Example Of Sociological Imagination

One’s sociological imagination will vary from person to person as it is partially based off his or her experiences. In more simplistic terms it can be depicted as one’s ability to connect his or her own particular problems and relate them back to a more social level that others may have in common. The sociological imagination is a very interesting yet complex component in one’s life. It is a real eye opener. There are many aspects one’s sociological imagination can touch upon such as social class and inequality, gender, culture and socialization, deviance and criminality, etc.
Social class and inequality is very important key concept for one to relate a personal problem to a more social issue. I personally think about my position in society. …show more content…
Some of the more common deviant topics include: tattoos, smoking, hair color, sexuality, teen pregnancy, drug use, etc. For example, take someone who decided to dye his or her hair color to something that wasn’t considered “natural”, such as green with blue tips. Not only will this person be looked at “abnormal” but he or she would be stigmatized from society as a whole. This decision could impact one’s life completely as he or she could potentially lose his or her job or be out casted from his or her family. I know for me personally with my workplace, if any who was employed at this particular job decided to go through with this decision of dying their hair green with blue tips he or she would be asked to leave because it 's against the company policy that requires all employees must have “natural” hair colors only. The deviant act in this scenario would be one deciding to dye his or her hair blue. The norm would be that it 's only socially acceptable to have “natural” color hair. A sanction, or consequence for norm breaking behavior, for this scenario could be society looking at this individual differently, as if he or she is “less” of a person, stigmatize this individual, or he or she might even lose his or her job depending on the company 's policies. Some of the structural conditions that appear in …show more content…
It touches on so many different categories such as: social class and inequality, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, culture and socialization, deviance and criminality, and global dynamics. The sociological imagination will vary from each individual as he or she has their own personal experiences throughout their life course even if two people are living what seems like the same exact lifestyle. I think this ability to relate personal troubles to social issues is a complex skill and is not fully developed until later on in life and with that being said I do not think everyone reaches the capacity in their minds to develop this skill unless they are open-minded. As stated before I think this particular skill is a real eye-opener for those who do reach the level to obtain it. Before taking this class I did not view my own personal troubles the way I do now. By this I mean I automatically stop for a moment and think about how I can relate it to a social issue and take it from