...Sociological Theories in My Own Road Map A professor once said that sociological theories are simple maps of our own social world (Roberts, 2015). Just like maps provide individuals with information of how to get from point A to point B, sociological theories allow us to relate important social features to our society and especially to our own lives. Sociological theorists have tried to explain ways of how individuals have been affected, through their own experiences of present and past social features. Some of those features are known to be race, class, gender and also power. Like a map, a theory allows us to see how one of these features relates to the others and how it can affects us in a micro- and macro- level perspective. With the perspectives...
Words: 408 - Pages: 2
...(Furze et al, 2015). In reflection of my sociology studies this semester, the key concept that highlights what I’ve learned and how the knowledge gained as a result has impacted my personal experiences is the “Sociological Imagination”. The Sociological Imagination is a unique way of thinking that allows individuals to see the interrelation between private troubles...
Words: 616 - Pages: 3
...Sociological Imagination Abstract In this paper I am going to describe an example from my life to utilize the sociological imagination, which depicts the linkage between personal troubles and public issues, how public issues caused my personal troubles. I will talk about pressure of the media and society, and how they influence many girls to go to the gym to get perfect body image. Mills believed that being able to see the relationship between the ordinary lives of people and the wider social forces was the key to the social imagination. The sociological imagination helps individuals understand the society by looking into a bigger picture of the position they are in, mostly in the environment they are living in. Going through this process helps individuals to see great link between personal troubles and public issues. In this paper I will describe an example from my life to utilize the sociological imagination, and how public issues affected my life. I will describe how public issues caused my personal trouble of conveying beauty and a good body image. As I was grew up I was a chubby kid, and although I didn’t have any major troubles I started growing an obsession of having and creating perfect body image. At that time both of my parents were not emotionally available and both of them struggled with alcohol addiction...
Words: 726 - Pages: 3
...problem but are now coming to the eyes of the public to find solutions. In my essay I am going to discuss fully the meaning of sociological imagination, the difference between personal problems and the public issue that the youth of South Africa faces. I will also discuss about the measures that needs to be done in order reduce the challenges and problems that affect different individuals. 2. THE MEANING OF SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION. ‘‘Sociological Imagination is the capacity to see how sociological situations play out due to how people differ in terms of their places in given social and historical circumstances. It is a way of thinking about things in the society that have led to some sort of outcome, and understanding what causes to that outcome” (Mills, 1959:2). The things we do are shaped by the situation we are in, the values we have and the way we act around people. Sociological Imagination can be considered as a quality of mind around that understands the interplay of the individual and society. By developing a sociological imagination we are able to see that we are socialized, and we are able to view how social environment has an effect on decisions that we make. Social environment differ across many boundaries but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender and class. Social change happens all time it is debatable and considered but often unplanned and this matter changes more to others. The sociological imagination helps people to connect their problems with public problems...
Words: 1340 - Pages: 6
...example that demonstrates this concept is when my twelfth grade teacher wrote a reference letter on my behalf. This letter was compulsory in order to gain admission in post-secondary institutions in England, particularly to study L.L.B, and luckily I was accepted, upon to which...
Words: 973 - Pages: 4
...Mid-Term Assignment By: Table of Content Cover……………………………………………….………………………..Page 1 Introduction…………………………………….…………………….…..Page3 Question 1) What is Sociological Imagination?...........Page4/5 Question 2) What do We mean when we say nobody understands Insanity?.......................................................................Page6 Conclusion/References……………………………………………..Page7 Introduction In this assignment I will answer the Two questions given in class by the lecturer which are: • What is Sociological Imagination? and • What do we mean, when we say no one understands insanity? I will use help from online sources and material given in class (slide about D.L. Rosenhan, 1973, on being sane in insane places.) given by the lecturer to help me develop ideas and reach a good conclusion and understanding of the questions above. I will also analyse Sociological Imagination based on C. Wright Mills ideas, I will develop my own ideas on sociological imagination and also have a critical analysis on insanity and sanity, explaining why is difficult or almost impossible to differentiate the sane from the insane. I will also relate inanity to Sociological imagination. This assignment contains references and aconclusion. Question 1) What is Sociological Imagination? Sociological imagination, is a neologism of sociology, analysed by the American social scientist C. Wright Mills in 1959, that seeks to describe the connection process between...
Words: 1202 - Pages: 5
...not include the title page). * Refer to at least six sociological concepts covered in the lectures or textbook reading. Highlight these concepts in boldface. * Connect your concepts to the TCOs. Indicate the TCOs covered in parentheses, as demonstrated in the assignment instructions. Grading Rubric: Component | Points Possible | Submission refers to at least six sociological concepts covered in the lectures or textbook reading | 55 | Submission relates each concept to the appropriate TCO | 20 | Submission meets minimum length requirement of three to four pages of text | 10 | Submission is well-written and well-organized and free from mechanical errors (errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar) | 10 | Submission is in correct APA format, with a title page | 5 | | 100 TOTAL POINTS | The following excerpt on a socioautobiography is taken directly from: Kanagy, C. L., & Kraybill, D. B., (1999). The Riddles of Human Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. (Pp. 287, 288,289). Socioautobiography “The purpose of the socioautobiography is to use the insights from sociology to better understand your own story; it is a way of using the concepts of sociology to explore our personal riddle. But the socioautobiography is not a diary or a point-by-point account of your life since infancy. It is rather a reflective exercise in which you step outside of yourself and employ sociological concepts to interpret your experiences. . . . it uses the...
