The Sociological Imagination: The Effect of Personal Experiences on the Public

Racial and ethnic differences can be better understood with the use of the sociological imagination. The sociological imagination is a term coined by C. Wright Mills that explains the ability to understand things socially. Using the sociological imagination, we can dissect racial and ethnic differences of the past to discuss the experience of these groups in greater detail.

The United States is the richest nation, yet millions of Americans live below the poverty line and millions more struggle every month. The children in society today living in poverty is increasing daily. The majority of these children are from single-parent homes where sometimes parents are not working or have become disabled and therefore cannot work. Children who are raised in foster care and leave as adults do not have strong relationship ties most of the time and are at an increased risk for experiencing poverty, early parenthood and homelessness (American School Board Journal, 2007). The reason for most of the poverty in the United States is due to low family incomes.

Overall, this paper is about how poverty is very prominent in our society, and we need to learn more about it. We need to increase aid to low- income families because they cannot support

Poverty is a human services issue that is spread throughout the nation and world. ‘The percentage of children who are poor is more than three times as high in the United States as it is in Norway or the Netherlands.’ (Porter, 2016) The trend since 2000 is that there is an increasing amount of families, and in turn children, living in poverty. Poverty has been defined as the state of being extremely poor. But what does that mean? Poverty is the lack of financial, emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical resources. Children cannot change their situation because they are dependent on adults to provide for them which makes poverty easily passed from generation to generation. “Poverty directly and indirectly affects

Using sociological imagination we can explore beyond the common assumptions that relate to poverty. The issue of poverty goes beyond just the monetary value of one’s wage. Health, education, living conditions, social status, income, and coping skills all play a role in poverty. It is not a black and white issue and thinking outside the box brings greater understanding of how poverty is indeed a social problem that affects society as a whole. If society as a whole is not providing enough individuals with a wage to meet their basic needs then this can lead to stress or other health issues.

In “The Sociological Imagination”, C. Wright Mills describes troubles as more personal problems that may be resolved by the one person they are affecting. Conversely, issues are seen as evidence of a widespread systematic error. He gives an example of employment, citing one unemployed citizen in a city of employed workers as having a trouble, or a personal flaw that prevents him from getting work. In the line of this example, a city where 25% of the citizens are unemployed has an issue preventing that 25% from working. Accordingly, people who are more individualistically inclined may be more prone to having troubles because they believe they are a product of their own effort. They do not believe that they could incur a problem at the fault

In this paper, I will use the sociological imagination to connect my personal experiences of growing up in a nuclear family to comparison of growing up in a divorced family. I’m from a nuclear family and my best friend is from a divorced family. “Some people still think the average American family consists of a husband who works in paid employment and a wife who looks after the home, living together with their children” according to Giddens, Anthony pg. 447. That’s not the case in many households. There are many differences, from values, financial issues, and how having one parent opposed to, two parents growing up. Growing up in a nuclear family household has given me the opportunity to have both parents supporting me and always being there, having both parents at special events, giving me the guidance from both perspectives man, and women, love, and financial aid. My best friends parents have been divorced for over 19 years, her living style is much different. She has to make certain days available to visit her father, and her mother has financial difficulties.

Epidemiologists and population health experts have researched and analyzed the issue of income inequality and low socioeconomic status and how it relates to one’s health conditions. Across the globe, income has a major impact on the quality of other determinants of health, such as housing, food security and other basic prerequisites for health (Mikkonen and Raphael, 2010). Socioeconomic status (SES) can impact an individual’s health through factors such as control over material resources, social and political power, prestige, knowledge and educational skills; access to care; and exposure levels to agents harmful to health (Viswanath and Bond, 2007). On average, the more advantaged an individual is, the better their health overall (Alder and Ostrove, 1999).

This essay will be discussing the extent to which social class and poverty affects health and illness. Firstly, what is social class? Each person’s perception of social class can be different; is social class defined by a person’s accent, the area they live in, or something as simple as their income? Project Britain describes social class as “The grouping of people by occupations and lifestyle”. (Cress, 2014). To find social class Sociologists group people according to common factors, they compare people and various criteria can be conveniently used to place people in social groups or classes. Next we ask the question what determines a person’s health, the NHS defines health as “Physical and mental, it is the absence of disease”. (NHS 2017).

Rowlingson (2011) agrees with Wilkinson and Pickett that there is indeed a strong correlation between income and health and social problems. In her report she includes the ‘Marmot Review’ (Marmot, 2010) which shows evidence that people living in England in the poorest areas compared to those living in the richest will, on average, die 7 years earlier. This suggests a clear link between class and health. The report further notes other additional factors, such as infant mortality, and mental and physical well being go hand in hand with inequality.

The Sociology Imagination is an awareness between personal experience, that is biography, and shared experience, that is social history. History is an interesting thing; I say it is a thing because in some ways it is as tangible as the paper on which this is written. History is our story. This story will present a story of many people including myself who face contradictions in their personal, religious and cultural beliefs and how those beliefs can be reconciled. Many Christian’s in particular young Christian’s who grow up with same-sex attractions, are constantly having a battle in their heads about who they really are (Macaulay, 2010, p. 7). Questions like, ‘is God real?’ ‘Does he love and accept me?’ I am also Maori, and that in itself brings its challenges, how is my culture reflected in my faith, and how is my faith reflected in my culture, and how is my faith and culture reflected in my life?

For example a person living in a deprived council estate, with a very low income has been proven to be more at risk of developing health issues compared to someone from a higher social class as there is a strong correlation between poverty and ill health. This has been backed up by (WHO, 1946) that state that ‘poverty creates ill-health because it forces people to live in environments that make them sick.’

Many describe poverty as an economic deprivation, or lack of income. However, this alone does not incorporate the different social, cultural and political aspects of this unfortunate reality. Poverty is not only a deprivation of economic or material resources but a violation of human dignity. The general scarcity, lack, or the state of one without a specific amount of material possessions or money. It is a versatile concept that may be defined as either absolute or relative. Time and again, poverty is a call to action, for the poor and the wealthy alike, it is a call to change the world so that many more may have enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education and health, protection from violence, and a voice in what happens in their communities.

Poverty can destroy someone's life. People struggle to acquire and keep access to food, water, homes, and basic necessities. But what are the consequences of poverty other than economical. In this essay I will show that poverty can and does have negative impacts on mental health, people’s social interactions, and their physical health. People in poverty don’t just lose their money, they can also lose quality and life. In this essay, I will focus on the social, mental, and physical tolls that poverty has on people. I want to look at the changes and impacts they cause, and I want to convince you, the reader, that these problems are caused by poverty and in turn affect it. By the end I would like you to recognize that these factors can come from poverty and take an affect on the lives of those in poverty.

Poverty is a massive issue today, it surrounds all of life’s experiences, and it impacts on the future for people everywhere, and on health everywhere in society. Poverty is not just related to unemployment or