Sociology and Medicolegal Aspects of Nursing

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lecture, the students will be able to:

1.       Define institution.

2.       State the characteristics and function of institution.

3.       List types of institutions

3.1.  WHAT IS SOCIAL INSTITUTION?

It is a group of social positions, connected by social relations, performing a social role, e.g. universities, government, families. It can also be defined in a narrow sense as any institution in a society that works to socialize the group of people in it. Thus, the characteristic of social institution is a set of relationship that develop gradually with a system of behaviour certified by a group.

 3.2. CHARACTERISTIC AND FUNCTIONS OF AN INSTITUTIONS

There are several characteristics and functions that be pointed by philosophers and sociologist but in 1996 Palistic indicated that the institutions are purposive with their own needs and goals or objectives which relatively confirmed with that content. The pattern roles and relations that people ratify in a particular culture become traditional enduring. Even though institutions are subject to change which takes place gradually.

                Institutions are structured. It tends to reinform with one another because their behaviour patterns of social roles and social relations were structured by themselves. While institutions are unified structure which function as a unit i.e value laden. Their repeated uniformities, patters and trends become codes of conduct. Most of these codes causes pressures. While others developed in the form of rules and laws.

a.  VARIOUS FUNCTIONS OF INSTITUTION.                 

                Institutions simplify social behaviour for the individual’s person. Ways of thinking and acting has become largely regularized and prearranged for the individual before he enters the society.

E.g., social institutions provide every child with all the needed social and cultural mechanisms through which he can grow socially.

                Institutions therefore provide ready-made forms of social relations and social roles for the individual. The principal roles are not invented by the individuals, they are provided by the institutions. Institutions also act as agencies of coordination and stability for the total culture. The way of thinking and behaving can be accepted by the society. Whatso ever institution tend to control behaviour and contain the systematic expectations of the society. Group behaviour is often subconsciously fixed through constant repetition with the need of planning. The group can easily ascertain from its institutions the normal modes, trends and procedures.

3.3..  FIVE MAJORS SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS                                           

They are family, religion, educations, economics, and government.

Family can be defined as group of people who are related by marriage, blood, or adoption and often who leave together and share economic resources. The family is the most universal social institution, but what constitutes a “family” varies across cultures.                

 

a.  WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF FAMILY?

                Regulation of Sexuality activity – all societies regulate sexual activity to some extent. Incest taboo is found in every society, but categories of restricted differs across cultures.

Socialization – family is the first agent of socialization, so societies rely on the family to teach the norm of the society. Parent siblings and other relatives serve as the earliest role model        s.             Reproduction – family is the approved social unit for producing members to replace those who die or move away. Rules are set in place about who can raise children and how children should be raised.

Economic and Emotional Security – it is the basic economic unit which is expected to guid the psychological development of its member and provide a loving environment.  

                                         

b. FAMILY SYSTEMS

                Nuclear family – one or both parents and their children.

                Family of orientation – it is the nuclear family into which the person is born or adopted.

When a person marries, a new nuclear family is formed called a family procreation.

                Extended family - two or more generations

                Kinship – Network of people who are related by marriage, birth or adoption

c..  FAMILY ORGANIZATION

It depends on to the answer to the four questions below.

How many marriages partner? – Marriage pattern

Who live with whom? – Residential Patterns

How is family membership determinant? – Descendent Patterns

Who made the decision in the family? – Authority patterns

 d. MARRIAGE PATTERN

·         Monogamy – the marriage of one man to one woman

·         Polygamy: multiple marriage partners.

·         Polygyny – one man & multiple women (most common form of polygamy)

·         Polyandry – one woman & multiple men (less common)

e. RESIDENTIAL PATTERNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

·         Patrilocality – couple lives with or near husband’s family.

·         Matrilocality – couple lives with or near wife’s family.

·         Bilocality – couple decides which parents to live with or near.

·         Neolocality – couple lives apart from both sets of parents.

f. DESCENDENT PATTERNS

Patrilineal descent – kindship traced through the father’s family; and the property passed from father to son.

Matrilineal descent; kinship traced through mother’s family whereabout the property passed from mother to daughter.

