C. Wright Mills (1916-1962) was a contemporary sociologist who brought tremendous insight into the daily lives of society’s members. Prior to Mills’ work, structural functionalism was the primary philosophy of the field. One way one can think about this, he offered, is to recognize that what we often experience as "personal troubles," like not having enough money to pay our bills, are actually "public issues"—the result of social problems that course through society and affect many, like systemic economic inequality and structural poverty. Well, it can make your taxes simpler, or make you more qualified to get a home loan. Mills wanted sociologists to consider humans as products of society, but also society as products of humanity. So much of sociology was based on existing systems that Mills felt the field focused on method over humanity. As previously mentioned, C. Wright Mills is the origin of the term “sociological imagination.” In his 1959 book The Sociological Imagination, the Columbia University professor of sociology suggested that sociologists rethink the way they were engaging with the field. While Mills' ideas were revolutionary and upsetting to many within sociology at the time, today they form the bedrock of sociological practice. If your partner is from another country, it might help them stay within the US. Maybe you want to go running because you want to get into shape, and your favorite Instagram profile is big into running. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Understanding the Sociological Perspective, The Major Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology, How Emile Durkheim Made His Mark on Sociology, Biography of Patricia Hill Collins, Esteemed Sociologist, A Dental Health Activity With Eggshells and Soda, like systemic economic inequality and structural poverty. That can mean you’re able to make decisions less tinged with cultural bias—maybe you don’t need those expensive running shoes after all. Still, the third dimension to a cup of coffee is tied to social and economic relationships. When we understand historical and social contexts, we’re better equipped to look at our actions and the actions of our community as a result of systems—which can be changed—rather than as inherent to humanity. Another aspect to the sociological imagination on which Mills laid the most emphasis was our possibilities for the future. He suggested that sociologists should look beyond the common discourse and find alternate explanations and considerations. One of Mills’ biggest points was that an individual problem is often also a societal problem. This helps you escape your own perspective and think about the world differently. During his time, many sociologists engaged in a sort of top-down view of the world, focusing on systems rather than on individuals. But where did that tradition come from? The best way to illustrate what this involves is take a simple act which millions of people do every day, such as drinking a cup of coffee. Many sociologists were resistant to Mills’ suggested changes to the field. The sociological imagination is a method of thinking about the world. What are the benefits of developing a sociological imagination? Mills had this to say about the family: “Insofar as the family as an institution turns women into slaves and men into their chief providers and unweaned … What differed for Mills and his concept of the sociological imagination was that he believed that society was not only a series of systems, but that the role of the individual should also be considered. A sociological investigation of coffee reveals that there are many social processes associated with the act. A good understanding of history is one of the core pieces to a good sociological imagination. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education. The societal imagination encourages people to think about their lives not just on an individual level, but also considering societal, biological, and historical context. Two of the most important works of Mills is the inception of the concepts ‘sociological imagination’ and ‘power elite’. However, as time has gone on, the field has come to regard him differently. The sociological imagination is the ability for someone to connect personal experiences to society at large and to historical forces. the sociological imagination: Coined by C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination is the ability to situate personal troubles and life trajectories within an informed framework of larger social processes. Have any questions about this article or other topics? Basically, the concept of sociological imagination suggests that who you are as an individual is also the you shaped by your immediate surroundings, your family, your friends, your country, and the world as a whole. If you ask, you might get all kinds of reasons: because it’s tradition, because it tastes good, because it’s what the pilgrims ate back in the early days of America. It wasn’t until the 17th and 18th centuries that love became a reason to marry, thanks to the Enlightenment idea that lives should be dedicated to pursuing happiness. When you think about buying a new pair of shoes, your explanation may be fairly simple, such as that you need a new pair of shoes for a particular purpose, like running or a school dance, or that you simply like the way they look. All of those factors—taste, personal history, and world history—lead to one small action of you eating turkey on a holiday. His challenge to the field helped reshape it into something that is concerned with the macro as well as the micro. He believed that sociology was a great tool for changing the world, and believed that using the sociological imagination encouraged people of all kinds, including sociologists, to expose and respond to social injustice. Psychology, like sociology, can give us insight into human behavior.