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The Social Imagination: A Sociological Analysis

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When a woman chooses to keep her baby, it may not be her decision; it may be her moral duty to the society influenced by her family’s pressure and religious belief. However, if she considers the broad social factors that will shape and influence her views, and that will allow her to make individual choices such as whether to keep her baby or not, she is applying what C. Wright Mills’ called the Social Imagination. James Henslin (2013) stated that C. Wright Mills’s sociological imagination gives us the ability “to understand how our personal troubles (the problems we experience) are connected to the broader conditions of our society” (p. 2). It allows us to question the “norms” and gives us the ability to see things from different perspectives …show more content…

In Poland, unless a woman is a rape victim or her health is in danger, abortion is considered a crime. Still, because of Poland 's strict abortion laws that are highly motivated by conservative politicians and the Catholic church, a woman can be refused an abortion despite the implications that having another baby could make her go blind (Alicja Tysiac v Poland). Compared to Poland – abortion in South Africa is legal but unavailable, particularly for black women. One young lady named Liz (Sarah Diehl 's first case study ) — a rape victim, related her tragic story of how her parents kicked her to the street when they found out that she is pregnant. She is forced to rest on park benches and in shopping malls, while pregnant. She literally sleeps with one eye open, afraid of being raped again. In the documentary, it seems that women in South Africa have a much more tough time obtaining information and services in public hospitals because of the influence of pro-life advocates that reinforces the stigma of abortion (Abortion Democracy). This, in my opinion, contributes to the harsh and judgmental attitude of medical staffs who refuse to perform or partake in safe abortion care. Bottom line, despite the differences in abortion policies and laws regulating abortions – both Polish and South African women, struggle dearly for their rights and recognition as they live out the widespread impact of religious fanaticism, sexism, violence, and

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Sociological Imagination refers to the ability or concept of looking at the problems in society in a multi-faceted technique to find its roots in historical, geographical, and cultural events, background, and beliefs that have bred/led up to the current state of affairs. Enrolling in this class I was brought up to question everything and to not be afraid of asking questions, yet no matter how many questions I asked I couldn’t understand the benefit of problems like the mass incarceration of African American males or the disproportionate number of minority youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. (DMC). As I have worked with youth in the communities that are part of the mass incarceration plan I felt a sense of despair and

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According to Gale, an online library, defines abortion as “a medical or surgical procedure that ends a pregnancy” (Abortion). The ethnic issues behind abortion that has been going on for many years. The woman’s right to abortion has created such turmoil around the world because it goes against people’s religious beliefs. It is also seen as the murder of a human. In the articles, “Abortion Should Be Legal” by Stephen Currie and “Abortion Should Not Be Restricted” by Diana Brown, both authors agree that abortion should not be illegal and considered as an acceptable practice by society.

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1. Define the concept the sociological imagination. How does utilizing it help to make sense of the world we live in? Provide an example of how you would use the sociological imagination to better understand poverty in the contemporary United States; e.g., what data (information) would you seek and why? The sociological imagination is being aware of the difference between personal thought and society.

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Within chapter 1 "The Promise" in The Sociological Imagination, (1959), C. Wright Mills focuses upon the connection between personal troubles and their linkage to social trends. Throughout the opening chapter, Mills believed the men and women of the 20th century were to intolerant, not possessing the quality of mind necessary to grasp biography and history within society. Further, Mills emphasised the importance of seeing the connections between social structure and individual agency, whereby he identifies the difference between “private troubles” and “public issues”. C. Wright Mills aims to look beyond the individual, thus considering the forces of race, gender, social class and their impact on shaping one 's behaviour and decision making.

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The sociological imagination allows a person to tell apart their personal problems from problems that affect society as a whole, however they can see how the two are connected. In doing this a person can discover that the current social structure and culture that surrounds them can be the root cause of their personal problems. One example is that an individual can see their personal problem of being poor as also the outcome of lack of resources in their community for obtaining higher education. Rather than seeing their problem as only something that affects him, he can see that various elements of his culture and the social structure surrounding him play into his

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The sociological imagination helps us understand how social arrangements influence people’s behavior. Often people can’t distinguish “between personal troubles of milieu and public issues” (mills 2014, 4) and that is greatly affected by their social environment. This leads us to ask why people do certain things. In The Promise, Mills states that neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both (Mills 2014, 1).

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Women choose abortions for different reasons, for example rape, incest, or just not being ready to take care of a baby. There are two sides to abortion which is pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life means that people are fully against abortion no matter what are the circumstances, while pro-choice is leaving the decision up to the mother of the baby. The issue of abortion Antipuesto states, “[Is] one of the most ethical dilemmas the society is facing for decades”. Some nurses feel comfortable with giving abortions while others do not due to religion or their personal beliefs.

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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.

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1.1 Introduction In this essay I will be discussing the sociological imagination and the problems of families. The sociological imagination allows us to see the difference between personal problems and public issues and be able to link them. It basically allows a person to think outside of their personal perspectives and see beyond the outer appearance. 1.2

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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

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Social imagination is the false creation of understanding of their social position and allow an individual to think broader from the everyday routine and construct of societies workings. It promotes a sense of awareness and possibility in an individual “gauge her own fate only by locating herself within her period, that she can know her own chances in life only by becoming aware” (Mills). Sociological imagination allows us to correlate interpersonal interactions with our environment in order to understand the on impact our life experience. with the There is a path followed in response to what and individual experiences that will lead to a certain social outcome. I have grown in two separate communities both somewhat distant from each other

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Introduction The Sociological Imagination Defined The sociological Imagination is a form of analytic thinking, a concept that enables one to take into context the set societal patterns that affect and impact both an individual and the wider society. These patterns are characterised as personal troubles and/or societal issues. Sociologist C. Wright Mills was one of the initial social scientists to have written on this concept, in one of his books titled The Sociological Imagination (1959). According to Mills (1959), the task of sociology was to understand the relationship between individuals and the society in which they lived.

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The Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is a concept that was first described by the American sociologist, C. Wright Mills, in 1959. His publication of the sociological imagination is considered a seminal piece, and is still considered relevant to society today. Through reference to the publications of C. Wright Mills, A. Giddens, M. Draper, and P. Christie, this essay will explore the sociological imagination critically and apply the various aspects of the sociological imagination to education in South Africa. This essay will also critically examine the challenge of increased suicide rates in schools in South Africa, illustrating this challenge as a ‘public issue’ and a ‘personal trouble’.

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