ipl-logo

Sociological Perspective Essay

1281 Words6 Pages

1. Introduction
“Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both” is a common quote said by theorist C. Wright Mills. Per C. Wright Mills sociological imagination is important when studying people as people are highly effected by their surrounds, circumstances and history (Taylor, 2007). Therefore, people cannot be studied individually but rather as a society. The aim and objective of this essay is to examine how the sociological imaginational perspective views the problems of families, society and how they interweave. This will be explained through the following:
A. Definition of sociological imagination
B. Difference between social issue and a personal trouble
C. Example of a …show more content…

Wright Mills, needs a high element of critical thinking to understand the cross between ones current live and one’s history (Isaksen, n.d.). Social change is therefore dependent on knowledge and awareness of the varies relationships between an individual and a society. It allows one to be seen through social patterns which has influences on both the induvial and the society (Taylor, 2007). The space in which the relationship take place allows links to be comprehended by the viewer. These links help us view an individual in their own space, from an outside perspective. The space in which individuals live allows us to view both their social and personal setting, these are the factors which shape an individual.

3. Difference between a personal trouble and a social issue.

3.1 . Definition of personal trouble
A person trouble can be referred to as a situation which only effects a family or individual, rather than a society or a community. It is a personal behaviour (Taylor, 2007). Though many may feel as if they alone are effected by a personal trouble, they are not. Personal trouble are usually an effect of a societal issue. The societal issue shapes the experience and the way which individuals see themselves, thus leading to the personal trouble (Taylor, 2007).

3.2 . Definition of social issue
A social issue is a situation caused by the structures of a community and or a society (Hennessy, 2013). These have major effects …show more content…

The panic attacks of my father may can been triggered by the move and ageing of me, this youngest daughter, however it was not the primary cause. Living in South Africa, with a rand forever dropping, I do personally see a change in my household financially. Less money is saved, though the monthly basket is not increasing and holidays away have become a thing of the past. For example, in 2015 I could tour Europe. A tour costing sixty thousand rand, excluding spending. I could get the equal amount or spending. Though this may seem much in South African Rands, it was only equivalent to three thousand five hundred and ninety-three euros. We had to pay for our own food and spending for a full month. The cost of a Big Mac meal had been close to five euros, meaning it was almost eighty-three rand. With the decrease in the country, everything became more expensive, for everyone living in South Africa. This lead to more retrenchments in companies, leaving many without jobs. The average unemployment rate in 2016 in South Africa had been 25.6 percent (Writer, 2016). One of the highest in the world. This lead to the increase in crime from 29.1 percent per 100 000 people from 1 march 2015 to 31 April 2016 (Anon., 2016). The high crime rate added more concern to my father as he feared what may happen to me in Johannesburg, which was ranked the 47th highest crime rate city in 2015 (Writter,

Show More
Related
629 Words | 3 Pages

Sociological imagination can be defined as one’s awareness of the impact that society has on their personal life because of the outside conditions and circumstances. The outside world create standards for people, even if they do not know that they are being looked at in this way. Therefore, society influences a person’s behavior and limits their free will. This theory is clearly demonstrated in The Truman Show. The movie helps to deepen my understanding of sociological imagination and helps me to see how the outside world controls my life.

Read More
956 Words | 4 Pages

Certain problems are considered significant while others are not because problems affecting the upper echelon or social elite are deemed notable in our society. When social problems do not effect the social elite then, social problems tend to written off and deemed insignificant. Many of times in the political realm, politicians are professed as the voice of "The People". "The People" are the majority, unspoken for in most instances, lower middle class down to the poverty stricken citizens that have limited input in social change and are those that are likely to be most affected with social issues.

Read More
1530 Words | 7 Pages

A social problem is an aspect of life that people are concerned about and would like to change. It consists of two components: the objective requirement that an aspect of society can be measured. . The objective condition in the case of abortion entails the question whether abortions are legal, who obtains an abortion, and under what circumstances is an abortion secured (Henslin, 2008). The second component is the subjective condition; This is the concern that a significant number of people have regarding the objective condition. In the case of abortion, the personal condition involves distress that a pregnant woman must carry the unwanted baby to full term (Henslin, 2008).

