Transcript Chapter 19, Power, Politics, And Authority

Chapter 14, Government and
Health Care
Key Terms

state
The organized system of power and authority
in society.

propaganda
Information disseminated by a group or
organization intended to justify its own power.

power
The ability of one person or group to exercise
influence and control over others.

authority
Power that is perceived by others as legitimate.

traditional authority
Stems from long-established patterns that give
certain people or groups legitimate power in
society.

charismatic authority
Derived from the personal appeal of a leader.

rational-legal authority
Stems from rules and regulations, typically
written down as laws, procedures or codes of
conduct.

bureaucracy
A type of formal organization characterized by
an authority hierarchy, a clear division of labor,
explicit rules, and impersonality.

interest groups
Any constituency in society organized to
promote its own agenda, including large,
nationally based groups.

political action committees (PACs)
Groups of people who organize to support
candidates they feel will represent their views.

interlocking directorates
Organizational linkages created when the
same people sit on the boards of directors of a
number of different corporations.

government
Includes state institutions that represent the
people and makes rules that govern society.

democracy
Based on the principle of representing all
people through the right to vote.

anorexia nervosa
Eating disorder characterized by excessive
dieting.

epidemiology
The study of all the factors - biological, social,
economic and cultural - that are associated
with diseases in society.

social epidemiology
The study of the effects of social, cultural,
temporal, and regional factors in disease and
health.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Inadvertently demonstrated the connection
between race and the treatment of illness in
the U.S.

stigma
Occurs when an individual is socially devalued
because of some malady, illness, misfortune or
similar attribute.

sick role
A pattern of expectations that society applies to
one who is ill.

defensive medicine
Entails ordering tests, x-rays, and so on at the
least indication that something might be amiss,
partly to ensure that nothing is missed and
partly to document that the highest possible
level of care was given.