a disease. It does not involve the role of social thing or individual subjectivity while lifestyle theory model is composed of three interlocking models: the structural model, the functional model, and the change model. In the next section, it will differentiate and contrast the two models of health. Lifestyle basically means the usual way a person goes in daily living. Most people, however, describe it in terms of wealth, this doesnt hit the mark. When all the aspects that truthfully compose a lifestyle are considered, the all-encompassing nature of this term becomes clear. A lifestyle does, of course, involve habits but it also covers such things as family status, wealth, careers and a lot more. No matter what a persons lifestyle happens to be, there are ways to improve upon bothersome areas. Everyone has their own typical lifestyle that cover up their distinctive actions on a daily basis. Some of the things that go into making ones lifestyle distinct include: habits it is everything a person does on a normal basis which makes up their unique lifestyle, from diet and the pursuit of a good  family fitness  to bad habits such as smoking, drinking etc. (Webster Online), careerit is the employment opportunities a person pursues it also help define lifestyle, financial means it isnt necessarily the most important facet of a lifestyle but it does help define the manner in which an individual might live and Emotional well beingit is also a state of mind. When personal peace and satisfaction are a part of everyday living; wealth wont necessarily matter in the creation of a healthy and happy lifestyle. In simpler words, the definition of lifestyle covers just about everything a person is and does on a regular basis. From personal wealth to bad habits, they all go into the big picture. The biomedical model focuses purely on biological factors, and excludes psychological, environmental, and social influences. This is considered to be the popular, modern way for health care professionals to diagnose and treat a condition in most Western countries (Merriam Webster Online). Most health care professionals do not first ask for a psychological or social history of a patient; instead, they tend to analyze and look for biophysical or genetic malfunctions. The focus is on objective laboratory tests rather than the subjective feelings or history of the patient (Dutta, 2008). The biomedical approach to disease has its roots in biology. It is mostly concerned with objectively classifying the natural deviations that a disease presents from a biological norm (Walsh, 2004). The biomedical model has played a major role in the strategies used to deliver health and human services in the world. It argues the pathology in human beings that has a biological or molecular basis. As for a treatment approach, the biomedical model has been very successful at curing many diseases. With this achievement, the professionals in a number of fields have been to a great extent influenced by the biomedical model in the assessment and treatment of both physical and emotional problems. The biomedical model being used today is supported by the combination of clinical findings with laboratory data and pathology findings. This model created a structure to examine, classify and treat disease. From this, basically pathologist, health is defined as absence of disease. Thus the world is divided between healthy and sick, with what the medical condition to recognize, demonstrate, and sort by procedures based on this method. Both of these models of health are different from most of the aspects. Though both promote health, their understanding and objective are different. Biomedical model of health explanatory frameworks for disease are not straight forward. Medical model and the associated assumption about the illness distinction and lay distinction indicate some of the major characteristics of the medical approach to disease: that it claims legitimacy and process from science; that is primarily focused on the biological; that is a universalistic and individualist framework: and that it is constructed and presented in opposition to other approach toward disease. Lifestyle theory on the other hand is an ambiguous concept which can be altered to account for a of range different situations; also provides doctors to construct explanatory narratives which draw on everyday language to describe daily practices (Hansen, Easthope, 2007). In addition to this, Lifestyle theory is also composed of three interlocking models: the structural model, the functional model and the change model. Structural model is to operationally define a lifestyle, and show how it fits within a larger classification system. Functional model accounts for lifestyle development in a person’s fear and belief system and divides developmental factors. Change model, it is held that a natural self-altering process exist in all living beings which can be capitalized upon to encourage desistance from lifestyle behavior (Walters, 2006). An example of biomedical model of health would claim that lung cancer is caused by smoking, while lifestyle model of heath may suggest that passive smoking or hereditary disposition to the disease can be causes of it. Pursuing this further, Blaxter (2004) yet suggest that bio medical model of heath does not promote a healthy lifestyle, as it could be thought if you are smoking, excessively drinking and eating unhealthily but not feeling ill, then it is acceptable to carry on with that. Controversially, lifestyle model of health is looking at it differently, by encouraging people to lead a healthy lifestyle and prevent illnesses and diseases (Blaxter, 2004). In conclusion, this essay helped to further understand and to think broader the significant facts and figures relating to the different health models. Despite the immense amounts of research studying statistical relationships among lifestyle factors and disease very little known about the way medicine in general or doctors in particular speak about lifestyle or apply theory related to it when explaining health and disease. To pay off the lack of knowledge about medical understandings of lifestyle we draw together what is known about such understandings and report on our experimental research on the topic. In short, exploring the way that lifestyle is visualized and applied within medicine. In it we talk to a number of unanswered questions about medical understanding of lifestyle. Reference List Biomedical, Habit, Lifestyle. InMerriam Webster Online,Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary Blaxter, M. (2004). Health, Wiley Dutta, M. (2008). Communicating Health: A Culture-centered Approach, Polity  Hansen E., Easthope G. (2007). Lifestyle in Medicine, London: Routledge Walsh, M. (2004). Introduction to Sociology for Health Carers, Nelson Thornes Walters, G. (2006), Lifestyle Theory:Past, Present, and Future, Nova Publishers Womack, M. (2010). The Anthropology of Health and Healing, Almira Press