Bilateral descend; kinship traced through both parents and the property inherited from either side of the family.

 g. AUTHORITY PATTERNS

Patriarchy – father holds most of the authority

Matriarchy – mother holds most of the authority

Egalitarian – mother and father share authority                                                      

h. CHANGING PATTERNS

Dual-earner families – families in which both husband & wife have job which become the norm during the late 1900s. Today day-care centre for children and father are more likely to help with household chores.

The sandwich generation are couples who have babies and elderly parent to care for at the same time.

Voluntary childlessness is the conscious choice to remain childless.                                                                                                               

3.4. DIVOICE IN MALAYSIA

There are several reasons why in Malaysia divorce among marriage takes place.

Infidelity: Sadly, extra-marital affair (or adultery) took the main spot of problem to a married couple as a man (or even woman) often started with an emotional affair and which later turned into a physical affair. As a matter of fact, adultery is often cited as a ground for divorce in Malaysia.

Money (Financial dispute): It is common that financial issue becomes a real

problem to a married couple when the husband (who is supposed to be supporting the family financially) is not providing to the family sufficiently. More often than not, this will turn into an argument if money is involved.

Domestic Abuse: This can be either physical or mental abuse in Malaysian. As a matter of fact, there is a strong correlation between domestic abuse and financial problems.

Lack of communication: Often couples will complain that they are not communicating enough (or at all) even though they are staying under one roof. Sooner or later, this will cause the marriage to breakdown.

Lack of intimacy: This can be either emotional intimacy or physical intimacy (sexual intercourse). 

3.5. EDUCATION

The definition of education means that it is a system consisting of the roles and norms that ensure the transmission of knowledge, values and patterns of behaviour from one generation to the next. While schooling is defined as a formal education which involves instruction by special trained teachers who follow official recognized policies. But in some preindustrial societies, education is largely informal and occurs mainly within the family.

  The intellectual purposes of schooling include the teaching of basic cognitive skills such as reading, writing and mathematics that transmit specific knowledge and to help students acquire higher -order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.

                While the political purposes of schooling are to inculcate allegiance to the existing political order. At the same time to prepare citizens who will participate in political order and to help assimilate diverse cultural group into a common political order and to teach children basic laws of society.

The social purpose of schooling is to socialize children into various roles, behaviour and values of society in order to help solve social problems. But the economic purposes of schooling are to prepare students for their occupational roles. This is to select the trained and allocate individuals into the division of labour.

a. EDUCATION; CONFLICT PERPECTIVE

Education serves to sort students into social ranks and to limit the potential of certain individuals and group to gain power and social rewards. Thus, whether the students achieved or failed that will reflect the existing inequalities.

                Tracking of education means it involves the assignment of students to different types of educational programs. While the classroom instructions will use in the different tracks to serve and to reproduce the status quo.

                In education and socioeconomic status – opportunities for educational success are distributed unequally. The higher status college students outnumber lower-status college students. The social control school produce unquestioning citizens who except the basic inequalities of the social system. As for the hidden curriculum, schools’ transmission of cultural goals that are not openly acknowledge. 

b. EDUCATION; INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE

Students labelled as fast learners or slow learners without any data eventually took on the characteristics of the label. A self-fulfilling prophecy is prediction that leads to behaviour that makes the prediction come true. When the teachers treat students as if they are bright and capable the students begin to think of themselves in this way and vice versa. The Coleman reports found that the socioeconomic status of fellow students was the most significant factor in  explaining students success. Consequently, peer pressure may be a factor in this dynamic. 

