Many aspects of our lives are now situated within globalized trade and communications, and studying these global transactions is important to sociologists. SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. Part of the appeal of using a sociological imagination is that it helps people avoid apathy. Leave a Comment ‘Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.’ Today’s sociology quote is from C. Wright Mills’ classic, The Sociological Imagination. Naturally, … Therefore, sociologists should consider human action as a product of not just individual desires, but also historical and social actors. The sociological imagination requires us, above all, to ‘think ourselves away’ from the familiar routines of our daily lives in order to look at them anew. It is interesting sociologically to question why coffee addicts are not considered drug users in Western cultures, though they might be in other cultures. Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. Are there places it may not be seen as normal? His lectures matched the flamboyance of his personal image, as he managed to make entertaining the heavyweight social theories of Mannheim, Ortega and Weber. Alternatively, Mills proposed his ideal version of sociological practice, which hinged on the importance of recognizing how individual experience and worldview are products of both the historical context in which they sit and the everyday immediate environment in which an individual exists. Well, it could be that it’s a tradition. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? In this sense, using a sociological imagination lets you look at yourself and your culture as a third-party observer. So much of sociology was based on existing systems that Mills felt the field focused on method over humanity. Still, the third dimension to a cup of coffee is tied to social and economic relationships. But if you see this case with the sociological imagination perspective, then you would see that the larger forces such as, economic meltdown, unemployment, the lack of regulation in the sub prime mortgage industry, etc., had a direct impact on the life of this guy. Mills' book was all about how the sociological imagination could help society, but it wasn't only a theoretical approach. The goal is not to be dispassionate and distant, but rather to see yourself not as “natural” or “normal,” as a part of larger systems, the same way that all people are. He believed that history is comprised of both the big and small, and that study of each is required for a robust field. The best way to illustrate what this involves is take a simple act which millions of people do every day, such as drinking a cup of coffee. 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. Many people blame themselves for their lack of a job, but there are societal factors at play, too. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education. In this context, apathy refers to a sense of indifference or disinterest in examining the morality of their leaders. The sociological imagination is never meant to excuse someone's position in life. Basically, the concept of sociological imagination suggests that who you are as an individual is also the you shaped by your immediate surroundings, your family, your friends, your country, and the world as a whole. Why get into exercise at all? Why else would anybody marry? According to C. Wright Mills, creator of the idea of sociological imagination, if we accept that our beliefs, traditions, and actions are all normal and natural, we are less likely to interrogate when our leaders and community members do things that are immoral. Once you start asking these questions, you can start to see how it’s not just an individual choice on your part—the decision to buy running shoes is a product of the society you live in, your economic situation, your local community, and so on. Instead, he advocated that sociologists be clear and concise when possible, and that they do not couch their theories in language intended to distance themselves from society and from criticism. Even if you don’t come from a particularly religious family, you may still celebrate the holiday because it’s common in our society. 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