to look at the way that they are viewed and the role that they play in the relationship. Talcott Parsons was the first social scientist to theorize the doctor-patient relationship his role-based approach defined analysis of the doctor-patient. Parsons began with the assumption that illness was a form of deviance that required reintegration with the social setting. Illness, or feigned illness, exempted people from work and other responsibilities, and thus was harmful to the social order if uncontrolled. Maintaining the social order required the development of a legitimized "sick role" to control this deviance, and make illness a transitional state back to normal life. In Western society, Parsons saw four norms governing the functional sick role: 1. the individual is not responsible for their illness; 2. exemption of the sick from normal obligations until they are well; 3. illness is undesirable; and 4. the ill should seek professional help. (Hughes, 12) However, this is only one half of the equation.The role of the doctor is very important in the relationship to determine how the treatment should be administered and the way that the determination came to pass. For Parsons, the physician's role is to represent and communicate these governing norms to the patient to control their deviance. Physicians illustrate, for Parsons, the shift to limited influence relationships in society, with physician and patient being protected by emotional distance. Medical education and social role expectations communicate socialized norms to physicians to act in the interests of the patient rather than their own material interests, and to be guided by an open communication rather than a personalized communication. Because physicians have mastered a body of technical knowledge, it is practical for the patients to allow physicians professional autonomy and authority, controlled by their role expectations. (Hughes, 15)Problems with communication betw...