3.6. RELIGION

It is defined as  a system of beliefs and rituals that serves to bind people together through shared worship, in order to creating the social group. The set of beliefs and practices that pertain to a sacred or supernatural realm that guides human behaviours and gives meaning to life among a community of believers.            

a. CHARACTERISTIC OF RELIGION

                        It is the belief in a power beyond the individual in which a doctrine accepted teaching of salvation. A code of conduct, the use of sacred stories with religious rituals based on action and ceremonies.        

b.  FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION

                The religion serves as a means of social control. It exerts a great influence upon personality development. The religion always fears of the unknown. The religion explains events or situations which are beyond the comprehension of man. It gives man comfort, strength and hope in times of crisis and despair. It also preserves and transmits knowledge, skills, spiritual and cultural values and practices. It serves as an instrument of change. To promotes closes, love, cooperation, friendliness, and helpfulness. Religion alleviates suffering from major tragedies. Thus, it provides hope for a wonderful life after death.

c. TYPES OF BELIEF SYSTEMS

                There are three types of belief systems which are animism, theism and ethnicism.

Animism belief that spirits actively influence human life. The spirit are contained though out mother nature. Spirits are not worshiped as gods but are instead seen as supernatural forces that may issues assistance, example Shamanism and Totemism.

Theism is a belief in a god or gods. It is either called Monotheism and Polytheism.

Monotheism is belief of one god who is usually the creator and moral authority. Example Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Polytheism is a belief in a number of gods who usually centres one powerful god with lesser gods. Example – Hinduism or Greek or Roman Gods.

Ethnicism are based on the idea that moral principles have a sacred quality. A set of principles such as truth, honor and tolerance serve as a guide to living to living. Example – Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto.      

3.7. POLITICAL & ECONOMICAL INSTITUTIONS

             This institution is developed when in need was felt for an orderly and dependable way of obtaining resource controlled by other groups. Example - election

POLITICS – is a major social institution involving the organization of power in society. Political systems attempt to foster the perception that their power is; legitimate, derived from tradition and rationally passed rules and regulations. It is an organized way in which power is distributed and decision are made with society.

Examples – democracy, authoritarianism, and monarchy.

 3.8.ECONOMICS

                   The social institution that organizes the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. There are two types of economic models, Capitalism and Socialism.

The difference between Capitalism and Socialism are:

                   Capitalism is an economic system when the means of production are owned by private individuals. Companies lives by the profit motives. The companies have owners and managers that exist to make money. It is also the government jobs by enforcing laws and regulations to make sure there is level playing fields for private companies

                  While socialism the making of profits are run by the state or public. But under a socialize system everyone works for wealth and the profit made will be equally shared to everyone. The government decides how wealth is distributed for and among the people

3.10. CHARACTERISTICS AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF MEDICINE.

                 Hospitals is an organized system of social relationship with certain common values to meet health need of the society. Its assigns status and roles to individuals within the institution.

The medical teams involve taking care for the sick society are the:

Physicians/Doctors who are institutionalize their authority through a system of medical education and standardized educational licensing following the code of conduct of the MMA

Nurses to undergo training with apprenticeship in school of nursing

Patients or hospital clients will treat the patients as according to the types of disease and complications

Physical illnesses are thought to originate primarily from physical sources, and doctors use biomedical or surgical cures to treat them - Other cultures consider illnesses punishment for certain deeds.

Mental Illness is when patient’s hearing voices or hallucinating are generally viewed as symptoms of a mental illness while other societies, these symptoms might instead indicate a religious experience

Scientific Medicine - herbalists, druggists, midwives, even barbers while now seek medical treatment from trained, certified medical doctors  

Holistic Medicine is - medical approach that involves learning about a patient’s physical environment and mental status

 https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/society-and-culture/social-

structures/v/institutions-government-economy-and-health-and-medicine

a. SOCIAL STRUCTIURE TOWARDS ILLNESS

The way that people, group, and institutions are organization with respect to one another. This structure organization is believed to influence behaviour or at least to limit the choices open to people. According to structural perspective, a person’s choices can be explanation by social forces that arise from the ways in which society is organized. (Social forces such as influence of education and social background on choice of healthy lifestyle)

Predominantly social structure approach would  draw upon quantitative data derived from social  survey, epidemiological studies and comparative  studies in order to point to and processes in  determining health outcome for social group.

b. HEALTHCARE AND MEDICINE

 The pathophysiology of the diseases medical diagnosed. The Sociology distinguish it from illness when the sense that one  feels unwell. The society’s acceptance that one is not well, as  in allotted number of ‘sick days’ /sickness.