Sociological Imagination

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 perspective on the world. It is the ability to
look beyond one’s own everyday life as a cause for daily successes and failures and see the
entire society in which one lives as potential cause for these things.
C. Wright Mills coined the term sociological imagination at 1959 in his book The
Sociological Imagination. According to him, it is “its possessor to understand the larger
historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of
individuals”. Mills goes on to describe people as being “Seldom aware of the intricate
connection between the patterns of their own lives and the course of world history, ordinary
people do not usually know what this connection means for the kinds of people they are
becoming and for the kinds of history-making in which they might take part. They do not
possess the quality of mind essential to grasp the interplay of individuals and society, of
biography and history, of self and world.”
Mills identified “troubles” (personal challenges) and “issues” (larger social
challenges), also known as biography, and history, respectively.
 Personal troubles are private problems experienced within the character of
the individual and the range of their immediate relation to others.
 Larger social or public issues are those that lie beyond one’s personal
control and the range of one’s inner life. These pertain to broader matters of
organization and process, which are rooted in society rather than in the
individual.
Mills’ sociological imagination allows individuals to see the relationships between
events in their personal lives (biography), and events in their society (history). In other
words, this mindset provides the ability for individuals to realize the relationship between their
personal experiences and the larger society in which they live their lives.
Throughout history different societies and nations have obtained different levels of
social imagination. Some societies have never had it, others have obtained and lost it, while
others have obtained it and thrived on it. The societies that have not obtained it or that have
lost it are usually within nations that have suffered ongoing persecution, poverty, and social
injustice. The societies that have obtained it and thrived on it are usually within the nations
with the most freedoms and with the most advanced cultures.
The societies that have lacked sociological imagination have experienced ruling
regimes as the norm and individuals live within the same humble confines that have plagued
them for centuries. These societies have lagged behind what we think of as modern cultures.
Industrialization, freedom, and equality are all things that the individuals in these societies
lack or are just beginning to obtain.

This contrasting view is apparent in everyday life in the United States. Men and
Women have equal rights, Slavery does not exist, religious freedom is a reality, and the ability
for poor people to change their outlook is a reality. This is primarily due to the people of the
United States embracing sociological imagination after the countries revolution and
recognizing the effects of external forces, such as government, economic models, and global
trade.
This is certainly not to say that societies without sociological imagination are bad or
will never obtain it. It is to say that there are obvious advantages of understanding the causes
of one’s position in the world and what can be done to change that position past personal
adjustment.
How is Sociological Imagination important?
Having sociological imagination is critical for individual people and societies at large
to understand. It is important that people are able to relate the situations in which they live
their daily lives to the local, national, and global societal issues that affect them. Without the
ability to make these relations, people are unable to see societal issues that affect them and
are unable to determine if these issues require change to better their everyday lives.
Throughout time this has been a common theme and in nations where social
imagination has been recognized, individuals have found the root of their problems in the
lack of change and governance that they live through every day. In nations where sociological
imagination is prevalent such as Japan and the United States of America, social imagination
has inspired momentous changes to the culture and to way of life.
External act of an individual displays what one does, which is the result of cause and
effect. The cause aspect defines why one acts in a specific way. Individual act also displays
the structural arrangement of a society at a location and a historical point of civilization.
Individual act, history, and location are intertwined. Sociological imagination demonstrates
how an individual perceives the social forces, as well as the cause and effect relationship of
an individual or group of individuals with social issues or social forces.
References:
Crossman, Ashley. (2020, January 29). Definition of the Sociological Imagination and
Overview of the Book. Retrieved fromhttps://www.thoughtco.com/sociological-
imagination-3026756
Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press. London.
Schneider, Linda & Silverman, Arnold Global Sociology. (2006). Introducing Five
Contemporary Societies 4. New York: McGraw Hill.