Illness Vs. Disease

“Sociologists have typically viewed sickness as a form of deviant behavior… [creating the concept of] the sick role, which describes the normative behavior a person typically adopts when feeling sick” (Cockerham, 2012; 167). In the sick role, there are 3 different components; illness, disease, and sickness. Illness is “a subjective state, pertaining to an individual’s psychological awareness of having a disease” (Cockerham, 2012; 167). “Diseases are abnormalities in the function and/or structure of body organs and systems” (Eisenberg, 1977). “Sickness is a social state, signifying an impaired social role for those who are ill” (Cockerham, 2012; 167).

In the video below are students defining their belief to what the difference between illness and diseases are.



If a person is ill, they are not feeling well and usually describe their illness as a disease. For example, when someone has a sinus infection, they are most likely going to tell you they have a sinus infection, which is a disease, rather than tell you they have nasal drainage and are clogged which is the illness and symptoms (Cassell, 1976).

Similarly, when a person has a runny nose, coughing, and/or mucosal build up which is all the illness, they have the disease of the flu. As more time goes, the flu mutates and changes and different diseases are created and different ways to relieve the symptoms are created. Although diseases are different, they can have similar if not the same type of illness and symptoms. Depending on the culture and society a person lives in will depend on the type of disease they are classified and they way it is treated.

It is important recognize that disease is defined on the way we act, “on which the functions of both physicians and patient, and their manifest interactions, are based” (Cassell, 1976). It is not the same in every culture (Cassell, 1976). In some cultures, the diseases may seem untreatable while in other cultures the disease is easily curable. They way cultures treat diseases differentiate between each culture and the type of treatment used; some cultures use home remedy while other cultures will go straight to the doctor for prescription.

In today’s society, are more diseases mutating and the illnesses changing?

Cassell, Eric J. 1976 "Illness and disease." Hasting center reports 6(2):27-37. Retrieved from on May 9, 2013
Cockerham, William C . 2012. Medical sociololgy. Upper saddle river, nj, Pearson education inc.
Eisenberg, Leon . 1977 "Disease and illness distinctions between professional and popular ideas of sickness." Culture, medicine and psychiatry 1(1):9-23. Retrieved from Google scholar on May 9, 2013