The sociological imagination was defined by Frank W. Elwell and C Wright Mills as "quality of mind" that allows one to grasp "history and biography and the relations between the two within society” and can be translated as the ability to observe how experiences and interactions have shaped individuals or society as a whole (Elwell). In further explanation, Elwell suggests that people can better understand society if they learn how to focus on their current problems and relate them to problems that have occurred previously throughout history or to those in a similar situation to determine that it is caused by problems in the sociocultural system. An example of the sociological imagination can be examined by reading the example provided on page
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The town I was raised in had little diversity in its population with the exception of foster children from surrounding counties who happened to attend our schools which were otherwise stagnant. Growing up in my local school district was somewhat torturous as certain bullies took their time criticizing my insecurities regarding my weight and physical disability (I was born with a condition known as “band syndrome” that caused part of my fingers and toes to not fully develop) which caused me to become socially withdrawn at an early stage. My interactions with local institutions did not improve until I was close to 15 when I changed my lifestyle completely and became involved in fitness and joined the track team at my high school as a freshman which led to me to develop a more outgoing personality at that point and became involved in social events such as school functions and community gatherings. My change in appearance altered my experiences with social experiences in such a way that I quickly became obsessed with trying to improve them so I could become more accepted amongst my peers and impacted my life in ways such as eating disorders and a development of wanting to establish self-purpose by contributing to the world by joining the Peace …show more content…
Even as a Caucasian, being born/raised as Muslim could have resulted in many changes in my life such as obvious things such as religious practices (such as a particular diet, wearing of a hijab, and following the Quran) and prejudice and discrimination being unavoidable at times. In today’s society there are a lot of confusion and hate that surrounds the Muslim community and is felt by a large amount of the population (more often since 2011) no matter their location, race, gender or age which could vary regarding me personally. There is a chance that I could face people who would attack my character because my cultural heritage as well as threaten me with physical harm, or I could live peacefully amongst my neighbors without confrontation, it is hard to tell the exact outcome however; It would be guaranteed that my values in life would be reevaluated as Muslim culture revolves around the worship of their God and the teachings of the Quran. I most likely would have married a man of the same religion (possibly an arranged marriage or aligned with polygamy) with correlating values and who would dictate a majority of my decisions regarding social choices. I also would have raised my children to follow in the strict footsteps as well, to value their religion above all else and do their best not to stray from it while also preparing them for the harsh
The town I was raised in had little diversity in its population with the exception of foster children from surrounding counties who happened to attend our schools which were otherwise stagnant. Growing up in my local school district was somewhat torturous as certain bullies took their time criticizing my insecurities regarding my weight and physical disability (I was born with a condition known as “band syndrome” that caused part of my fingers and toes to not fully develop) which caused me to become socially withdrawn at an early stage. My interactions with local institutions did not improve until I was close to 15 when I changed my lifestyle completely and became involved in fitness and joined the track team at my high school as a freshman which led to me to develop a more outgoing personality at that point and became involved in social events such as school functions and community gatherings. My change in appearance altered my experiences with social experiences in such a way that I quickly became obsessed with trying to improve them so I could become more accepted amongst my peers and impacted my life in ways such as eating disorders and a development of wanting to establish self-purpose by contributing to the world by joining the Peace …show more content…
Even as a Caucasian, being born/raised as Muslim could have resulted in many changes in my life such as obvious things such as religious practices (such as a particular diet, wearing of a hijab, and following the Quran) and prejudice and discrimination being unavoidable at times. In today’s society there are a lot of confusion and hate that surrounds the Muslim community and is felt by a large amount of the population (more often since 2011) no matter their location, race, gender or age which could vary regarding me personally. There is a chance that I could face people who would attack my character because my cultural heritage as well as threaten me with physical harm, or I could live peacefully amongst my neighbors without confrontation, it is hard to tell the exact outcome however; It would be guaranteed that my values in life would be reevaluated as Muslim culture revolves around the worship of their God and the teachings of the Quran. I most likely would have married a man of the same religion (possibly an arranged marriage or aligned with polygamy) with correlating values and who would dictate a majority of my decisions regarding social choices. I also would have raised my children to follow in the strict footsteps as well, to value their religion above all else and do their best not to stray from it while also preparing them for the harsh