Ideally, one of sociology’s key goals and objectives is to evaluate or identify institutional alteration in society. The idea of sociological imagination is one of the concepts that has gained broad use to observe how social structures and arrangements impact individuals’ issues. Understanding the relationship between history and life is crucial for creating a realistic and wide view of the roots of day-to-day challenges and potential explanations for them (Griffiths et al., 2015). Hence, the idea of sociological imagination by C. Wright Mills illustrates how the skill to analyze individual experiences linked to wide social dynamics can assist individuals in being well-oriented in social practices and making individual choices based on the understanding and knowledge of a large social setting.
Sociological imagination is a practice of individuals having the ability to think themselves away from the accustomed routines of their every day and view them with new, critical judgments or eyes. Often, humans tend to encounter problems and push them into blaming themselves, not thinking of the social forces surrounding them in society that affects their breakdown, physically or emotionally (Griffiths et al., 2015). Simultaneously, these social powers build up individuals and create a larger ability for them to view things differently and reason outside the box. Being a student at University is my capability, a feature of mind and ability to understand life connections with the dynamics or forces its impacts. Therefore, this paper provides my situation using the sociological imagination of C Wright Mills.
C Wright Mills defines sociological imagination as the capacity to understand the relationship between personal encounters and the broad social consequences. In other words, social imagination is the perception of the individual’s daily routine’s influence on the community and vice versa (Mills, 2023). It is the key to a person’s righteous knowledge of their experience and opportunities within society. Such knowledge is important to promote an individual’s engagement in dealing with society’s problems. Also, it empowers individuals to be aware of the importance of wide historical sight for their private life.
I grew up in a surrounding that was influenced by negativity, which significantly affected my life. I can trace the poverty in my family to the apartheid era, which did not provide equal educational opportunities for all. Education for black individuals and women was the least significant. Every morning I woke up, I always had one goal: to change the situation at home and not allow the circumstances to define my failures in life. The change started with my commitment and desire towards my education and the willingness to tackle any obstacles. With education, individuals have more control over numerous things. According to Bennett (2019), education enables quality life. Additionally, it is easy to get employment with high education level and can benefit in other areas such as getting a high salary or personal growth.
My free will of being a student has motivated me to strive for the best and understand that education is the most powerful tool that can turn my life completely. My level of education generates high income and fewer struggles in life, such as being able to afford good housing and accessibility to better healthcare services. Further, my level of education brings great value to my kids’ schooling and gives them a good life. Significantly, using the conflict theory, I can understand how inequality in education develops. Kids from low-income homes typically have less accessibility to necessary technology or books, and their parents may have long working hours, which leaves no time to help their children with schoolwork and participate in their education (Bennett, 2019). Therefore, I intend to use conflict theory to recognize and dismantle the systems that prevent disadvantaged children from getting a proper education.
My understanding of sociological imagination is the unique capability to see the connection between individual choices and broad social forces. This ability is important for everyone willing to discover an effective solution for various societal issues influencing their life. Understanding the link between one’s life and large social practices enables the individual to be well-oriented in life within the frameworks of society and make choices based on this knowledge. Besides, the idea of social imagination is crucial for making individuals become active members of the community and able to create a change and enhance it. According to Mills (2023), only the community of individuals with established social imagination can control and overcome the current negative patterns and have a bright future. Therefore, the application of C Wright Mill’s social imagination aids in clarifying the nature of obstacles and the opportunities met by individuals on the way to attaining certain aims.
Similarly, sociological imagination reflects my day-to-day life in numerous ways. Most aspects of my daily routine can be described through its insights. Even the tiny details of my existence can be well understood using sociological imagination knowledge. Mills (2023) asserts that sociological imagination can help one determine the connection between the most significant areas of everyday living to the wide social setting. For instance, being a university student is one of the fundamental parts of my daily life. It impacts all areas of my life and shapes my decisions and habits. Also, it dominates my daily routines and impacts every choice I make.
This part of my life can be reflected directly concerning specific social tendencies in contemporary society. The rising unemployment rates in the country and worldwide promotes the readiness and willingness of young individuals to acquire higher levels of education (Griffiths et al., 2015). This is because the high education level results in high chances of getting a well-paying job for individuals with degrees and college diplomas. In turn, the predominant roots of rising unemployment rates worldwide can be found in overpopulation, as the large numbers of individuals living in the universe play an essential part in making the job industries tough and very competitive.
Another motivation for acquiring a good level of education includes the increasing prices for healthcare services, products and housing. According to Bennett (2019), the chances of obtaining a good job stimulated by the possession of a University or college degree and diplomas increase the chances of becoming financially stable or situated and the capability to purchase essential goods and services. Therefore, applying the sociological imagination enables me to understand the primary causes of my engagement in University education and my desire to acquire a high level of education.
In a nutshell, sociological imagination is a fundamental idea in social sciences. It allows individuals to perceive societal trends that influence them and other groups of people (Mills, 2023). Using sociological imagination, I can understand higher education’s great future opportunities, such as high salaries, accessibility to healthcare and quality education for my children. My life experiences help me remain focused by considering where I have come from and how to acquire good quality education. Most importantly, ignoring all critics and negativities in society and being able to take control of social dynamics helps to understand that society will always review individuals before becoming concerned for different aspects or things as long as the social imagination shapes their life.
References
Bennett, D. (2019). Graduate employability and higher education: Past, present and future. HERDSA Review of Higher Education, pp. 5, 31–61.
Griffiths, H., Keirns, N., Strayer, E., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Sadler, T., … & Jones, F. (2015). Introduction to sociology. OpenStax.
Mills, C. W. (2023). 15 The sociological imagination. Social Work: A Reader, 105.
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