Taking a Look at Sociological Imagination

916 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Negative influence media has on body image in society

“You were born an original, don’t die a copy” - John Mason. Obsession is one of society’s most common issue affecting females in a way that it is almost depressing based on the fact that we are manipulated in to thinking looking perfect is the way to life. Truth is, the constant self-evaluation and compulsion to looking “perfect” is a potential threat to one’s well-being. We live in a world where we are consistently surrounded by advertisements, magazines, television, the internet, and much more in a way that is changing our perspectives of beauty. This essay will consist of Mill’s conception of the sociological imagination and the distinction between how I am personally affected by my obsession of looking beautiful and how the public has affected my perspectives, decisions and the overall urge to altering my physical appearance.

Sociological Imagination

American sociologist, C. Wright Mills created the term “Sociological Imagination” to illustrate the kind of insight that is provided by the study of sociology. His concept demonstrates the fact that we are able to recognize relationships between individual biographies and the wider society. This includes social structures, cultural values, historical development and current changes that affect society and our individual experiences. It allows us to comprehend the relationships between our own personal self and how we fit in to society and even history as a whole. Furthermore, it allows us to step out of our individual sphere and permits us to encounter the world how other people experience things. By doing this, we can see the sociological reality of everyday life. Mills believed that Sociology needed to have sophisticated thinkers who were not only attentive in reporting ba...

... middle of paper ...

...el and Lacey in 1992 which analyzed 221 American TV shows and found that 69% of characters that were female have “thin, anorexic body types” (Raphael & Lacey, 1992, p.108). Our society’s unhealthy obsession with being beautiful has lead girls at very young ages in to very unhealthy decisions. Plastic surgery being a number one thought in my head. I personally like to blame the media on making girls believe that it is not about being healthy and looking healthy but doing things that have developed in to very serious and dramatic issues such as eating disorders. Why not encourage diverse body types instead of skinny ones? Thankfully, I feel as if I do have control and a sense of what is realistic beauty, however, as mentioned in my biography, my personal experiences related to beauty insecurities are linked to the more important and broader social forces of the world.

Show More
Related

  • Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    The concept of sociological imaginations allows us to get out of our own judgment zone with regards to how we think about social problems. Instead, it allows us to step into the other person’s shoes to see things from their own perspectives. Also, to try as hard as we can to understand why that problem might exist for that individual. C. Wright Mills argument is that we should develop a method or a way of looking at things in the society from the point of view of the person experiencing the sociological phenomenon. In essence, we can’t look at things from our own moral point of view; we need to look at things from the point of view of the person experiencing the issue, the concern, and the problem. Mills believes that the individual cannot understand themselves as individuals; also they can’t understand their role in society without this understanding....

    Read More

  • C. Wright Mills' The Sociological Imagination

    1763 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fundamental to Mills’ theory is the idea of ‘public issues’. the ‘private trouble’. An individual’s troubles are personal when they occur because of the person’s character. Public issues, however, are a direct result of the problems within. society, they affect people hugely but often the individual will assign the problem as their own personal downfall rather than as a a societal problem..

    Read More

  • The Concepts Of Sociological Imagination

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sociological Imagination is a concept created by C. Wright Mills that he saw as a way that enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in one’s life in terms of its meaning of inner as well as external career to a variety of individuals (Garrod, 2016). It is a person’s ability to go beyond the personal issues everyone can experience and connects them to a broader social structure (Naimen, 7). Power is the ability of an individual and/or group of people to be able to carry out their/its will, even when opposed against by others, and is usually in the hands of those who control most of society 's resources (Naimen, 6). The reason why sociologists are interested in studying power and believe it to be an important area of

    Read More

  • What Is The Importance Of Sociological Imagination

    306 Words  | 1 Pages

    Sociology Imagination was created by American Sociologist C. Wright Mills, it shows us that in order for us to understand how our lives are being controlled and the problems that arise, that it is not always the sole individual at fault. We need to consider social issues, cultural values and their place in history that may have influenced the situation. It is also the ability to see that each thing we do by living, we contribute however minutely, shaping society, and in turn society is shaping us, as individuals. The sociological imagination enables people to distinguish between personal problems and public issues. In effect, Mills is stating that sociological imagination is the ability to perceive situations and circumstances in a different context, such as a wide social context, and observe how interactions and actions are influential upon other individuals and situations.

    Read More

  • Sociological Imagination Theory

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    At a certain point in life, every single person will have to make an important decision in order to achieve his or her goals. This decision will either yield the benefits for him or her immediately, or it will be advantageous in the future. Sometimes, a decision also determines whether a college student will be successful or unsuccessful depending on many different factors. However, most people tend to use the personal psychology to explain what, why, and how they can accomplish the achievement. They rarely apply the sociological imagination before and even after they make a decision. By applying the sociological imagination, “a unique perspective that gives sociologists a distinctive way of looking at data and reflecting on the world around

    Read More

  • sociological imagination

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...er like a social problem which creates a cycle, that’s why it’s relevant because it’s an ongoing cycle that hasn’t ended. Some examples of big picture problems can be divorce, amount of debt piled up, and tuition. Some Mills’ strong points where when he states that what sociology need to do is to have intellectual thinkers, who don’t just report what reality was, instead putting them self in the position of another person’s reality. He further states how scientist should go forth about their work when it comes to concentrating on the social nature of humankind. There are very few but I think a weakness in his idea could be seeing this repeating patterns and have the emotions of not being able to do anything about it therefore, needing a guide. A guide where we can connect the individual with the much larger picture that you can then obtain a sociological imagination

