Sociological Imagination and Social Issues - 1251 Words

Sociological Imagination and Social Issues People are more likely to use psychological arguments to explain why things are they way they are rather than look at the sociological aspect of them. They think that problems happening in their lives are personal and overlook that they may be caused by society (Ferris amp; Stein 13). Sociological imagination challenges people to look at the â€Å"intersection between biography and history† and see the role we each play in society (Mills 1959 and Ferris amp; Stein 13). We must look at how larger social issues are intertwined in with each individual’s life and how society shapes a person. There are many benefits with using the sociological perspective on life and one of the most important ones is†¦show more content†¦10/25/2012. Lecture). Rebels are people that reject the cultural definitions of success and therefore are not obedient to the social norm to be successful making them deviant. Since they â€Å"rebel† to the social norm it advocates radical alternatives to the social order that society lives in today (Ferris amp; Stein 158). Kerckhoff and Back stated that â€Å"the belief in a tangible threat makes it possible to explain and justify one’s sense of discomfort† and this is why imprisonment and capital punishment is created (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Between the years of 1980 and 2006, the amount of incarcerated Americans went up nearly five times accumulating over two million prisoners. With less the 5% of the world’s population, we have created social acts that should be punishable by prison and have 23.4% of the world’s prisoners (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Sociologists and other groups have studied so in depth to crime and punishment that there are many subcategories within society that reasons with why people are incarcerated such as gender, race, age, and class as well as specified crime groups for violent, property, and white collar cri mes (Ferris amp; Stein 172, 173). Sociological imagination forces us to look at how we are asked to act and society and how we actually act. Most of the things we do in our daily lives we may think is by choice, however, it is how societyShow MoreRelatedThe Sociological Imagination And The Social Issue Of Child Abuse1492 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The Sociological Perspective was a concept argued by C. Wright Mills was and still is a valuable tool to help people look at, understand and interpret their everyday lives and social world around them (in which they live). 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Wright Mills, the sociological imagination is when an individual views his society as the potential cause for his daily successes and failures. Individuals often tend to view their personal issues as social problems and try to connect their individual experiences with the workings of society. Mills believes that this is the way for individuals to gain an understanding of their personal dilemmas. The sociological imagination helps people connect their own problems with public problemsRead MoreSociological 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 larg er 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 MoreAnalysis Of Dalton Conley s You May Ask Yourself 1267 Words   |  6 Pages You May Ask Yourself, defines sociological imagination as, â€Å"The ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual’s life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces† (Conley 2015, pg. A-11). Sociological Imagination is the idea of being able to step outside of the box, and evaluate society from an alternative point of view. Symbolic Interactionism, norms, socialization, and the idea of understanding yourself vs. understanding the social aspect of society, are some of