SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE

Unit 7Lesson 3

Collectivism, New Right and Postmodernism

Learning Objectives

• To describe the three remaining sociological perspectives: – Collectivism– New Right– Postmodernism

COLLECTIVISM

Government commitment to

providing care and support to the

vulnerable in society through taxation and national insurance.

As a working member of society in the

UK we all pay taxes in the form of

National Insurance Contributions,

some of this funds the National Health

Service (NHS) in the UK.

This means that we are

COLLECTIVELY sharing the

responsibility of all members of

the UK and Europe's health.

• A political response to the role of government in our society and their response to meeting identified areas of welfare need.

• In all societies, there are groups of people who are vulnerable.

Can you think of any?

COLLECTIVISM

• Children• Older people

• People with physical impairments

• People with mental health needs• Disabled

• Unemployment

• After World War II, many of the soldiers were living in deprived conditions.

• A Politian named Beveridge identified 5 issues (known as 5 GIANT evils) that needed to be addressed.

Any guesses as to what these 5 issues may have been?

COLLECTIVISMHistory of the welfare system

POVERTY

IDLENESS(unemployment)

SQUALOR(poor housing)

DISEASE(ill-health)

IGNORANCE(inadequate education)

POVERTY

IDLENESS(unemployment) DISEASE

(ill-health)

SQUALOR(poor housing)

IGNORANCE(inadequate education)

HOW CAN THE 5 GIANT EVILS BE ELIMINATED?

Benefits

Supporting employment

policies Free secondary education

NHS

Council housing

Collectivism: History of the welfare system

In the past people with mental health

problems were cast away to mental health

asylums and tied up and basically

imprisoned…

Collectivism: History of the welfare system

• Nowadays, people with mental health problems are

treated by the NHS in all types of different patient

centred methods and are treated until complete

recovery.

THE NEW RIGHT

Opposite view to CollectivismPolitical View

SOCIETY WORKS BEST IF INDIVIDUALS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR

THEMSELVES AND NOT DEPEND ON THE

STATE

• The New Right was developed in the 1980’s when the Conservative Party was in power

THE NEW RIGHT – where it all began

The parties view was that the state should play as small a role as possible in welfare provision.They believed that welfare should be largely seen as the responsibility of the individual and their family.

THE NEW RIGHT

They thought the welfare state produced a society in which people were dependent on the state, rather than planning for the future and taking responsibility for their own needs and those of their families.

THE NEW RIGHT

New Right challenges Collectivism…

• They see welfare as the responsibility of the individual and their family rather than the state (opposite to collectivists view).

• They regard state support (benefits) as intrusive and supporting a dependency culture draining resources– they believe that the state should promote

independence, freedom and liberty.

Time to vote!Do you agree with:

The New Right or The Collectivists?

In pairs discuss: How much responsibility should the state

have for providing health, social care and welfare support?

Is it the individuals responsibility or the states for our health & welfare?

Do you think competition within the health sector would create more efficient

& effective services

Discuss this in pairs and then vote which

view you wish to support

5 minutes

Simon, aged 45 has mental health problems. He has received care & support from the NHS & voluntary sectors for his

problems for over 20 years.Simon often felt frustrated with the level of services he received and has always

said that he would have a better quality of life if the state would just give him the money to buy care & support services

himself.A new government initiative a

‘Personalisation Policy’ has been introduced, so now Simon can control his own budget and personalise his own care.Simon is very keen as he believes that he

understands his needs best.

POSTMODERNISM

ACTIVITY

Complete the first side of the worksheet in pairs.Use your phones to research.

5 mins

POST MODERNISM• Focuses on the rapid change in our

society.

• Postmodernists believe that because of the constant change, structuralist perspectives like Marxism and functionalism no longer help us to understand society.

• People make their own decisions.

POSTMODERNISM

PostmodernismIt is an approach that looks to understand society by focusing on rapid change and uncertainty in our society.

Postmodernists would say that we can no longer talk about established institutions such as:• Family• Religion • Economy ….because nothing is staying the same anymore

Postmodernists say society now is much less stable , more fragmented and fast changing which causes uncertainty & chaos within our societies

For example we see and think about

‘The Family’ in a different way these days, family

structure, roles and relationships within the family can be diverse,

there is no longer a ‘Typical Family’

Postmodernism: Fragmented SocietyIn the past, life was very different to what we experience today.

Everyone had their own roles, responsibilities and places within society.Women had a place in the home, they were the carers of the family.

Men had a place as head of the family, they went to work and has a right to education unlike women.

There was a fixed structure to life…

Today…We can make our own

choices and decide what path we wish to take

despite our gender both men &

women work and have a right to education & we

are affected by the media

We have gone from…

This This

Postmodernism

For example whole communities would gather together on Sunday to attend

church

In modern industrial society:

• Social institutions (Families & Communities)

• Social Roles (Family Roles)

• And beliefs (Strict Religion)

that people held were very straight

forward and rigid….Postmodernists

believe that this is now a thing of

the past.

We have gone from…

This This

PostmodernismEmployment

In the past people would take on a ‘Job for life’ but nowadays very rarely do people begin a job that they see as a ‘Job for life’.

Working life today, just like social life today is unpredictable, less certain and risky.

Not only just from an employers perspective but as a personal social perspective too, today we have more choice to change our minds and take risks.

Postmodernists argue that society is no

longer based upon stable, permanent

social institutions that people can base their lives around like they

did in the past.

We have gone from…

This This

Postmodernism: Health & Illness

Nowadays we focus on Modern medicine

rather than prayer and fate…

Health & Illness has changed over time…

Traditionally…

Societies would explain illness through superstition and religion.

For example ill health would be due to

‘Evil Sprits’ or ‘God’s will’

Postmodernism: Health & Illness

In Modern Society:

MOST societies now explain things scientifically and there is usually a preferred or best way of curing or helping health & illness.

Modern society refer to modern medicine…

Eg. Antibiotics

So…. We have gone from…

This This

Postmodernism: Health & Illness

Postmodern societies are characterised by

diversity and fragmentation.

In a postmodern society people can pick and

mix from a range of traditional and modern

therapies

Can you think of any examples?

E.g. Someone suffering from Cancer may use Modern Medicine but also use

Traditional Methods of treatment such as aromatherapy & acupuncture…

Now you can complete the Collectivism, New Right and Postmodernism section of P1

• Explain the principal sociological perspectivesProduce an information booklet or a set of factsheets explaining the principal sociological perspectives:

Assignment 1