Individuals to Social Groups and Institutions
Depending on one’s perspective, Sarah’s post suggests either an ignorant and insensitive doctor or a rude patient with delusions of grandeur. To a sociologist, however, this post raises several questions that go beyond these individuals and therefore requires looking at the surrounding culture and social structure. Barker, for example, explored how the online support group increased patients’ power to negotiate with their doctors, how the broader social structure nevertheless allowed doctors to control most interactions with patients, and how these struggles between doctors and patients reflected wider social questions regarding what constitutes an illness.
In sum, the sociological perspective shifts our focus from individuals to social groups and institutions. One effect of this shift is to highlight the role of power. Power refers to the ability to get others to do what one wants, whether willingly or unwillingly. Power is what allowed Dr. Arthur to treat his residents so rudely and what allowed Sarah to reject her doctor’s advice. Because sociologists study groups rather than individuals, the sociological analysis of power focuses on why some social groups have more power than others, how groups use their power, and the consequences of differential (that is, unequal) access to power rather than on how specific individuals get or use power. For example, sociologists have examined how doctors use their power in negotiations with hospitals over working conditions and how lack of power exposes poor persons to unhealthy living conditions.
