Sociological Imagination
Sociology begins with individuals ' experiences in order to explore the collective themes and patterns of human behaviour that shape our society and the distribution of health within it (Willis, 1993). This essay will describe the "sociological imagination" and then apply the concepts of the sociological enterprise to Aboriginal health and illness. The discussion will include how a sociological perspective contributes to understanding social exclusion and its affects on aboriginal mental illness .
The "sociological imagination" asserts that people do not exist in isolation but within a larger social network (Willis, 1993). Sociology begins with individuals ' experiences in order to explore collective themes and patterns of behaviour that shape …show more content…
For the aboriginal population poverty is one such determinant and a product and propagator of social exclusion, of which the impacts on health and mental illness are well recognised (Wilkinson, 1996; Najman and Lupton, 1995; Reid and Tromph, 1991; Saggars and Gray, 1991). Racial inequalities in health status have a tendency to mirror inequalities in socio-economic status (Wilkinson, 1996). However, Galabuzi (2002) contests that examining the social determinants of health should reach beyond class inequality, as a mediator of exclusion from the political, economic, cultural and social structures that determine access to resources and subsequent health status. According to Galabuzi (2002), we should be exploring how processes of social exclusion such as racial discrimination intersect with unemployment, education, poverty, law, income disparity and health service consumption, to generate health inequalities for effected sections of …show more content…
Germov, J., 2002, "Imagining Health Problems as Social Issues", in J. Germov, ed, Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology, 2nd edn., Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.
Holmes, W., Stewart, P., Garrow, A., Anderson, I., Thorpe, L., 2002, "Researching Aboriginal Health: Experience From a Study of Urban Young People ' s Health and Well-Being", Social Science and Medicine, vol. 54, pp. 1267-1269.
Maher, P., 1999, A Review of 'Traditional ' Aboriginal Health Beliefs, Australian Journal of Rural Health, vol. 7, pp. 229-236.
Mathews, J., Weeramanthri, T., D ' Abbs, P., 1995, Aboriginal Health: The Past is all About Us and Within, Today ' s Life Science, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 14-20.
Najman, J., Lupton, G., 1995, Sociology of Health and Illness, Australian Readings, MacMillan Education Australia Pty Ltd., South Melbourne.
Reid, J., Tromph, P., 1991, The Health of Aboriginal Society, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Group Pty Ltd, Marrickville.
Saggers, S., Gray, D., 1991, Aboriginal Health and Society: The Traditional and Contemporary Struggle for Better Health, Allen and Unwin, North
The "sociological imagination" asserts that people do not exist in isolation but within a larger social network (Willis, 1993). Sociology begins with individuals ' experiences in order to explore collective themes and patterns of behaviour that shape …show more content…
For the aboriginal population poverty is one such determinant and a product and propagator of social exclusion, of which the impacts on health and mental illness are well recognised (Wilkinson, 1996; Najman and Lupton, 1995; Reid and Tromph, 1991; Saggars and Gray, 1991). Racial inequalities in health status have a tendency to mirror inequalities in socio-economic status (Wilkinson, 1996). However, Galabuzi (2002) contests that examining the social determinants of health should reach beyond class inequality, as a mediator of exclusion from the political, economic, cultural and social structures that determine access to resources and subsequent health status. According to Galabuzi (2002), we should be exploring how processes of social exclusion such as racial discrimination intersect with unemployment, education, poverty, law, income disparity and health service consumption, to generate health inequalities for effected sections of …show more content…
Germov, J., 2002, "Imagining Health Problems as Social Issues", in J. Germov, ed, Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology, 2nd edn., Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.
Holmes, W., Stewart, P., Garrow, A., Anderson, I., Thorpe, L., 2002, "Researching Aboriginal Health: Experience From a Study of Urban Young People ' s Health and Well-Being", Social Science and Medicine, vol. 54, pp. 1267-1269.
Maher, P., 1999, A Review of 'Traditional ' Aboriginal Health Beliefs, Australian Journal of Rural Health, vol. 7, pp. 229-236.
Mathews, J., Weeramanthri, T., D ' Abbs, P., 1995, Aboriginal Health: The Past is all About Us and Within, Today ' s Life Science, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 14-20.
Najman, J., Lupton, G., 1995, Sociology of Health and Illness, Australian Readings, MacMillan Education Australia Pty Ltd., South Melbourne.
Reid, J., Tromph, P., 1991, The Health of Aboriginal Society, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Group Pty Ltd, Marrickville.
Saggers, S., Gray, D., 1991, Aboriginal Health and Society: The Traditional and Contemporary Struggle for Better Health, Allen and Unwin, North