13 the sociological imagination

C. Wright Mills (1916 - 1962)

C. Wright Mills

Personal causes and social causes

Personal solutions and social solutions

The sociological imagination – lecture outline

C. Wright Mills

Personal causes and social causes

Personal solutions and social solutions

The sociological imagination – lecture outline

C. Wright Mills

Following C. Wright Mills, sociologists refer to breaking free from the immediacy of personal circumstances and putting things in a wider social context as the sociological imagination.

Mills talks about unemployment and divorce to show that what happens to individuals and what they do are conditioned by their social surroundings.

Discussion: How has romantic love has been shaped

by social and historical forces

Sociologists recognize that “personal” troubles, if

occurring in patterned ways, to large numbers of individuals, reflect important public issues—consequences of social structures.

Example of a public issue: In the midst of an economic crisis, when foreclosures have become a common feature in the country in response, Jenna and her family lose their home because her parents can no longer pay the mortgage.

Personal troubles and public issues

C. Wright Mills

Personal causes and social causes

Personal solutions and social solutions

The sociological imagination – lecture outline

Personal causes and social causes

Personal causes and social causes

Personal causes are those causes related the individual

Social causes are those causes external to the individual

Americans tend to prefer personal explanations and personal solutions (see next slide)

The sociological imagination requires us to see that our problems have personal as well as social causes

If we were to apply the sociological imagination to the problems that you or I have, we could not say that we are completely to blame for our problems

“Why are there people in this country who live in need?”

World

values

survey

(1994)

Personal causes and social causes -- Discussion

Think about divorce.

What are the personal causes of divorce?

What are the social causes of divorce?

Think about poverty and unemployment.

What are the personal causes of poverty?

What are the social causes of poverty?

C. Wright Mills

Personal causes and social causes

Personal solutions and social solutions

The sociological imagination – lecture outline

Personal solutions and social solutions

Personal solutions and social solutions

Personal solutions attempt to fix the individual

E.g., welfare reform

Social solutions attempt to fix society

E.g., changing divorce laws

State Waiting Periods and Divorce Rates, 2008

Personal causes and social causes -- Discussion

Think about divorce.

What are some personal solutions?

What are some social solutions?

Think about poverty and unemployment.

What are some personal solutions?

What are some social solutions?

C. Wright Mills

Personal causes and social causes

Personal solutions and social solutions

The sociological imagination – lecture outline

In the midst of an economic crisis, when foreclosures have

become a common feature in the country in response, Jenna and her family lose their home because her parents can no longer pay the mortgage. Jenna would be using a sociological imagination to think about this if she were to:

blame her mother for not working hard enough

wonder why her father does not just find a new job

consider how it might be strange that we live in a world that allows people to be thrown out of their homes

think about ways she can contribute financially to buying their house back

ponder how she might find employment to avoid having the same problems her parents are having in a bad economy

Check for understanding practice question

Go to activity on website.

The Sociological Imagination -- Activity