Sociology and Sociological Imagination

Sociology is the study of social life and the change and consequences of human behavior. Human behavior is social in nature, the topic of sociology ranges from divisions of race, gender and sociology of work and sports. In my opinion, sociology is one of the few fields which have such a broad scope and relevance for breadth, depth and application.

Sociological imagination is a concept that was defined in 1959 by American sociologist C. Wright Mills. He described it as an awareness of the relationship between a person’s behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person’s choice and perceptions. It helps us relate our own experiences to others. Sociological imagination can help us understand the difference between personal troubles and public issues by determining if it is a problem in someone’s own history or if it is an issue in the society or culture’s history.

Throughout this essay the sociological imagination is used to analyse the historical, cultural and structural reasons for drug use and abuse. Within this parameter the sociological imagination is applied, using studies research conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia and the United States. The sociological imagination was defined by Charles Write Mills as a ‘quality of mind’. (Mills quoted by Germov, Poole 2007: 4 ) It is stimulated by an awareness to view the social world by looking at how one’s own personal problems and experiences form a relationship to the wider society. In Victorian society the majority of people believed there was no ‘drug problem.' (Berridge, 1999) The substances used in Britain at the time like opium

The occupational future I plan is to provide a service that helps teen parents and their children get an education. My goal is to change the statistics that are against teen parents and to stop the social stigma placed on them. Why would I choose to help teen parents? How could I have such a specific goal and occupational interest at the age of 18? The answer lies within my sociological imagination. A sociological imagination is the understanding of a broader historical background within an individual that affects the social outcome of an individual (1959 Mills). It is important to understand the sociological imagination because one can find the cause of an effect within the sociological imagination.

According to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination is when an individual views his society as the potential cause for his daily successes and failures. Individuals often tend to view their personal issues as social problems and try to connect their individual experiences with the workings of society. Mills believes that this is the way for individuals to gain an understanding of their personal dilemmas. The sociological imagination helps people connect their own problems with public problems and their history. In order for an individual to figure out the causes of their problems, they first have to be able to understand the causes of the problems in the society in which they are living in. The sociological imagination tries to

As cliché as it sounds, Dr. Seuss was right. “There is no one alive that is youer than you.” From a sociological persepective, this is also “truer than true”. As individuals we are cultured and moleded by our society from the moment we are born. Every society, although there may be similiarities, will also have many differences due to the influence of its history and individuals. The history and individuals, are also in turn, influenced by its society. That is why it is important in the furthering of understanding a society, to observe it through the eyes of an outsider.

The concept of “sociological imagination” is one that can be explained many different ways. A simple way to think of the sociological imagination is to see it as a way a person thinks, where they know that what they do from day to day in their private lives (like the choices they make), are sometimes influenced by the larger environment in which they live (Mills 1959, 1). What C.W. Mills meant by this concept is that it is the ability to “understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals” (1959, 3). In other words, the concept of sociological imagination is the ability to realize that the choices people make and their personal environments are often

Sociological imagination is merely the connection between a person and the society. Every person is connected to and influenced by society to a different extent. Some people are completely absorbed in society and feel obligated to keep up with the trends, or else they feel like an outlier. On the other hand, some people do not keep up with the trends of society because they could care less about others opinions. Sociological imagination can be used to show the relationship between both those types of people and the society, and it can be used to explain how people view society from their point of view. When people look at societies from an outsider’s point of view, “rather than only from the perspective of personal experiences and cultural biases” (Schaefer 4), they are able to notice the things that shape and mold their character. The outsider perspective also provides them with a better understanding of themselves by understanding the relationship between them and society.

Occasionally everyone has suffered from depression, weather it was long term or short term. Feeling hopelessness, irritablity, or feeling anxious or “empty” these symptoms can greatly effect people’s daily routines. Suddenly, waking up in the morning, trying to fall asleep or simply interacting with other people becomes one of the most difficult challenges. Depression can be cause by many things such as financial issues, relationship problems, family problems or an individual just may not be happy. Although, if this person uses their social imagination it may be a little easier for them to cope with their depression. Looking at their problems in a more general perspective helps them realize they are not alone and these are daily problems

“Sociological Imagination,” by Charles Wright Mills is a book about the linkage of an individual’s biography to public issues and world history. Mills creates a concept that allows one to view where their presence is in society. The whole point is to evaluate the larger things that lead one to where they are now. Using the correlation between society and yourself allows one to view your issues as society’s issues. Education is among these issues that can be traced as a social issue. Moreover, my education achievements can be traced back before I was born.

Mills begins The Sociological Imagination by describing the situation of man in the 1950s. He characterizes this situation as one of both confinement and powerlessness. On the one hand, men are confined by the routine of their lives: you go to your job and are a worker, and then you come home and are a family-man. There are limited roles that men play, and a day in the life of a man is a cycle through them. On the other hand, men are also powerless in the face of larger and global political conditions they cannot control. In the 1950s, shadowed by anxieties over nuclear warfare and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War, there is increasingly a feeling that the big problems facing men today are not ones the average man can affect. You go to work and you go home, but at no time do you seem to have a role to play in global politics.

The Sociological Imagination Sociologists study many aspects in society, and they often look for trends and statistics that best represent the general population. The sociological imagination is the ability for a person to view his personal life in context of the larger population (Open Education Sociology Dictionary, 2017). By doing this, the person can better understand how sociologists analyze the trends, and viewing oneself in this manner can help him see how his life and family may not be significantly different from the rest of the population. This can give the person a sense of comfort knowing that his life is not as different as he might think, and it can help him empathize with the larger population. However, the person may also discover

The human attitudes have always been a curiosity that captivated most of the great social theorists like Karl Marx, Engels and Durkheim. One of the most unhumble attitude of the humanity was Racism and stereotyping.

We can apply sociologoical imagination to a person living in poverty by linking their personal lives to the world around them. The person who is living in poverty is probably not educated enough to go out and get a decent job or doesn't have the right attire to even attend an interview. We need to have sociologoical imagaination to think outside of the box and to look at issues with a different perspective. We can easily say, that a person who is living in poverty can go to a shelter home instead of sleeping on the streets but we need to ask questions that make us think why that person is not in a shelter home. We need to think of the root promblem in the society and how soical infulence can affect a person.

In this paper, I will be applying the concept of the sociological imagination to reflect on my life so far as a racialized female in society. I will discuss the impacts of social class, gender, race/ethnicity, and socialization in the settings of the Canadian, Indian, and Indonesian society as necessary. Being a third-culture individual has influenced certain areas of my life greatly, and accordingly, I’d like to analyze my own experiences through a sociological lens. The main purpose of this paper is to share how social contexts, especially socialization, has impacted me.