Australia Society (History
Sociological imagination is one of the ideologies associated with Wright Mills. This term
describes the understanding of the relationship that exists between private occurrences and the
broader society. Based on this definition, the key concepts of sociological imagination revolve
around such societal factors as motives and norms. History, social structure, and biography are
the key aspects of sociological imagination as indicated by Wright Mills. History evaluates the
elements that define the society as well as the embedded changes. Similarly, biography
highlights the nature of human beings within the societal framework as well as the different
population groups inhabiting a community. Furthermore, social structure explains the
functioning of different societal institutions (In Scott & In Nilsen, 2013). These aspects of
sociological imagination are the basis of Mills’ arguments regarding the existing distinctions
between personal troubles and public issues. In addition to evaluating these distinctions, this
paper will show how people in the early twenty-first century fill trapped as indicated by Mills in
the mid twentieth century.
Wright Mills argue that sociological imagination functions through the distinctions that
occur between public issues and personal troubles. This theorist indicates that troubles relate to
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a person’s character and the limitations in one’s social life, which an individual understands
personally and directly. In order to describe these troubles and identify effective resolutions, it is
important to assess the individual’s biography as well as the scope of the social setting of his or
her personal experiences. This justifies the argument that trouble is a private aspect. In contrast,
issues are elements that go beyond a person’s local environment and the restrictions in his or her
social life (In Scott & In Nilsen, 2013). They are a public aspect, which entails the organization
of various factors within the institutions of a particular society. Public issues exhibit a crisis in
the arrangement of institutions found in a certain community.
One of the aspects that exemplify the distinctions between public issues and private
troubles in a contemporary society entails unemployment. In a metropolitan area harboring one-
hundred individuals, a personal trouble is presented when one individual does not have any form
of employment. In an effort to resolve such an issue, the key evaluated aspects include the
person’s character, skills and direct opportunities. However, if a country that has more than 50
million citizens hosts 15 million unemployed individuals, sociologists term the scenario as a
public issue. Accordingly, the solutions of the latter case may not include the range of
employment opportunities that one can benefit from at an individual level. The relevant
authorities may have to evaluate the hitches in the political and social arrangements (In Scott &
In Nilsen, 2013).
In my opinion, population groups in the early twenty-first century are still trapped in the
way that Mills describes in the mid twentieth century. As indicated by this theorist, a large
percentage of the general populace focuses on personal troubles while disregarding public issues.
This makes it difficult to resolve most of the problems faced by the residents of a particular
community. Instead of focusing on the needed changes on political and social institutions,
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individuals tend to concentrate on their personal skills, character, and opportunities. As indicated
by Wrights Mills, the created restrictions have adverse effects at the individual and societal
levels (In Scott & In Nilsen, 2013). In conclusion, I concur with Mills’ argument regarding the
need to focus on public structures and institutions as opposed to personal characters and
experiences in order to solve the major problems facing the modern societies.
Reference
In Scott, J., & In Nilsen, A. (2013). C. Wright Mills and the sociological imagination:
Contemporary perspectives.
