Essay Introduction
‘Sociological imagination’ as discussed in C. Wright Mills’ essay ‘The Promise’ is described as the quality of mind that gives an individual the opportunity to relate history and biography between these two factors with society (Ferris, 2016). According to Mills, this term can be defined as the manner in which we learn to see how what we consider to be intimate problems are, in reality, social problems shared by others. When we look at the world through this lens, we come to learn what it means to be a human.
Research Paper on Sociological Imagination
I was born on August 30, 1989, in a suburban town called Rockville, MD. The community I was surrounded by was Caucasian middle class, although our Family was the only Hispanic/Caucasian in the neighborhood. I have always found myself as part of the majority culture. I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical field. When I graduated high school, I pursued nursing school. Education is an important part of my life as it gives me skills, inspires in me the values of a good demeanor, and further provides me with the necessary skills to contribute to the development of my society in the future. Although my life has been ridden with challenges, I try hard to overcome them so that I do not forget to work persistently toward my dreams. In this paper, I will engage Mills C. Wright’s idea that sociology is defined by the intersection between history and biography and reflect on my life experiences, especially hardships I have faced, which are connected to social institutions and the social context in general.
Throughout, I have longed for a better life. I realized the meaning of education quite early in life to secure growing career opportunities. My prospects and my parents’ encouragement to prioritize education as the key to a better life is the reason I am here. Before taking the sociology class, I did not realize how much my life experiences and greatly influenced by many complex sociological factors. Sociological imagination allows me to connect my personal experiences, behaviors, and attitudes to the larger social structure. Some of the sociological themes that manifest in my life are how gender role socialization and re-socialization, along with its importance.
Argumentative Essay Examples on Sociological Imagination
According to The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, sociological imagination is the study of the structure of society in shaping human behavior and condition (Ferris, 2016). In this class, sociology has given me a different way of thinking. I always like to think outside the box and think from different perspectives, but this class has had an impact on how I perceive things around me. Ferris says sociology is the study of behavior and societies. This study includes origins, development, networks, institutions, and groups of society (Ferris, 2016). The excitement portion is that sociology does not stop there. To become a good sociologist, you must think objectively. Although sometimes difficult, it can be done. Having a bias will ruin your attempt at objective reasoning, and it is best that you start off with a beginner’s mind.
Thesis Statement for Sociological Imagination
Ferris mentions a beginner’s mind is when you have taken a moment to remove all biased information, preconceptions, and prejudice. This is how to can set your mind to be more objective, which is key to being a sociologist. As a sociologist, the goal is not to find out the truth behind what we observe but to understand why it has become the way things are in society (Ferris, 2016). For example, if a person was going to look at religion, they would observe why things are done in that religion and not try to identify whether that religion has more truth than others. However, a sociologist could compare religions by what they do differently or if there are activities they do that are good for the health, for instance. With this objective and clear mind, you can think like a sociologist too.
The Impact of Sociology Class and Sociological Themes in Life
In middle school, I did not consider myself to have white privilege because I was in a private school where everyone around me had about the same wealth. On a micro-sociological scale, this was how I perceived how society went to school. On a macro-sociological scale, society had such a vast degree of how good schools were. Many schools do not have the finest and greatest utilities, teachers, resources, brand new clean fields for sports, and a fresh playground too. The school I went to, Aspen Hill Adventist Academy, gave me the opportunity to become very successful, and it also shaped me into who I am today. Opening 4th grade was difficult because it was my first time going to a private school. It was a culture shock, for sure.
All of my classmates came from a nuclear family like one that I was a part of. No one liked me because I had glasses, prepared for all brand-new clothes, and shiny shoes. The children in my class already had friends and trends that made up their groups. The prejudice and discrimination I received were beyond what I ever experienced. I was in the minority of the class for being the new kid. I was denied being part of any of the groups my class had, and I was in the out-group. Even though the rich children in the class, my inherited social status did not apply at all to this part of society. However, from a macro-sociological standpoint, if I had been in a public school with all my fine clothes, shoes, and other resources, I may have had a different experience with the children around me. I may have been appreciated and befriended because of my social status.
Ideas: Understanding Micro-sociology and Macro-sociology
In addition, there are also two major studies that fall under sociology, which are micro-sociology and macro-sociology. Microsociology refers to the study of sociology on a smaller scale, like face-to-face interactions in society. Macrosociology refers to the study of sociology on a larger scale of populations of society (Ferris, 2016). Both of these are key to grasping a full picture of how society acts on certain things. Another important aspect for a sociologist or one to recognize is the four agents of socialization. These four agents contain Family, school, peers, and mass media. For example, Family, the most influential of these four agents, helps us develop who and what we as people grow up to be in society. The agent of school helps people develop not by just the education received, but the hidden curriculum has an impact on development.
The Four Agents of Socialization
The hidden curriculum can be understood as unintended lessons. Some of the things that are learned from the hidden curriculum are norms, values, and even beliefs that are seen throughout the classroom or other social environments. The next agent is a peer. Peers can be anyone that can be around the age group you are a part of, coworkers, or even people of the same social status. This agent is interesting because, according to Mill’s belief, peers do not correct mean friends or people you are close with. The last agent is mass media. For this agent, many people in society would concur that mass media really means social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, social media sites are only a sliver of what mass media really means. Mass media can include magazines, news broadcasts, television shows, movies, radio, and music, to name a few. These four agents also have a big impact on people.
