Wright Mills Concept of Sociological Imagination - Essay Example

Teacher’s Wright Mill’s concept of Sociological Imagination Problem ment According to Mills Wright Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.” Individual and society are the integral parts of each other. Sociology examines the relationship between an individual and society through different sociological theories. These theories, in fact, analyze cause and effect relationship between man and the society; man at the micro level and society at the macro level. At the macro level, sociological theories explore the entire society and social systems, which relates to individuals, families, and other aspects of society. At the micro level, the same theories consider behaviors of individuals and groups. An individual at the micro level is concerned about his or her problems and tries to find the solution of cause and effect relationship of personal problems. In doing so, the individuals struggle with the issue if they are to be blamed for their personal problems or the society is to be blamed. The purpose of this essay is to find out how sociology addresses this issue. Literature review / Discussion The principal feature of sociology is to explore the relationship of individuals and society. Societal forces encompass the individuals. Therefore, the relationship between man and the society has always been a startling subject of many discussions and debates. The literature review and discussion section study this relationship from the viewpoint of sociological imagination. The term Sociological Imagination was coined in 1959 by the American sociologist Wright Mills. Sociological imagination is a sociological theory that encapsulates two concepts: individual, and society (“What is Sociology” 1). We know that society is the basic term of the sociology. What is society? Does it relate to some groups or describe norms followed by these groups? The definitions of society given by different sociologists fall under two categories: functional, and structural (“What do you mean by Society” 2). Functional definition views the society as a combination of groups in a reciprocal relationship, and structural definition states that society displays social customs of mores, habits, sentiments and ideals (“What do you mean by Society” 2) of different groups. If fused these definitions, we can conclude that a society consists of several groups whereas each group has their own mores, ideals, habits, and sentiments. Moreover, these groups are not homogeneous; on the contrary they are stratified (“Conflict Theory” 1). Karl Marks observed the stratification of a society in two fragmented groups with their own mores, habits, and ideals. Marx defined them as the ruling class and subject class. Karl Marx’s theory of fragmented classes relates to conflict theory. We may or may not accept conflict theory; however, a person truly is an element of the society, and society exerts societal forces on this element. Sociological imagination theory enables the person to recognize these forces. Sociological imagination is the ability of connecting micro level to the macro level. According to Mills, sociological imagination is a “status of mind” or “quality of mind” that assists an individual to envision the history of the society and biography of the individual and their relationship in the context of the society (Mills 14). Thus, an individual can see own place in the society and evaluate personal problems. Furthermore, sociological imagination emphasizes that individuals need to place themselves in their historical periods and envision the relationships between personal troubles and social policies of their societies (Mills 8). Sociological imagination, thus distinguishes differences between “the personal troubles of milieu” and “the public issues of social structure” (Mills 13). Mills agrees that there is a link between personal milieu and social issues, and they do not forever remain separated from one another (Mills 15). An interaction between personal milieu and social structure is obvious because social structure exerts forces on the individual. Even though, Mill’s concept of interaction among social structures and individuals matches the concept of Karl Marx’s conflict theory, however; he did not accept that the working class was the only force capable of making changes. On the contrary, Millis believed that intellectuals and social scientists were the ones who could make changes in the society (Kpohazounde 3). Conflict theory envisioned a society as fragmented into groups, where more powerful social groups exert forces on less powerful groups. Social imagination discloses the nature of social forces when and only when individuals interact with these forces (“Mills’ – The Sociological Imagination” 1). This happens when quality of mind starts playing its part. The quality of mind can separate personal problems and social issues (Mills 8). An individual tends to find the solutions of personal troubles within own self if that trouble is within the personal milieu. However, if the cause of personal trouble is resulted from the social issue, the individual then tends to change the social structure. This is when biography of an individual and history of the society distinguish the personal problem from public issue. In John Grisham’s novel A Time to Kill, the African American Carl Lee