Erwin K. Scheuch

There is a variety of interfaces between social sciences and medicine

 

In this manuscript only one part of the far thematic area is adressed:

The influence of the Zeitgeist. Zeitgeist surely is a cloudy concept,

however, no doubt can exist with respect to its effectiveness. The media

are the preferred vehicle, particularly the advertising. Of key

importance is the image of what shall be attractive people.

Attractiveness is consider to be a producible good. Part of this

understanding includes problematic health facilities such as sun studios

or risk sports.

Unhealthy life-styles like smoking, overweight and lack of exercise

spread a the same time. This diverging development of ways of life can

be observed at teenager already. The media have certainly contributed to

this, that many people are more self-confident today than earlier, the

explosive extension of secondary education probably ever more. This

changes fundamentally the doctor-patients-relationship from being

subjected to the authority of the doctor to becoming a partner in the

consultation. If doctors internalize this change, their therapies will

be more successful, because then the so-called patient-noncompliance

(the therapy schema is ignored by the patient) will not impair the

healing process.