How can noncompliance be framed differently under the sick role versus patient-centered care?

• A. Sick role celebrates noncompliance.
• B. Sick role has no view on compliance.
• C. Sick role and patient-centered care both treat noncompliance as deviance.
• D. Sick role labels noncompliance as deviance; patient-centered care sees it as informed choice.

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is how social expectations shape views of following medical advice. In the sick role, illness carries duties: you’re expected to seek help and to comply with the treatment plan. When someone doesn’t follow medical advice, that behavior is seen as deviating from the expected social role—deviance within that framework. In contrast, patient-centered care centers on respecting patient autonomy and shared decision-making. Nonadherence can reflect a patient’s informed choice or contextual factors, not a deviation from a duty. So the sick role frames noncompliance as deviance, while patient-centered care treats it as informed choice.