Hailey kills two white men who raped and killed his young daughter Tonya (“A time to Kill”). Acts of the white men and Carl Lee Hailey were the result of social forces that existed in social groups in the USA at that time. The social force in this case was racism. Two white men raped and killed Tonya because she was black. Carl Lee killed the white rapists because he knew justice would not prevail for white men. This is an example of an individual life and history of a society together. It illustrates the intersection of trouble of personal milieu and social issue of social structure. When a person loses the job at one percent unemployment rate it becomes personal milieu trouble, however, when a person loses the job say, at fifteen percent unemployment rate, then it becomes a public issue. Mills identified the fact that an individual in his or her personal life makes choices and selections of various aspects of life, which are within the control of that individual. For example, a college student may choose to party 5 nights out of 7, rarely attends classes and never does homework. This student, perhaps, will not graduate and it is a personal trouble of the student. On the other hand, if say 40 percent college students never graduate, then it becomes a social issue. Conclusion Is sociological imagination essential for a person? An individual's performance displays the cause and effect of some problem. The person’s performance also characterizes the structural arrangement of a society at a historical point of civilization. The acts of individuals, history, and location of the society are intertwined. Sociological imagination demonstrates relationships among an individual, the history, and location of the society through individual’s quality of mind. This is why sociological imagination is essential for a person. As a matter of fact, Mill’s concept of sociological imagination offers a person the framework for understanding his or her social world. This framework assists one to understand (“Intro to Sociology” 1): That certain personal problems are private problems that exist within the perimeter of the identity of individuals and the scope of their nearest relations, That numerous social issues lie beyond an individual’s direct control and range, and Those social processes are rooted in the society rather than in the individual. The historical forces create a society, individuals living in that society can understand their lives, their roles and places in the society only through sociological imagination. Individuals can identify the larger forces within the society, and how these forces interact and affect their personal lives. Without this understanding, an individual is isolated from the society, and he or she develops a sense of alienation to the society. With the use of sociological imagination, the individual can observe both contemporary situation and understand how it evolved. Sociological imagination helps an individual entering a larger world. Through such personal involvement, an individual tends to alleviate, if not eliminate, the part of the social structure that has become a public issue. Thus, an individual helps to develop and reshape the institutional framework of the society. Mill’s sociological imagination encourages active participation of the wider population in the society (Mills’ – The Sociological Imagination” 2). Such participation addresses the societal issues and problems. Sociological imagination concept serves both sociological and political aspects of a society. History has repeatedly shown that sociological and political aspects lie on the same plane. Changes of social structure start with political changes. At the same time, political changes cannot take place without the positive development of sociological imaginations of the population. According to Mills, this development is the first step to changing society and personal life for the better. Works cited “A time to Kill by John Grisham.” umd.edu. n.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lpbr/subpages/reviews/grisham0408.htm “Conflict Theories.” sociologyguide.com. Sociology Guide., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. http://www.sociologyguide.com/social-stratification/Conflict-Theories.php “Intro to Sociology.” uvu.edu. n.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. http://freebooks.uvu.edu/SOC1010/index.php/02.html Kpohazounde, Grace. C. Wright Mills “ The Sociological Imagination” 1959. uscd.edu. n.p., 2010. Web. Apr 11. 2013. http://dimension.ucsd.edu/CEIMSA-IN-EXILE/publications/Students/Grace-1.2010.pdf Mills, Wright. The Sociological Imagination: The Promise. google.com.ua. Oxford University Press, 1959. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. http://books.google.com.ua/books?id=UTQ6OkKwszoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=tru “Mills’ – The Sociological Imagination.” ozemail.com.au. n.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2013. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~johnthorpe64/Mills.html “What do you mean by Society.” preservearticles.com n.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. http://www.preservearticles.com/201104306135/what-do-you-mean-by-society.html “What is Sociology?” Studymode. n.p., 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Sociology-Does-Sociological-Imagination-Help-Us-136381.html Read More