Final answer:
In sociology, 'illness work' is the process by which individuals incorporate their illness into their lives, attempting to make sense of it and explain it to others. This concept acknowledges the societal and cultural influence on the illness experience and implies the importance of health professionals understanding a patient's cultural background and personal narrative related to their health condition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of work that involves the process of incorporating an illness into one's life, understanding it, and developing ways to explain it to others is what Corbin and Strauss refer to as illness work. This concept falls under the umbrella of the sociological understanding of health and illness that asserts that the experience of being ill is not just a physical condition but is also deeply interwoven with the social and cultural contexts of the individual. Illness work encompasses various activities a person undertakes to manage their illness, including gaining knowledge about the condition, adhering to treatment regimes, managing symptoms, and dealing with the impact of the illness on one’s self-concept and relationships.
Understanding the cultural meaning of illness is essential because culture heavily influences how patients perceive and live with their illness. The explanatory model recommended by Arthur Kleinman is significant because it advocates for health practitioners to delve into a patient’s explanatory narrative to provide better tailored care. Additionally, concepts such as medicalization of deviance and its counterpart, demedicalization, play crucial roles in the social construction of illness, altering the perceptions and responses to individuals experiencing an illness.