The Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills

C. Wright Mills utilised the expression “The Sociological Imagination” in his 1959 publication of the same name, to define several unique aspects of the sociological science that he deemed to be of immense importance. Since then, his theory of the Sociological Imagination has become a staple facet to many undergraduate sociology courses, as well as a foundation towards a basic sociological understanding. Unsurprisingly, over the 56 years since Mills introduced his theory, a number of academics and individuals have interpreted the concept. Of these, a range in quality, accuracy, depth and complexity can be noted, however a general strand of consistency exists among them, which will be discussed.
C. Wright Mills theory can be broken down into three main components: biography, history, and social structure, which collate to form “The
Wright Mills’ theory is YouTube clip “C. Wright Mills – The Sociological Imagination”, whereby, as with the two previous clips, the concept of relating personal problems to societal issues is examined in depth. The narrator uses an example of students struggling to make ends meet on a monthly basis, and details that students perceive this to be a result of individual circumstance, as opposed to a much wider social issue (high rent, price increases in groceries, and so forth). Furthermore, the clip continues on to discuss the importance of implementing the Sociological Imagination into research, stressing that it “allows us to grasp the relationship between personal biography and how you fit into the bigger picture, history and society” (Marshall, 2012). In doing so, all three core aspects to the Sociological Imagination theory are examined, using relatively complex language within the slides, however simplified with relevant examples and narration, in a bid to instruct persons as to how to view the world form an outsiders perspective and the “sociological reality of everyday life” (Marshall,