Symptom Experience

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People draw upon their knowledge and daily experiences of their bodily states to recognize symptoms of illness and make a decision as to how to deal with such symptoms (Cockerham, 2003:161). When people see that they are becoming ill, they tend to pass through various response stages depending how they have interpreted their situation or experiences of an illness (Cockerham, 2003:161). The first stage is the symptom experience stage (Suchman, 1965:115). In this stage, the person makes a decision that something is wrong. This stage consists of three distinguishable aspects of the symptom experience. It includes physical experience, which refers to pain, discomfort, and change of appearance. It includes cognitive aspects, which refers to the interpretation and derived meaning for the individual experiencing the symptoms (Suchman, 1965:115). Moreover, it includes the emotional response for fear that accompanies both physical and cognitive interpretations (Suchman, 1965:115). Therefore, in dealing with culture-bound syndrome, the sociologist needs to consider what the symptoms of dhat …show more content…
The second stage is the assumption of the sick role (Cockerham, 2003:161). In this stage, the sick person is allowed to relinquish his or her normal responsibilities if he or she was given permission by the lay referrals (Cockerham, 2003:161). Family, friends and colleagues can grant the ill patient provisional permission to assume the sick role status and negotiate treatment (Cockerham, 2003:161). Therefore, after having recognized the illness of the patient with dhat syndrome, the sociologist will then suggest that the patient be exempted from his or her normal responsibilities. The sociologist can suggest that the patients consult with the physician so that she or she can get