In regards to talking about cancer patients in class on Thursday, it made me think of some of the disucssions we have had in other classes about similar topics. We have talked about this theory in literature classes in regards to stories such as "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Talcott Parson’s “the sick role” loosely defines how long a sick person is allowed to be off from work, duties, responsibly, etc. before they either return to their duties or get rejected from society. It also defines the other obligations of sick persons.
It is simply defined by Wikipedia as:
The Sick Role was a concept invented by Talcott Parsons in 1951. It is a term widely used in medical sociology. ‘Being Sick’ is not simply a ‘state of fact’ or ‘condition’, it is a specifically patterned social role. The theory outlined two rights of a sick person and two obligations:
Rights:
- The sick person is exempt from normal social roles
- The sick person is not responsible for their condition
Obligations:
- The sick person should try to get well
- The sick person should seek technically competent help and cooperate with the medical professional
A study about media coverage on the lives of cancer patients would be great for the final project. I am going to look into it. I have seen episodes of shows like Martha Stewart that have done episodes on topics such as breast cancer. However I am not sure whether to focus on television or print and how I would do that.
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