ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews sociological theories pertaining to the medical profession and medicalization. The development of medicine as a profession is traced by way of Goode’s analysis of professionalization, Freidson’s professional dominance theory, the notion of countervailing powers, and deprofessionalization. The second part of the chapter discusses medicalization that refers to how previously nonmedical conditions become defined and treated by the medical profession as a medical problem, typically as a disease or disorder. Conrad’s medicalization perspective is discussed along with Clarke et al.’s biomedicalization theory as the leading theoretical concepts in this area.
