Sociological imagination

Account_for_C_wright_Mills_sociological_imagination_and_explain_how_it_applies_to_peoples_lives.doc The_Sociological_Imagination_lecture_notes.doc Account for C wright Mills sociological imagination and explain how it applies to peoples lives? Dear writer this is an exam question , I need to learn it off by heart it is out of 40 marks so please keep it simple to the point and answer the question I need a intro body and conclusion . Don't reference as I cant in the exam I will attach notes from my lecture on this topic it may help you ? The Sociological Imagination Mills used the term to identify a defining feature of sociology, that is, its concern with pointing out the connections between individual behaviour and the social forces which have shaped it. Mills used the term private trouble to refer to those factors specific to individuals, such as their psychological characteristics. In contrast public issues are those situations not caused by individual factors but by social forces which are beyond the power of any single individual to change. Defining feature of sociology: pointing out the connections between individual behaviour and the social forces which have shaped it. Examples: Unemployment, childbirth practices, maternal morbidity and mortality rates for indigenous women, divorce, size of families. The Sociological Imagination in plain language To find out why people do what they do, sociologists look at the corners in life that people occupy because of where they are located in a society -gender, ethnicity, income, geographical location “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp the connection between history and biography.” society is located in a broad stream of events. Each society has specific characteristics—(gender ideas). Biography = each individual's specific experiences. The society in which we grow up, and our particular location in that society, lie at the centre of what we do and how we think. Peter Berger (1963) “society within us.” Socialisation the transmission of culture from one generation to the next refers to the way in which human beings learn to develop the patterns of behaviour, experiences and identities relevant to their culture. Are our identities derived from a combination of our genetic inheritance and our psychological development? Sociologists would argue that through socialisation, though not denying the role of genetic inheritance, a substantial part of our identity is derived from our social environment. Primary socialisation – The family Secondary socialisation – Schools (Hidden curriculum), peer groups, media. Re-socialisation the transmission of culture from one generation to the next refers to the way in which human beings learn to develop the patterns of behaviour, experiences and identities relevant to their culture. Are our identities derived from a combination of our genetic inheritance and our psychological development? Sociologists would argue that through socialisation, though not denying the role of genetic inheritance, a substantial part of our identity is derived from our social environment. Primary socialisation – The family Secondary socialisation – Schools (Hidden curriculum), peer groups, media. Re-socialisation