C. Wright Mills believes that the sociological imagination is a key aspect when attempting to understand the ever changing world we live in. He defines the sociological imagination as “the capacity to shift from one perspective to another” (Mills, 1959 [2000]: 7). He is therefore suggesting that we should observe public situations from a variety of different perspectives in order to understand how these interactions are influential upon our personal situations. It can be interpreted that Mills believes that the relationship between our personal lives and the wider social forces is important to developing a strong sociological imagination.
Mills’ two main arguments regarding the sociological imagination includes the idea of public issues and personal troubles. Mills defines personal troubles as “a private matter” (8) that “occurs within the character of the individual” (8) where as public issues are “a public matter” (8) “that transcend these local environments of the individual and the range of his inner life” (8). In summary, public issues are a direct result of problems in society effecting a wide range of citizens.
Mills exemplifies his concepts of personal
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I have been raised in a solely female household as an only child by my mother. Society may view this as a public issue due to the underlying stereotype of gender roles. Although contemporary society’s traditional views and values have watered down and individualism is now promoted, gender stereotypes are still lurking. For example, many people still believe that men should be the breadwinner who works and provides for the family and the female should stay at home performing housewife duties. However, my upbringing contradicts these labels as I haven’t had a male role model providing me with shelter, food and money; my mother has taken on this role and succeeded despite there still being an evident pay gap between