Preview

Sociological Imagination: Structure, Structure And History

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
515 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sociological Imagination: Structure, Structure And History
The “Sociological Imagination” is the ability to connect personal experiences to what is happening within society. Structure, history, and biography are the three characteristics of the “Sociological Imagination”. Structure can be defined as the essential components that are related and work together in society to maintain social order. Every period of time, whether it be years, decades, or centuries, that passes by plays a different role in influencing society through its characteristics, distinct features, and the way it compares to previous time periods. This is the history component of the “Sociological Imagination”. Biography is looked at as the people that prevail in society and how they came to be in the position they are in. ‘Human Nature’ and the characteristics of people is also part of biography. The concept of the “Sociological Imagination” can be used to discuss the increasing level of obesity in the U.S. …show more content…
because of the booming fast food industry. Today’s society is fast moving and filled with big corporations. These corporations all play a different role in what they offer to society, but a common characteristic they all share is the want for money. To make money these companies must stay up to date and remain efficient in their work. There is no exception in the fast food industry. Fast food is quick, cheap, and is available on nearly every street, making it convenient for people to stop there and spend money, while remaining in a fast-moving society. However, fast food restaurants are not healthy but this does not stop people from continuing to eat the grease and salt filled food, which can lead to weight

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    According to C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination is the “vivid awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society.” The Sociological Imagination is used to view situations in many social contexts, understanding how individuals and situations can be influenced by interactions and actions. A topic that would be interesting to study would be regarding the obesity epidemic. Being overweight can be considered a personal trouble by anyone who faces it, resulting from bad eating habits or a personal genetic predisposition. But, now in the US, a large amount of citizens deal with obesity, so The Sociological Imagination can easily be applied to this issue. Obesity affects society because it is the gateway to life-threatening…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The idea of having sociological imagination comes from the way people live and experience their lives. As a person grows, they develop troubles, perspectives and learn to possess qualities that create a biography. Every individual goes through certain experiences or troubles that enable them to withdraw from their routine and look at things differently. This particular way of thinking defines the thought of sociological imagination. Whenever a person takes ahold of biography and history and can use it to imagine life from a different perspective, they possess sociological imagination. This imagination we go through is an outcome of the troubles and discipline of society that come from our social norms, values, roles, and statuses. Another way…

    • 144 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    People often blame themselves for crisis in their lives such as the loss of job or dropping out of school. How would a sociological imagination help them understand the larger social forces influencing these events?…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Explain what it means to have a sociological imagination and discuss how it impacts our interactions with others. A sociological imagination is “how individuals understand their own and others’ pasts in relation to history and social structure” (Keirns, N., Strayer, E. Griffiths, H., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Saddler, T. & Vyain, S., 2012). The sociological imagination impacts interactions with other people because everyone has a different perspective on issues and topics. For example, someone who was sexually assaulted as a young child might view sex with their spouse differently than someone who is a virgin or has always consented to sexual intercourse before they got married.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The sociological imagination was created by C. Wrights Mills, who published a book on it in 1959. Sociological imagination is the potential to see things and how they affect and impact other things in society. There are many different causes of obesity, which is becoming a serious problem in America. Americans are eating more processed foods and eating out much more. Many of the snacks in fast food restaurants, stores, and vending machines are higher in fat and calories than the foods at home.…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The sociological imagination is a complex concept that involves many components to make it whole. One component of the sociological imagination is that it is inspired by a readiness to view the world from the perspective of others. The imagination also includes stepping back from looking at the individual, and instead taking a focus on the social, economic, and historical circumstances that surround the issue that could have caused the problem. Furthermore, the sociological imagination allows for correlations to be made from the micro level to the macro level and back again. To have the type of mind frame needed to effectively use the sociological imagine, one must be willing to question their structural arrangements that help form the…

    • 1641 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The fast food industry has been part of our American Culture for nearly seventy years. What started from a single McDonalds has grown to become a huge organization. Since fast food has become such an easy answer to a lot of our problems, most people do not stop and think about what they are putting into their bodies and the long-term effects it will have on their health. Therefore, the fame of fast food has caused Americans to experience an increase in adverse medical problems.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociological Imagination

    • 701 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What is sociological imagination? According to C. Wright Mills sociological imagination is the ability to see how individual experiences are connected to the larger society. Sociological perspective enables one to grasp connection to history and biography. History is the background and biography is the individual’s specific experiences. C.Wright Mills came up with the idea that in order for one to understand their personal lives the need to look beyond personal experiences and look at larger political, social, and economic issues of others. “It is the capacity to range from the most impersonal and remote transformations to the most intimate features of the human self -- and to see the relations between the two” (C. Wright Mills 3). Overall, sociological imagination is the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and society.…

    • 701 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociological Imagination Sociological Imagination is where biography and history meet. It is the ability to see the connections and differences between personal troubles and public issues. A personal trouble is a problem of one individual. A public issue is a problem among many people. One person losing their job is a personal trouble, but many people losing their job is a public issue.…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Sociology Imagination Each person is a result of their social context- the social environment that influences one's life- and the sociological imagination- the ability to think systematically about how personal problems are societies issues. The sociological imagination takes into account, not only the social context, but also the historical context, or the demeanor of a certain time. Both of these sociological ideas, social context and the sociological imagination, affect our lives and characteristics. For example, I possess the characteristic of being traditional- both in that I am serious and responsible.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. The need for food is biological, not social, but society still shapes the way we eat and…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Fast food is everywhere around us from the time we wake up to the time we go home to stop and get dinner at a greasy restaurant. Most of us who eat from these same restaurants are not sure of the ingredients in the restaurant’s food or where it comes from. America is always moving at such a fast pace that now most of us don’t even have the time to closely examine the food we consume. One of the main reasons for obesity in America today is that no one has the time anymore to make a healthy lifestyle a priority in their life.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1921 the very first fast food restaurant (White Castle) opened their doors in the United States. Now almost 100 years later there are at least 50,000 fast food joints across the nation, but on the global scale a whopping 500,000 locations exist across the planet in cities such as Beijing, Mecca, Sydney, and London. Fast food places and manufacturers managed to increase servings and portions while simultaneously decreasing their prices, this then allowed people to want to buy more because of how cheap the food is leading to consequential health problems for individuals. From this an Obesity epidemic has occurred in the US and other parts of the world, making Type-2 Diabetes rampant in young patients, and allowing Cardiovascular Disease to become common for many bystanders. This is from the fact individuals are consuming fast…

    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociological Imagination

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Sociological Imagination can be viewed in many different ways, each Sociologist having their own insights. The Sociological Imagination, was developed by C. Wright Mills, created to help one look at the world in a different perspective. Mills defined it as “It enables 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) Meaning that to understand yourself you have to look at the history and the world around you to truly see who you are. Many things can affect your life including, your environment, lifestyle, occupation and the society you live in.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociological Imagination

    • 544 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The sociological imagination is the ability to identify the connection between everyday life events and how they shape our lives, as well as how we play a role in shaping society around us. As my sociological imagination develops I am realizing how my life has been greatly affected by historic events that would otherwise seem unrelated. These events such as the Mariel boatlift, Reagonomics and September 11th have seemed to have the biggest impact on my family’s life and further shaped our morals and ambitions.…

    • 544 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays