Analysis Of Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills

The sociological imagination is a term formulated by C. Wright Mills to explain that individual problems often start to become aspects of society itself. Mills called individual problems “troubles” and societal problems “issues.” According to Mills, a trouble is a private matter, typically blamed on the individual’s own personal and moral failings. Mills defined issues as a public matter, referring to social problems affecting a significant amount of individuals. To illustrate, if only a few people are unemployed one can explain their situation by saying that they’re lazy or that they do not have good working habits, thus making them not have a job. If this is true, then this would be a personal trouble. On the other hand, if there are millions of people without a job, unemployment is a public issue because it affects society as a whole (Mills 1959).
The sociological imagination can assist in the explanation of the many social forces and historical events that shaped this incident. First, this town was an employment hub during the Korean War, but once the fighting ceased, companies that provided these jobs moved away and the soldiers returning home from war, found themselves without employment. Another effect of the war, was that veterans (including Nelson) became addicted to methamphetamine. This was the drug given to soldiers during the war so they could maximize the time they were awake for. The lack of unemployment and the addiction to drugs caused Nelson to go on this rampage. Nelson was not in his right state of mind and he had nothing to lose; he did not have a job and had already lost his family, his wife had divorced him and taken the children (Garrett