The Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills

The sociological imagination is a term coined by C. Wright Mills which has been interpreted by many, in many different ways. Generally speaking, a sociological imagination is a unique state of mind which enables its possessor to fully comprehend the ways in which man and society and history and biography impact on each other. Regarding the second part of the question, sociology can help us to understand the world and influence the government amongst many other things, however professional sociologists are concerned with sociology as a purely academic subject, who talk more to each other than the public (Burawoy 2005, cited in Giddens 2013).
Mills spoke of personal troubles and public issues, which he used to try and highlight the relationship between biographies and broader milieux to other sociologists. Personal troubles are private matters within the lives of individuals. Mills argues that these personal troubles can manifest themselves into public issues, although it is only those who possess a sociological imagination that have the ability to see beyond individual circumstances and how they reflect wider public issues. Mills suggests that we should consider multiple examples to understand his point such as unemployment and
To those who do not possess a sociological imagination, that is exactly what drinking a cup of coffee may appear to be, however, those who do can analyse the act and consider its meaning from multiple dimensions. For example he goes on to explain how sharing a coffee can provide a basis from which people can bond over and to how it connects the rich to the poor. A sociological imagination enables you to deepen your understanding of everything which appears to the naked eye to be mundane, so coffee is not simply just a drink to drink just as other things are not only as they