Sociological Imagination Analysis

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Society is becoming ever-changing as people grow to understand more about themselves and societal issues. Problems in human society have grown bigger and more complex as the time goes by. As part of society, a person might feel that they cannot win against their personal issues, to which they feel helpless and weak. However, a personal issue to one person might be part of a larger and more complex issue that affects society as a whole.
The sociological imagination is a concept of which, C. Wright Mills advises to be aware of an issue as a part of a bigger picture. The sociological imagination in its most basic form is to take yourself out of a problem and look at many different views instead of limiting yourself to a single routine of viewing things. Sociological imagination is helpful because of how it will help people understand each other better. When people use sociological imagination, it can help them see the perspective of the other person leading to a better understanding of …show more content…

Wright Mills differentiates a personal problem and a public issue by how it affects society (Mills, 1959). A personal problem is if a single person in a small town gets arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. However, a public issue would be akin to 14% percent of a city’s population getting arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. The distinction is important to know so that people cannot confuse the two when referring to their own problems. A personal trouble from my own life that can be considered as a public issue is when I was getting bullied back in elementary school. Back in the 4th and 5th grade, I was being bullied. It was a personal issue to me because it felt like I was the only one getting bullied. But that was not true. I befriended 4 other kids that were also getting bullied at my school. If it affects more than me, it is not personal trouble. If it affects 1 in every 4 kids gets bullied at school around the nation then it is considered a public

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