Theory of imagination by C.Wright Mills

Theory of imagination by C.Wright Mills

Definition of Sociology:

Sociological imagination is an ability to connect personal challenges to larger social issues.

Introduction:

The sociological imagination is the practice of being able to “think ourselves away” from the familiar routines of our daily lives to look at them with fresh, critical eyes. The sociological imagination is the ability to see things socially and how they interact and influence each other. To have a sociological imagination, a person must be able to pull away from the situation and think from an alternative point of view. This ability is central to one's development of a sociological paerspective on the world.

Concept of Sociological Imagination (C. Wright Mills) 

Mills felt that the central task for sociology and sociologists was to find the connections between the particular social environments of individuals the wider social and historical forces in which they are trapped.

Mills’ contemporaries in sociology tended to focus on understanding systems rather than exploring individual issues. But Mills argued that thinking of society as just a series of systems was not quite accurate. And equally important, it ignored the role of the individual within those systems.

He believed that looking at a balance between systems and the individuals within them was essential to understanding their collective relationship, as well as the social structures that arise out of conflict between various groups. This perspective also helps enable sociologists to do more than observe, but to expose social injustice, and act and change the world.

Importance:

1.     You can only understand yourself if you can understand your circumstances.

2.     It allows people to better understand their own personal experiences and within the context of society at large.

3.     Sociological imagination is connecting “personal troubles to public issues.” Because the things we do are influenced by the circumstances where we find ourselves our values, the behavior of the people in our environment.

4.     Sociological imagination prompts us to examine these and their interrelationship towards outcome. 

5.     Lacking in sociological imagination, we’re vulnerable to apathy: accepting the beliefs, actions, and traditions around us are natural and unavoidable.

Summary:

 Sociological imagination is an ability to see the context which shapes your individual decision making, as well as the decisions made by others. But the reason why it’s useful is because it allows us to better identify and question various aspects of society, as opposed to passively living within it. Essentially, someone who can exercise sociological imagination is better equipped to make smarter personal choices.