What does cwright mean when he says the sociological imagination help us understand personal tro7ublesas social issues Discuss un employement crime suicideand divorcein the light of his observations?

Answer 1

The sociological imagination refers to personal issues becoming public and social problems. For example one person being unemployed is devastating for the individual but 1000 people being unemployed causes areas of poverty and deprivation, which can then lead to an increase in crime, a rise in people claiming benefits etc etc.

If you think of it like when a pebble is thrown in a pond the ripples expand further and further outwards.

Durkhiem proved that sociology was a valuable subject by using the most personal act an individual can experience, ie. suicide and using social problems to explain the reasons for it. One study he used was to survey the rate of suicide in different countries such as Spain, France and Italy etc. He found that the rate of suicide in each country stayed near enough the same over each decade whereas the rates of suicide in each country where extremely different. He used religion to explain one reason for this for example in Italy where the dominant faith is catholic and suicide is considered to be a sin suicide is not a common factor. Whereas in countries where there is a predominantly protestant faith suicide is more common.

Sorry if this is not that clear, I have just been given an essay on the same thing and im finding it hard to relate it myself. This is what i have found on the subject up to now and these ideas can easily be found on the internet if you want to research them properly.

Answer 2

C. Wright Mills emphasizes that the sociological imagination encourages individuals to see the connection between their personal troubles and larger societal issues. For example, unemployment can be viewed not just as an individual's struggle to find work, but as a reflection of broader economic conditions and government policies. Similarly, crime could be understood as a result of social inequality and lack of opportunities. Suicide and divorce can also be analyzed through a social lens to uncover underlying social structures and norms that contribute to these issues.