Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills, the sociologist who coined the term defines it as, “The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables him to take into account how individuals, in the welter of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social positions” (Mills 1959). Mills believed that this concept of sociological imagination should not only be understood by sociologists, but everyone in society. By having people understand and apply this concept in their daily lives, it would make for a better understanding among all individuals. Sociological Imagination can …show more content…
To give a clearer example, if a student were to cheat on an exam, what reason would the student have had to commit such an action? The general public would probably only see that the student is lazy and that the student believes cheating in order to pass is the way to go about it. But the practice of sociological imagination can be used in order to provide a list of various reasons such as, the student has a job and children to take care of there for didn’t have time to study. Another reason would be the student is having financial issues and couldn’t afford the proper materials needed in order to pass the class. Of course this doesn’t justify the action of cheating, but it could give people an understanding of why students would cheat on an exam through the concept of sociological imagination. This could also lead to solutions such as, providing financial aid to those in need in order to receive the proper materials needed for classes and offering tutoring and extra help for students, so that students would not feel the need to cheat on their …show more content…
An example of discrimination would be the assumption of one’s social class by their race. Since society has made social rankings regarding an individual’s race, it’s likely that the social class tied to that person’s race is what they’ll be seen as. Social class doesn’t only reflect a person’s income but also their values, activities, and attitudes. To be more specific, if an African American man and a Caucasian man were to apply for the same position at a company, the Caucasian man is more likely to receive the job because the social groups that Caucasians are usually in are seen to be higher class. Unlike the African American man, who’s social class is seen to be in the lower ranks. Even though they are both qualified and competent enough for the position, the belief of social stratification that society has established will be taken into
C. Wright Mills, the sociologist who coined the term defines it as, “The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables him to take into account how individuals, in the welter of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social positions” (Mills 1959). Mills believed that this concept of sociological imagination should not only be understood by sociologists, but everyone in society. By having people understand and apply this concept in their daily lives, it would make for a better understanding among all individuals. Sociological Imagination can …show more content…
To give a clearer example, if a student were to cheat on an exam, what reason would the student have had to commit such an action? The general public would probably only see that the student is lazy and that the student believes cheating in order to pass is the way to go about it. But the practice of sociological imagination can be used in order to provide a list of various reasons such as, the student has a job and children to take care of there for didn’t have time to study. Another reason would be the student is having financial issues and couldn’t afford the proper materials needed in order to pass the class. Of course this doesn’t justify the action of cheating, but it could give people an understanding of why students would cheat on an exam through the concept of sociological imagination. This could also lead to solutions such as, providing financial aid to those in need in order to receive the proper materials needed for classes and offering tutoring and extra help for students, so that students would not feel the need to cheat on their …show more content…
An example of discrimination would be the assumption of one’s social class by their race. Since society has made social rankings regarding an individual’s race, it’s likely that the social class tied to that person’s race is what they’ll be seen as. Social class doesn’t only reflect a person’s income but also their values, activities, and attitudes. To be more specific, if an African American man and a Caucasian man were to apply for the same position at a company, the Caucasian man is more likely to receive the job because the social groups that Caucasians are usually in are seen to be higher class. Unlike the African American man, who’s social class is seen to be in the lower ranks. Even though they are both qualified and competent enough for the position, the belief of social stratification that society has established will be taken into