Semiotics and Instructional Technology Essay -- Signs Writing Symbols

Semiotics and Instructional Technology Abstract The purpose of my paper is to define and discuss semiotics and relate it to instructional technology. Discussing Semiotics Huyghe says that if you are a semiologist, then you study systems of signs (Huyghe, 1993, p.1). This area of discussion can cover a broad range of topics from hieroglyphic writing to "Masks and the semiotics of identity." "In semiotic terms, an icon is a variety of sign that bears a resemblance to its object; a diagram, for example, is an icon of that which the diagram represents (Pollock, 1995, p. 1). In Bourland-Davis’ article, she draws from Johnson and Hackman to discuss semiotics as a form of symbolic communication (Bourland-Davis, 1998, p. 2). In Bourland-Davis’ article (Bourland-Davis, p. 2), Johnson and Hackman state that ‘human (symbolic) communication †¦ generates new and relevant combinations of associations of existing elements (materials, words, ideas, facts, sounds, movements, colors, lines, mathematical notations, procedures, etc.) through lateral (divergent) thinking’ (as cited in Johnson and Hackman, 1995, p.15). Sometimes the most effective way to represent an abstract problem is by using symbols, as students learn to do in high-school algebra (Matlin, 1998, p. 347). Often by comparing an idea to an object that can be symbolically related somehow, the level of understanding is increased, and then that object can later be used as a trigger mechanism for recalling the specifics of that concept (Matlin, 1998, p. 351). "†¦a visual image can let us escape from the boundaries of traditional representations. At the same time, however, the visual image is somewhat concrete; it serves as a symbol for a theory that has not yet bee... ...of identity. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute: Vol. 1 (pp. 581-597). Scott, Robert Ian. (1995). Messages and meanings: An essay/review – Messages and Meanings: An introduction to semiotics by Marcel Danesi. Et Cetera: Vol. 52 (pp. 482-486). Winn, William. Toward a rationale and theoretical basis for educational technology. ETR&D: Vol. 37 (pp. 35-46). Zenger, Weldon F. & Zenger, Sharon K. (1999). Schools and curricula for the 21st century: Predictions, visions and anticipations. NASSP Bulletin: Vol. 83 (pp. 49-60). Textbooks Used: Anglin, Gary J. (1995). Instructional Technology: Past, Present and Future. (2nd ed.). In Barbara L. Grabowski, Message Design: Issues and Trends. (pp. 222-225). Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. Matlin, Margaret W. (1998). Cognition. (4th ed.). Texas: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

