Chapter 1: A Brief Introduction to the Sociology
of Health, Healing, and Illness
Identifications
1. sociology of medicine:
2. sociology in medicine:
3. _________________________ The sociological theory that views society as a system of
interdependent parts that work together to produce relative stability. Each of these parts (like the medical
institution) is assumed to have positive consequences for society as a whole.
4. _________________________ The sociological theory that focuses attention on small-scale, day-today interactions among people.
5. _________________________ The sociological theory that views society as a system largely
dominated by social inequality; whatever societal order exists is thought to be dictated by powerful
groups of people.
6. _________________________ The most commonly-used data collection technique in sociology; it
involves the collection of information through questionnaires and interviews.
Multiple Choice
7. _____ Medical sociology, as a sub-discipline of sociology, formally came into being in what time
period?
a. in ancient Greece with Hippocrates’ writings on medical ethics
b. in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a consequence of the forces of industrialization and urbanization
c. in the 1920s and 1930s as a consequence of the forces of the Depression
d. in the 1950s and 1960s as the field was institutionalized within the discipline of sociology
8. _____ Rodney Coe has suggested that the development of medical sociology was facilitated by several
factors, including which of the following?
a. the shift in patterns of morbidity and mortality to lifestyle-related diseases
b. increasing attention to preventive medicine and public health
c. the increasing complexity of the health care system
d. all of these factors were identified by Coe
9. _____ The medical sociology-related journal sponsored by the American Sociological Association is:
a. Medical Care.
b. Social Science and Medicine.
c. the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
d. the Journal of Behavioral Medicine
10. _____ Which of the following statements best captures the sociological perspective on human
behavior?
a. Every individual is unique; the explanation for human behavior usually can be found in investigating
these individual traits and characteristics.
b. While the social environment does have an influence, human behavior is largely shaped through our
genes.
c. Human behavior is largely shaped by the groups to which people belong and the social interaction that
occurs within those groups.
11. _____ Robert Straus gave which name to research in medical sociology that is designed primarily to
answer practical questions of interest to health care professionals and sponsoring agencies rather than to
test sociological hypotheses?
a. sociology in medicine
b. sociology of medicine
12. _____ Many medical sociologists conduct their research by systematically observing people in their
natural environment. What type of research is this?
a. experimental research
b. demographic research
c. observational research
d. survey research
Discussion
13. Describe the field of medical sociology by: 1) summarizing some of the main topics investigated by
medical sociologists, and 2) discussing the approaches used by medical sociologists in studying aspects of
health, healing, and illness.
Test Bank Answers
Chapter 1: A Brief Introduction to the Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness
Identifications
1. Research that is directed at making a contribution to the discipline of sociology (e.g., testing
sociological hypotheses) through its focus on matters in medicine.
2. Research that is directed at making a contribution to the medical field by answering questions of
interest to government agencies, foundations, hospitals, medical schools, and practitioners.
3. structural-functionalism
4. symbolic interactionism
5. social conflict theory
6. survey research
Multiple Choice
7. D
8. D
9. C
10. C
11. A
12. C