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The Sick Role was a concept invented by Talcott Parsons in 1951. Parsons was a functionalist sociologist, who argued that being sick means that the sufferer enters a role of 'sanctioned deviance'. This is because, from a functionalist perspective, when you are ill you are not being a productive member of society. Therefore this deviance needs to be policed, which is the role of the medical profession.

The Sick Role is a term widely used in medical sociology concerning the social aspects of falling ill. The general idea is that the individual who has fallen ill is not only physically sick, but now adheres to the specifically patterned social role of being sick. ‘Being Sick’ is not simply a ‘state of fact’ or ‘condition’, it contains within itself customary rights and obligations based on the social norms that surround it. 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

External links

http://www.diligio.com/sick_role.htm

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-The''' Sick Role''' was a concept invented by [[Talcott Parsons]] in 1951. It is a term widely used in [[medical sociology]] concerning the social aspects of falling ill. The general idea is that the individual who has fallen ill is not only physically sick, but now adheres to the specifically patterned social role of being sick.  ‘Being Sick’ is not simply a ‘state of fact’ or ‘condition’, it contains within itself customary rights and obligations based on the social norms that surround it.  The theory outlined two rights of a sick person and two obligations:
+The''' Sick Role''' was a concept invented by [[Talcott Parsons]] in 1951. Parsons was a functionalist sociologist, who argued that being sick means that the sufferer enters a role of 'sanctioned deviance'. This is because, from a functionalist perspective, when you are ill you are not being a productive member of society. Therefore this deviance needs to be policed, which is the role of the medical profession.
+The Sick Role is a term widely used in [[medical sociology]] concerning the social aspects of falling ill. The general idea is that the individual who has fallen ill is not only physically sick, but now adheres to the specifically patterned social role of being sick.  ‘Being Sick’ is not simply a ‘state of fact’ or ‘condition’, it contains within itself customary rights and obligations based on the social norms that surround it.  The theory outlined two rights of a sick person and two obligations:
 '''Rights:'''