Understanding Social Outcomes and Actions
Another example of sociological imagination is the understanding that social outcomes are based on what we do. For instance, it is understanding that something’s society may lead to a certain outcome. Social action is the things we do not affect other people. The things we do or share by the following situation we are in the valley as we have and the way people around this act. These examples all relate to some sort of outcome of sociological imagination, which can also be considered as a quality of mind that understands the interplay of the individual and society. Having said that, sociological imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another. In order to have a logical social imagination, a person must be able to pull away from their situation in thinking from an alternative point of view.
The Application of Sociological Imagination in Daily Life
Real-life application sociological imagination could be applied and everyday life. A prime example would be going to the gym. People often have workout buddies and create their social ambiance where they ideas to focus on meeting with other individuals all while exercising, which brings me to. What sociological factors have shaped your life so far? The following instances that have designed my life are through a series of heartaches, laughter, and integrity. However, from a macro-sociological standpoint, if I had been in a public school with all my fine clothes, shoes, and other resources, I may have had a different experience with the children around me. I may have been appreciated and befriended because of my social status. Perhaps, they, too, could see me as deviant from their range of how society is supposed to be depending on the environment. The school helped me shape who I am because originally, I wanted to be successful and have friends like my parents had me believe it was supposed to be.
During the main years of bullying, 4th grade to 8th grade, the children always said I was mean, selfish, and repulsive, so other children in grades that were above and below did not want to interact with me either. Today, it has also been created by being around my grandmother (from my mother’s side). She was a stay-at-home mother that had seven girls and two boys. I looked up to her because she raised my aunts and uncles. One occasion that comes to mind is when my mother lost her second daughter. The ordeal my parents went through affected all of us; at the time, it was six years old. Although I was young, I still remember feeling the pain my mother went through. We no longer had frequent family dinners due to Mother having to excuse herself since she was emotionally unstable.
Having said that, C. Wright Mills discusses that our minds are heavily influenced by our parents, peers, and society. Throughout our lives, these influences heavily dictate our own actions and beliefs. While it can be unsettling to realize how much influence others have on our thoughts, this realization also serves to help us learn to defend our beliefs. By recognizing the influence that others hold, we find ourselves in a better position to protect the freedom that no one can ever take from us: the freedom of thought. During the time spent with my grandmother, she taught me how to sew, cook, and do other household chores. My grandmother was never impatient or dismissive of me. She never once told me, ‘I’m tired now’ or ‘That’s enough for today.’ My grandmother taught me how to listen and be patient.
Role of Employment in Understanding Sociological Imagination
A final example relevant to many others and myself is that of employment, and this has encouraged me to think about not only the role I hold in my job but also the role that all employees hold. Problems that I may view as being fairly personal and unique to my situation are most likely problems that actually affect many employees all across the world. This concept is easy to understand, and it’s when we apply this concept to not just employment but also to humanity as a whole that we begin to learn much about what it means to be human. First, we look at some of the experiences that define who we are, such as the emotions we feel or the activities we enjoy. Then, we learn to acknowledge and understand that each person we meet feels these same emotions, enjoys activities as we do, and lives a life just as complex as our own. Many people like to refer to their lives as a story. In our own story, the strangers we pass by each day are so insignificant as to hardly warrant their mention. The moment that we realize the depths of their stories are so great that we are equally insignificant in their eyes is the moment we begin to truly understands them.
A sociological imagination allowed me to look at what may seem unremarkable and learn much about who I am, who others are, and how each of us fits together. The experience and bond shared with my grandmother impacted my life through Sociological imagination that has taught me to better understand society and myself and to see it from new perspectives, which has helped to define myself as a person. My development of a sociological imagination has enabled me to learn volumes, and thanks to this, I am able to better interact with others and guide myself towards a deeper understanding of my world and self.
Reflection on the Sociology Class and Personal Growth
Each of us learns to develop a sociological imagination, and each of us will experience benefits such as the ones that I have seen in my life. In the matter of unemployment, it is not experienced by just one person and possibly that person’s Family but by all of those in the community. If a business closes down, it isn’t just one person who is laid off. It is all of the people who worked for that business. Now because they are unemployed, each of these individual people, and their families if they have them, will spend less money at other businesses. If drastic enough, this could lead to more businesses closing and then more people being laid off.
Although I have endured a lot in my past, taking this class has helped me put down the biased narrow lenses that sometimes, I like to view the world through. However, with the world of sociology that has been revealed to me in this class, I think that learning how to see things differently and having discussions in this class is incredibly impactful and beneficial to society. What if everyone were able to look at the world from a sociologist’s point of view instead of his or her own? Would society make dramatic choices to change how things would go? I think it’s hard to tell. One thing I really enjoyed about this class was how open and fun it was. I loved the social imagination aspect because it can really open one’s mind to think outside of one’s perspective.
Every discussion used such a different and unique perspective on society on micro-sociological and macro-sociological levels. Professor Wepprecht, you recently wrote you wanted to change how we think. What if instead said you said you wanted to change our perspectives instead? Do you think that perhaps by the words you chose in your discussion, you could be making a difference in society? What if you never wrote those words at all, and I only took away a few things from this class? I would like to propose the hypothesis that you are making a difference in society through the people you educate. I sure will remember this class probably more than any other. As for my hypothesis, who am I to test the theory? Isn’t that the whole fun of social imagination in the first place?
Conclusion
The sociological imagination requires us to engage in the study of an individual’s biography but to place that biography in the larger context of the history and tradition of the society in which that individual lives. By acknowledging the relationship between history and biography, we can see how personal troubles and social problems are connected. At various times people fail to see their own biographies as being associated with the larger public of society. The sociological imagination, while not easy to acquire, teaches lessons that we will not find elsewhere.
