Sociological Imagination Case Study - 728 Words

The sociologist C. Wright Mills has observed that people often believe their private lives can be explained only with respect to their own personal successes and failures. The process of interpreting ones life in the context of ones community or the society in which one lives is called sociological imagination. It is an important process because it lets the individual understand the impact one makes, no matter how small, on the lives of others. A good example of the process can be demonstrated by exploring the effects of one persons unemployment. The case of Jane is hypothetical, but there are many people in circumstances similar to Janes as the American economy still struggles to recover from the mortgage crisis and resulting recession that began in 2008. Jane worked in the same school, Fairlawn Elementary School, for seven years as a second grade teacher. Jane was tenured but because there is so little mobility in the small town where she lives and worked, the teachers at Fairlawn generally stay, once hired, until their retirement. Thus, Jane was the newest member of the professional staff and the first to lose her job when cuts had to be made. Jane is married and has two young children, ages four and two. Janes husband is in the construction and remodeling business, which can be lucrative when he is working, but jobs are not always steady. The family relied on Janes regular pay check. They also relied on her benefits; the school district offered a goodShow MoreRelatedSociological Imagination1017 Words   |  5 PagesThe concept of â€Å"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 â€Å"understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaningRead MoreSociology Imagination833 Words   |  4 Pagesdefined sociological imagination as th e vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another: from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world; from the theological school to the military establishment; from considerations of an oil industry to studies of contemporary poetry.[1] Sociological Imagination:Read MoreThe Sociological Imagination and Freedom from Feelings of Entrapment1133 Words   |  5 PagesThe sociological imagination is the â€Å"quality of mind† (Mills, 1959: 4) that enables individuals to look outside their private sphere of consciousness and identify the structures and institutions in society that influence or cause their personal experiences. In this way, by looking at the bigger picture, they can understand their place in society and explain their circumstance in terms of societal influence. It was developed by Mills in a time of great social upheaval – industrialisation, globalisationRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills857 Words   |  4 PagesThe sociological imagination is simply the act of having the capacity to think ourselves away from the commonplace schedules of our day by day lives keeping in mind the end goal to take a gander at them with a new perspective. C. Wright Mills, who made the idea and composed a book about it, characterized the sociological creative ability as the clear attention to the connection amongst encounter and the more extensive society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to see things sociallyRead MoreSociological Imagination: Generalized Anxiety Disorder1536 Words   |  7 Pagesbe discussing the generalized anxiety disorder and how if effects society today. The sociological Imagination allows a person to look at a social problem past the particular circumstances of a certain person and look at how it affects people as a whole. Using this theory sociologist have been taught to ignore individuals and look at society as a whole. Social forces are a big part of the sociological imagination. Social forces are anything that affects society. So, a social forces could be anythingRead MoreSociology and Sociological Imagination978 Words   |  4 PagesSociology and Sociological imagination Sociology is the scientific study of human behavior in a social context that looks the values, attitudes and composition of a given society. Sociology looks at the religious believes, economic aspects, daily activities and political arrangements interact to build a society (Dillon, 2009). The examination of people considering the social forces shaping their attitude and behavior is what C. Wright Mills referred to as sociological imagination (Dillon, 2009)Read MoreThe Sociological Imagination and Understanding Personal Troubles as Social Issues1259 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sociological Imagination and understanding personal troubles as social issues: The Sociological Imagination allows us to question â€Å"things† or issues which are common and familiar to us and to find its deeper meaning. With the Sociological Imagination way of thinking, we find reasoning and uncover why many things in society are the way they are. The Sociological Imagination does not attempt to understand the individual and his or her problems alone, but focuses on issues and problems as itRead MoreSociology, Race, And Social Classes1154 Words   |  5 PagesSociology is the study of diverse subjects in a society which includes: religion, race culture, and social classes. It also involves the study of the behavior of people and all the changes that happen in society. 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When I Was1117 Words   |  5 Pagesand child in the United States was vastly different to the expectations placed by society in India. Sociological imagination and sociological mindfulness enabled me to understand how my personal private issues were shaped by larger social forces and allowed me to pay attention to the struggles of others. Sociological imagination is term that was first coined by C.W. Mills. Sociological imagination is the ability to understand the intersection between biography and history or the interplay between