Words: 720 - Pages: 3
...Introduction: Being an other in Singapore When I was in a train on the way to school during my junior college days, I ran into a situation on the train during the morning rush hour. A mum refused to let her son sit beside an African on the train and when questioned why by her husband, she spoke in a hushed tone “They are dangerous people you know, violent, dirty and poor…” Appalled at her remark, I struggled to reason as to why would she have such an impression towards a complete stranger she never met before just by basing her judgment on his skin color. The Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is defined by C Wright Mills (1997) to be the “vivid awareness of the relationship and the wider society”.[1] By possessing the...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...“The Promise” is to introduce a manner of thinking referred to the sociological imagination. The key question that Mills is addressing is how does one achieve that higher level of thinking and reasoning, and why is it important in the context of society and the individual? Important information relevant to the subject includes pointing out humankind’s erroneous current way of thinking, and a series of questions an individual can ask themselves that consequently will induce a perspective shift. The main concepts of the article focus on distinguishing and integrating history with biography, while also incorporating the concept of conflicts. Mills creates two categories for these conflicts the individual trouble and a broader issue (Mills, 2018/1957). The main assumptions in the article are that for the average person information is hard to take in and reasoning is beyond their capabilities, so by developing a sociological imagination people are...
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
...self in regards to both the victim and victimizer. An example or a specific case would help better explain this situation. Like some children, I was a bully and harassed several classmates for different reasons such as the way they look, the way talk and their personal interests. I was in grade six and there was a new "no bullying" policy that had just been implemented in my school....
Words: 910 - Pages: 4
...world without preconceptions. This way, I can see and understand things in a new way and perspective. Specifically, I want to assess the behavior of the black men and why there are subjected to police discrimination most of the time. This is crucial because the individuals in the society are inherently connected with each other (Ferris & Stein). As what Ferris and Stein have mentioned,...
Words: 1364 - Pages: 6
...Technology and Social Change in Healthcare Today there are many technologies that have provided change in our social environments. For example, we have access to laptop/computers, the Internet, cell phones, and android pads. This is beneficial because we can use the Internet to obtain information almost instantly to assist in research and education as well as staying in communication with friends and family. I believe that every household should have access to these technologies but due to socioeconomic conditions that is not possible. I feel that the technology today has evolved from landline telephones and going to the library to being able to make calls anytime from anywhere and find information at the touch of our fingertips. The gap between social economic backgrounds needs to be closed so that everyone has the access to all technology. Influence of Technology on Social Change The Business Dictionary defines technology as “the purposeful application of information in the design, production, and utilization of goods and services, and in the organization of human activities.” In addition, they further breakdown the definition of technology into five categories “Tangible, Intangible, High, Intermediate, and Low.” Our life modes have been greatly changed over the years. A few examples include but not limited to education, government, healthcare and new communication inventions. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines Social Change “in sociology, the alteration of mechanisms...
Words: 1613 - Pages: 7
...If we are not responsible for who we are. can welfare workers be of help? To begin with we need to look at life with a sociological imagination, this is an acquired skill that once mastered opens the mind to all types of correlations and influences that may have an impact on society. It may help to connect an individual’s personal problems to public issues and therefore have an impact on how the welfare worker would work with that individual. These correlations can be interpreted by various sociological theories and explain actions and states that may be necessary to recognise as a welfare worker. Using a hospital as a microcosm of society the different theoretical perspective in sociology can be looked at and used to explain where the welfare worker fits in and what issues they may encounter or need to take into account when working with the system. Welfare work is about counselling clients, recognising the influences that may be affecting them, helping them to realise goals and or solutions and empowering them to take action. In the Hospital setting clients may be the children or families of the children. It is important to create rapport with your clients and maintain a professional manner and operate within frameworks of counselling. These can reassurance clients their needs are being dealt with in what may be times of stress. When first dealing with clients you make an assessment, this assessment can begin to fill in many details, that although each client is individual...
Words: 458 - Pages: 2
...Applying the Sociological Perspectives Amy Johnson SOC/100 May 9th, 2016 Emily Frydrych Applying the Sociological Perspectives For my paper on applying the sociological perspectives, I chose to analyze and talk about employer/employee relations. I chose this topic because I feel that everyone can relate to this because I believe that we all have had at least one job in our lifetime. For me, I feel that this is going to be one that I can relate to and I will be able to think of my own personal experiences when it comes to using all three perspectives when analyzing employer/ relations. Functionalism is the way that each part of society functions to contribute as a whole. I feel that in a job situation, if we all contribute to a task at hand, then will be successful at doing our job. Even if our job does not require us to work as a team, if we all pitch in and do our part, our employer will be successful. Herbert Spence (Spencer, 1898) stated that “just as the various organs of the body work together to keep the body functioning, the various parts of society work together to keep society functioning.” (Ch. 1, p.15) I really like and agree with what he is saying here because at our job with our employer, we need to work together so that we are successful. Conflict is when members of society have social differences. I think that it is ok to have some conflict at work, but not to the point where the employer/employee feels that they have or that they are in a hostile...
Words: 817 - Pages: 4
...social issue that interests me is “Racism”. Racism have always been a social problem that has been around throughout different parts of history. Even dating back to biblical times racism has been relevant. My personal definition of Racism would be. The dislike of a person, by another because of their skin color; language customs. Racism exists in different ways. It can be individual, institutional, cultural, religion racism and so forth. In Merriam Webster its says Racism can be defined as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”. Now that you know what racism is let me tell you a little something about its. Today overt racism in this country has decreased because more people believe in evaluating other by the content of their character (Macionis, 2010). Describe how your issue fits into the field of sociology. Which sociological theories and terminology from the text apply to your social issue? There are several sociological theories about why prejudice, discrimination, and racism exist. These sociological theories focus mainly on explaining the existence of racism, particular institutional racism. Audrey Smedley (1993) The three major sociological perspectives (functionalist theory, symbolic interaction theory, and conflict theory) each have their own explanations to the existence of racism. Functionalist Theorist...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
