According to sociologist, C. Wright Mills, people often believe that their private lives can only be explained in terms of their personal successes and failures. They fail to see the links between their own individual lives and the society around them. The process of interpreting your individual life in the context of your community or the society in which you live is called sociological imagination.
- Choose ONE of the following issues:
- Being unemployed and the impact of unemployment as a broad issue
- Being an alcoholic or drug addict and the broader impact of alcoholism/drug addiction on society
- Being an unmarried pregnant teenager and the impact that unmarried teen pregnancy has on society
- Being a homeless person and the broader issue of poverty in society
- Use your sociological imagination to discuss the connection between individual experiences and the social impact of the issue you chose