Introduction to the Sociological Imagination

Question 1

Sociological Imaginations

Answer 1

-allows us to grasp the interconnectedness of history and biography
-C. Wright Mills
-can help us make sense of issues (like obesity or rising cost of college textbooks
-is making the connection between personal challenges and larger social issues.

Question 2

sociological imagination

Answer 2

provides a framework for understanding our social world that far surpasses any common sense notion we might derive from our limited social experiences

troubles= personal challenges
issues= larger social challenges
aka biography and history

• it allows individuals to see the relationship between events in their personal lives (biography) and events in their society (history)
  OR
  -realize the relationship between their personal experiences and the larger society in which they live their lives

Question 3

Personal troubles

Answer 3

-private problems experienced within the character of the individual and the range of their immediate relation to others
-We have a degree of influence on the outcome of matters within this personal level.

Question 4

Social or public issue

Answer 4

-that lie beyond one’s personal control and the range of one’s inner life
-pertain to broader matters of organization and process, which are tooted in society rather than in the individual

Question 5

majority of personal problems are not experienced as exclusively personal issues but are influences and affected by social norms, habits and expectations

Answer 5

Consider issues like homelessness, crime, divorce, and access to healthcare. Are these all caused by personal choices, or by societal problems? Using the sociological imagination, we can view these issues as interconnected personal and public concerns.

Question 6

Carly is a teenage girl from a loving home and comfortable life, yet she is preoccupied with her weight and obsessed with maintaining the appearance of being fit. In order to be thin, she carefully counts her calories and maintains a strict workout regimen, which is causing her stress in other areas of her life. Which is the best description of how a sociologist might look at Carly’s eating issues?

Answer 6

Society and media portray an ideal body type, which Carly strives after due to societal pressure.

A sociologist would consider the connection between Carly’s personal life experiences as well as larger social issues and seek to understand how those larger social factors influence Carly’s behavior.