Read More
290 Words | 2 Pages

The sociological imagination refers to Mills notion on how social forces can influence an individual. He refers to it as an ability to see situations in a broader social spectrum and see how interactions can influence an individual and situations. It is important in terms of studying society because it is a way to help us see things not how they appear to be on a surface elements but through an alternative perspective. The differences between micro and macrosociology is that micro sociology studies people at an interpersonal way, such as face to face interactions while macro sociology studies people on a much larger scale by looking at the bigger picture. A societal issue that can be studied using both perspectives would be divorce.

Read More
1018 Words | 5 Pages

Individuals within society are influenced by the socio-economic factors of the society which they inhabit. This essay will discuss Sociological imagination which was first mentioned by author C.W. Mills who wrote a book with the same title. The personal problem that will be discussed is childhood trauma, because it is broad this essay will focus more on depression and how it effects society on a larger scale. Lastly this essay will then show the advantages of using Social Imagination in our everyday life’s and how we can use it to the benefit of society on a wider scale. Social Imagination is the concept of being able to differentiate a personal problem from a problem that is affecting a wider society on a much larger scale.

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

Meaning of the Sociological Imagination: 2.1) Definition of ‘sociological imagination’: The sociological imagination is defined as “the ability to think yourself away from the familiar routines of everyday life and look at them from an entirely new perspective, as well as the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the

Read More
926 Words | 4 Pages

Personal problems are specific to an individual. These are issues that are outside of the individual’s environment and control. If a large number of people experience this problem then that makes it a societal issue. These issues are both predictable and preventable. 2.2

Read More
848 Words | 4 Pages

The term "Sociological Imagination" was introduced by C. Wright Mills in 1959. The definition of Sociological imagination from our textbook is “the ability to understand how your own past relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures in particular”. In other words, Sociological Imagination is the ability to recognize that an individual's personal troubles are a product of public issues which aren’t always controlled by the individual. This concept can help to provide a better understanding about the current social problems our nation is facing. Sociological imagination helps an individual understand the society in which they live in by placing an individual away from reality and looking beyond the

Read More
1653 Words | 7 Pages

So let’s start by looking at the term ‘sociological imagination’ and what it actually means. ‘The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography

Read More
602 Words | 3 Pages

C. Wright Mills puts forth in Ch. 1 “The Promise” that the discipline of sociology is focused primarily on the ability to distinguish between an individuals “personal troubles” and the “public issues” of one’s social structure. In the context of a contemporary society, he argues that such issues can be applied by reappraising what are products of an individual’s milieu and what are caused by the fabric of a society. The importance of this in a contemporary society is that it establishes the dichotomy that exists between an individual’s milieu and the structure of their very society.

Read More
1203 Words | 5 Pages

The role and function of the family in society is fundamental. Indeed, family is the basic and natural unit of society. Being the building block of society, family represents the most important social group that can influence individuals' development. The lack or the instability of a traditional family structure can have deep impacts on individuals' growth and well being. The importance of the role of the family is emphasized in three of the works that we have studied this semester, namely Things Fall Apart, Tartuffe and The Narrative of The Life of Frederic Douglass.

Read More
1438 Words | 6 Pages

Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is the ability to look beyond one’s own everyday life as a cause for daily successes and failures and see the entire society in which one lives as potential cause for these things. Many individuals experience one or more social problems personally. For example, many people are poor and unemployed, many are in poor health, and many have family problems. When we hear about these individuals, it is easy to think that their problems are theirs alone, and that they and other individuals with the same problems are entirely to blame for their difficulties. Sociology imagination takes a different approach, as it stresses that individual problems are often rooted in problems stemming from aspects

Read More
1810 Words | 8 Pages

To have sociological imagination is to have “vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society" (Mills 2). Overall, sociological imagination is the concept which is based on social locators. As mentioned previously, there is a difficulty to grasp control on class, gender, and race because a person is born into these three categories. In a practical sense, my personal choices are shaped by my social locators. Sociological imagination currently plays a role in my presence at Sacred Heart University.

Read More
1189 Words | 5 Pages

However, in our society we need to understand the importance of sociological imagination and how it helps us understand the society as a whole. In our society we have noticed

Read More
869 Words | 4 Pages

Social Problems in Societies Social problems are issues which are considered to affect majority if not all members of a society either directly or indirectly. Whenever people come to live together in a social setting, conflict arises from their differences in opinions regarding political issues, religion, ethnic issues, cultural practices and other health and hygiene issues. In such a situation, we can say a society inevitably develops social problems. The various social issues present today vary from society to society, and as such, we cannot say that all societies face similar social issues.

Read More

More about Sociological Perspective Essay

Related Topics

Open Document