The social construction of health, illness, disability and the body, and…

The idea

Health, illness, disability, and the body are socially constructed; their definitions vary across time and culture rather than being purely biological facts. For instance, homosexuality was once classified as an illness but is now recognised as normal. Disability is analysed using the social model, arguing society disables people by failing to accommodate impairments, unlike the medical model which blames the individual. The body is also socially constructed, with societal ideals dictating what is considered a 'normal' body.

What earns the marks

• Identify that the social construction of health means definitions of health and illness are shaped by societal norms and values, not just biology.
• Distinguish between the biomedical model (focusing on biological causes and medical interventions) and the social model of health (focusing on structural factors like class, gender, and ethnicity).
• Explain the social model of disability, which argues that societal barriers (physical and attitudinal) disable individuals, rather than their impairments.
• Recognise that the body is socially constructed through cultural expectations, such as beauty standards, gender norms, and the stigmatisation of certain body types.
• Provide examples of how definitions of illness change over time, such as the medicalisation of deviance or the de-medicalisation of homosexuality.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confusing the medical model of disability with the social model of disability.

  Put it right: The medical model locates the problem within the individual's impairment, whereas the social model locates the problem in society's failure to accommodate them.

• Assuming that 'socially constructed' means an illness is not real or does not have physical symptoms.

  Put it right: Understand that social constructionism acknowledges physical symptoms but focuses on how society interprets, labels, and responds to those symptoms.

• Treating the biomedical model as the only valid way to understand health.

  Put it right: Recognise that sociologists critique the biomedical model for ignoring the social determinants of health, such as poverty and poor housing.

Exam tips

• Use specific historical or cross-cultural examples, such as changes in the classification of mental illnesses, to illustrate how health and illness are socially constructed.
• When evaluating the biomedical model, contrast it with the social model by discussing how structural inequalities impact health outcomes.
• Apply the concept of 'medicalisation' to explain how non-medical problems, such as childbirth or sadness, have become defined and treated as medical issues.