Sociological Imagination: The Promise By C. Wright Mills

Sociological Imagination Striving to understand why things are the way they are, why people act the way they do, and the effect that relationships and society have people’s lives is the main goal of sociologists. Sociologists and other people that are able to see the answers to these question, have the ability to access sociological imagination. The article “The Promise” by C. Wright Mills explores the definition of sociological imagination, the impact of history and biography on our lives, and the difference between individual troubles and public issues. Sociological imagination, as defined by C. Wright Mills, is the ability to see the connection between personal experience and society as a whole. “Sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning or the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals” (Mills 5). Sociological imagination allows an individual to grasp the impact that history and …show more content…
Individual troubles are issues that take place within an individual person. Troubles are related to and resolved by using and looking into the biological entity of an individual. When troubles arrive it is due to personal values being threatened; this may include a single man being unemployed in a group, an individual person trying to survive through a war, or even the personal issues of a married couple. Whereas troubles are more private, issues relate to society and public struggles. These issues occur when public values and historical society are threatened. Issues occur when you look at statistics: millions of men unemployed, the economic and political state during war, and the divorce rates within a country. Sociological imagination allows us to begin to understand history and biography and how they relate to shaping a society and its