The Impact of Sociological Theories in Education

The Impact of Sociological Theories in Education Crystal Taylor-Johnson SOC101: Introduction to Sociology Professor Christine Henderson November 22, 2010 Education is the most important part of a person’s life. Without a good education people would struggle in everyday life just to be able to get by. There are three theories that help understand education. Even though most people feel theories are just someone’s opinions, education has many different theories that support it because these theories help people understand education better and these theories are all different but yet they help identify what education really is.The three theories that are important for people to know are Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism. These three theories play an important role in helping to understand education and why education is important. These theories are not just one man’s opinion; they give a prime meaning of what education is really about. Martin Luther King J r. once said â€Å"the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically†¦. intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education. Without sociological theories to help understand what education is all about and why education is important, we would not get the true identity of education. Education does not just help you with a better career, it also helps you with your social skills, your ability to understand things better, and most importantly it helps you to be able to identify yourself. Functionalism â€Å"Functionalist perspective is a sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. (Richard Schaefer, 2009) Functionalists will focus on ways that universal education can serve the needs of society. The first thing that functionalist do is see education in its manifest role. They believe that education conveys knowledge and skills to the next generation. Emile D urkheim was the founder of functionalist theory. He identified the latent role of education, which was identified as one of socializing people into society’s mainstream. He called it â€Å"a moral education†, and it helped form a more-cohesive social structure.It did this by bringing people together from diverse backgrounds. The other latent roles of education that functionalist point to are transmission of core values and social structure. Core values reflect the characteristics that support political and economic systems that had originally fueled education in American education. This means that children in America will receive rewards for following schedules, directions, meeting deadlines, and obeying their authority figures. A benefit that functionalists see in education is something they call sorting.This means they separate students on the basis of merit. They feel that society’s needs demands that the most capable people get channeled into the most import ant occupations. Schools are capable of identifying the most capable students early. They do so by seeing who scores highest on classroom and standardized tests. The students who score high on these tests are put into accelerated programs and college preparation courses. Many sociologists like Kingsley Davis, Wilbert Moore, and Talcott Parsons referred to this as social placement. They felt this was a beneficial function in society.Functionalists believe that education plays an ironic dual role in both preserving and changing culture. There have been studies that have shown that as student’s progress through college and beyond, they are usually able to become increasingly liberal as they encounter a variety of perspectives. People who are more educated are generally more liberal, but people who are less educated are conservatism. â€Å"Heavy emphasis on research at most institutions of higher education put them on the cutting edge of changes in knowledge, and, in many cases, changes in values as well.Therefore, while the primary role of education is to preserve and pass on knowledge and skills, education is also in the business of transforming them. † (CliffNotes. com, 2010). Conflict â€Å"Conflict perspective is a sociological approach that assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services, and political representation. † (Schaefer, 2010). These theorists see the purpose of education as maintaining social inequality and preserving the power of those who dominate society.Conflict theorists and functionalists examine the same functions of education. â€Å"Functionalists see education as a beneficial contribution to an ordered society; however, conflict theorists see the educational system as perpetuating the status quo by dulling the lower classes into being obedient workers. † (CliffNotes. com, 2010). Both of the se theories agree that the educational system practices sorting, but they disagree on how the educational system enacts that sorting. Functionalists believe that the schools sort based on merits; whereas conflict theorists believe that schools sort based on distinct class and ethnic lines.Conflict theorists believe that schools train those who are in the working class to accept their position as a lower-class member of society. This role of education is called â€Å"hidden curriculum†. Conflict theorists have several key factors that defend their position. They feel because property taxes fund most schools, schools in affluent districts have more money. The students who live in these kinds of areas are more likely to get into the best colleges and have a better chance of being tracked into higher-paying professions.Students who are in less affluent neighborhoods do not have these kinds of advantages. They are less likely to go to college and more likely to go to a vocational school or technical training. â€Å"Employers routinely use education as a selection tool. Jobs with a high social status such as executives, Wall Street Lawyers, and politicians at the national level are almost exclusively recruited from elite universities. While employers looking for middle management and other white-collar workers, require certain levels of education that indicate sufficient motivation and social experience. (Jason Todd, n. d. ) Interactionism â€Å"Interactionist perspective is a sociological approach that generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole. † (Schaefer, 2010) Interactionists are primarily concerned with relations and transactions in the school house. Interactionists are more concerned with the daily grind of the students and the transactions that occur between the students and the teachers or any other person that is involved with the student.Because they are concerned with this they disregard t he basic physical factors, which are whether the schools are urban or rural, a large educational complex or a small one, or if the schools have a highly bureaucratic system or not. For example, interactionists would be more concerned with the roles that other people play in the students’ education. They are concerned with the efficiency of a student’s education and the quality of a child’s academic experience. Interactionists believe that it is important for students and teachers or any other person who is involved in that student’s life.Every student needs to know that their voice is being heard. It is very important for a teacher to understand every one of their students, because every student is different. I think that is what interactionists are trying to get at with their theory. Before a student can really learn, they need to be able to listen. And before they will listen they have to know whether they can trust that person or not. In the beginning a teacher’s primary goal should be to gain the trust of their student’s. When a teacher is able to gain the trust of their student’s, then the student’s will listen.The theories that have been discussed here are very different from one another, but they are not far from the truth. Unfortunately we see these things every day. Functionalists and Conflict theorists believe that if you live in a high profile neighborhood then you will go to a high profile school, and when you go to a high profile school you will get noticed by the best colleges and you will have a very wealthy successful career. If you live in a lower-class neighborhood you will have a more difficult time getting into a great college and living the life that upper-class people live. Although we do not like this, it is true.There are many people that face this unfairness every day. Interactionists believe a more delicate theory. They believe that a good social communication between students an d peers, teachers, family members, or any other person that comes in contact with the student on a daily basis is the most important part of a student’s ability to learn and succeed. Even though most people feel theories are just someone’s opinions, education has many different theories that support it because these theories help people understand education better and these theories are all different but yet they help identify what education really is.Education is what you make of it. I leave you with a quote by Booker T. Washington that felt as though it does not matter where you came from in order to be successful, but how hard you worked is the key: â€Å"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. †ReferencesCliff Notes. com. (2010). Theories of Education. Retrieved November 22, 2010 from http://www. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/topicArticleId-26957,arti cleId-26914. html King Jr. , M. L. (n. d. ).Education Quotes to Impart knowledge, Wisdom, and Deepen Understanding In All Arenas of Life Arenas of Life. Retrieved November 22, 2010 from http://famousquoteshomepage. com Shaefer, R. T. (2009).Sociology: A Brief Introduction 8th Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York. Page 422, 420 and 423 Todd, J. (n. d. ). Functional and Conflict Theory: Point of View. Retrieved November 22, 2010 from http://www. helium. com/items/779460-functional-and-conflict-theory-a-point-of-view Washington, B. T. (n. d. ).Inspirational Educational Quotes for Students. Retrieved November 22, 2010 from http://www. successcds. net/student_quotes. htm

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