Rethinking medicalization: unequal relations, hegemonic medicalization, and the medicalizing dividend.

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Health and Illness
• Social Theory
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Medicalization theory is a subject of ongoing debate and critique.
• Previous research often focused on process-based aspects of medicalization.
• A need exists to revitalize medicalization theory with new concepts and research questions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a relational approach to understanding medicalization.
• To address critiques of existing medicalization theories.
• To introduce the concepts of the "medicalizing dividend" and hegemonic relations in medicalization.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of three diverse datasets.
• Development of a relational framework for medicalization.
• Examination of actor-based activities and their unequal consequences.

Main Results:

• Medicalization is conceptualized as an action by specific groups or actors.
• Unequal relations characterize medicalization, with a "medicalizing dividend" benefiting participants.
• Pharmaceutical companies currently hold a hegemonic position, though this is not permanent.

Conclusions:

• The relational approach offers a new perspective on medicalization.
• This framework facilitates connections between medicalization and other sociological theories.
• Future research should explore the dynamics of hegemonic positions and the medicalizing dividend.