    Read More

  • Sociological Imagination

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, if a man were to lose his job at an education institution, he would blame himself because society makes him out to be lazy. If you look at why the man lost his job at a societal point, you may be able to see that the company was not making enough money and needed to make budget cuts. The company may not have had enough money because of the amount of money the government gave them decreased. The government makes budget cuts based on the past, they look at history and see where they lost their money in the past to avoid losing their money in the future. Mills (1959:05) states that “the idea that the individual can understand his own experience and gauge his own fate only by locating himself within his period, that he can know his own chances in life only by becoming aware of those of all individuals in his circumstances.” Mills quote is saying that an individual’s outcome can be affected by their awareness on their of the society they were raised in. If they focus on how society is affecting their everyday life, they would be able to have a successful outcome. The would have a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages within a society, which may vary based off of your sex, race, and social

    Read More

  • Sociological Imagination

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    The term Sociological Imagination was coined by C. Wright Mills and refers to seeing sociological situations from a broad point of view, going beyond one’s thoughts and feelings, and by seeing how others would see it. In the textbook Introduction to Sociology by Giddens, et al. Al Mills argued that we needed to “overcome our limited perspective. [and have] a certain quality of mind that makes it possible to understand the larger meaning of our experiences” (4). Therefore, one should look at the overall social problems and not at a specific individual’s situation.

    Read More

  • Essay On Sociological Imagination

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    A sociological imagination is when one can consider everyday life from the perspective of a sociologist. For example, when someone goes to a sporting event, their purpose is to cheer on their favorite team and to have fun. In reality, though, they are participating in collective effervescence. This is when a large group of people, with different backgrounds, come together to all support the same event. A person with a sociological imagination would understand and think about what sporting events are actually representing. This imagination is primarily a way for people to think about the world in a different and exciting way.

    Read More

  • Obesity as a Social Issue

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    The sociological imagination according to C. Wright Mills is an idea which gives an individual the ability to understand the connection between a problem and the history of that problem (Mills, 2000).He states that the sociological imagination is “A quality of mind that will help use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within themselves” Mills (2000:5). The distinct different between the two terms lies upon the ideology that troubles are problems which are personal and directly affect an individual and their milieu (Mills, 2000)rather than issues which are “to do with matters that transcend these local environments of the individual and the range of his inner life “. Furthermore, the sociological imagination in a nutshell is a way of thinking which links the events that occur in people’s everyday lives to more than their individual surroundings and individual effects.

    Read More

  • The Sociological Imagination

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both of these concepts illustrate how a person can live his life (biography) But "...contributes, however minutely, to the shaping of his society and its history…" (Mills)

    Read More

  • Concept Of Sociological Imagination

    1753 Words  | 4 Pages

    The concept that became Mills’ Sociological Imagination were deeply rooted within his understanding of psychology and environmental influences upon human behavior. Mills based his theoretical framework upon the assumption that “individual personality attributes are acted out within environments that greatly impact personality development”, and subsequent behavior into later adulthood (Wozniak, 2009, 199). From this perspective, Mills argued that there was a deep-rooted interrelationship between the development of individual personality and the sociological environment in which the individual develops and resides. It was however Mills belief that the interconnected nature of humanity and their social and physical

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Sociological Imagination

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    The concept of a sociological imagination may seem simple, but it actually proves to be fairly complicated to carry out. The vast majority of people are unfamiliar with the idea of having a sociological imagination and therefore have many questions about it. When is it used? What purpose does it serve? How will it benefit me? The term sociological imagination was first introduced by C. Wright Mills, an American sociologist (McIntyre 2014). According to Mills, a person who has a sociological imagination has “the ability to look beyond the personal troubles of individuals to see the public issues of social structure" (McIntyre 2014:31). Mills wanted people to open their minds in order to see what forces from society were acting upon a person.

    Read More

  • Sociological Imagination vs. Common Sense

    1814 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sociological Imagination vs. Common Sense This essay will aim to explain the differences between the sociological imagination and common sense. What the sociological imagination and common sense are and how they are at work in our society today. Using the area of educational achievement I will bring into this essay examples through research and findings from sociologists such as Pierre Bourdieu, Culture Capital (1977), Bernstein (1961)speech patterns’ and Paul Willis (1977)learning to labour, and use these examples as evidence to show how these would explain educational achievement in relation to the sociological imagination and common sense assumptions. I shall begin this essay by discussing where the sociological imagination arose from and what this is in comparison to common sense.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Sociological Imagination

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    ‘Sociological Imagination' as explained by C. Wright Mills is an individual's ability to recognize the connection between the course of their own lives and the role that historical and societal changes play in the personal decisions they make (Mills, 1959). Unaware of the effect of this connection on the kind of people they are becoming, they are unable to solve personal troubles as they look for solutions within themselves as a biographical entity (Mills, 1959). They fail to identify the structural transformation that is responsible for their private troubles. Dilemmas that individuals face within themselves or amongst direct relations with others are known as personal troubles (Mills, 1959). In contrast, public issues, are troubles that

    Read More

More about Taking a Look at Sociological Imagination

Open Document