Selected aspect of Pierre Bourdieu’s “Praxis” in the area of decision-making about therapy and medical care

Abstract

In the era of increasingly developing medical services, decision-making about therapy and care is conditioned not only by medical and psychological factors, but also by increasingly institutional and social factors. Which of the factors of the social environment and medical institutions play the greatest role in the process of deciding on therapy and medical care? In seeking answers to the questions posed, reference was made to the theory of “praxis” by P. Bourdieu. These theoretical concepts: habitus, capital field, have been presented in such a way that it is possible to see their impact on the decisions of patients and medical staff and to take into account the dependencies and mutual influences between them. The article refers to Polish and English-language literature. Research results and theoretical conclusions on the impact of social factors and the direct institutional environment on the decision formation of various entities involved in the decision-making process have been presented.