Social imagination and the Social perspectives free essay sample

The concept â€Å"sociological imagination’ was introduced by C.Wright Mills in 1959 The sociological imagination is a concept of being able to think ourselves away from the familiar routines of our daily lives in order to look at them in a different a more wider perspective. Mills defined sociological imagination as â€Å"the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society.† To have a sociological imagination, a person must be able to pull away from the situation and think from an alternative point of view. POPULAR SOCIAL SCIENCE. 2013. The Sociological Imagination: Thinking Outside the Box. [online] Available at: http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2013/04/29/the-sociological-imagination-thinking-outside-the-box/ [Accessed: 1 Nov 2013]. There is a Historical component to the sociological imagination too, you cannot apply the same concepts to one era when talking about another, you have to understand the behavior within the relevant time period you are studying. (Crossman, 2013) Another way of describing sociological imagination is the understanding that social outcomes are shaped by social context, actors, and social actions. We will write a custom essay sample on Social imagination and the Social perspectives or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sociological imagination can also be considered as the capacity to see things socially, how they interact, and influence each other. Sociological imagination also plays a central role in the sociological perspective. Sociologists look at events from a holistic, or multidimensional, perspective. Using sociological imagination, they examine both personal and social forces when explaining any phenomenon. Crossman, A. 2013. The Sociological Imagination. [online] Available at: http://sociology.about.com/od/Works/a/Sociological-Imagination.htm [Accessed: 1 Nov 2013]. Equals: The Sociological Imagination Think Like a sociologist: The ability to see things socially and how things interact and influence each other. Not an individualistic view! Put aside assumptions and stereotypes and personal experiences Understanding the current time period you are observing. Holistic/broad/general Approach The Sociological perspective: Sociology differs to other scientific practices in many ways for instance; when compared to Psychology, Sociology uses mainly a holistic approach while Psychology uses an individualistic approach. Unlike economics it does not confine itself to one particular area of social life Sociology is not a definitive science because it does not have one rule that applies to all aspects of its study. The sociological perspectives consist of : Functionalism, conflict theory, post modernism symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism: : society is thought to be socially constructed through human interpretation. People interpret one another’s behavior and it is these interpretations that form the social bond Symbolic interactionism: Critics of this theory claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation—the â€Å"big picture.† In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the â€Å"trees† rather than the â€Å"forest†. Conflict theory: This perspective is derived from the works of Karl Marx. Whereas most other sociological theories focus on the positive aspects of society, conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society. Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change (even when this means social revolution), and believe rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak Post Modernism: In sociology, post-modernism refers to a concept which encompasses a wide range of ideals, methods and practices. Examples of postmordernism include: feminism and post-structuralism. They believe that society has been fragmented due to the increased role the media has in our society.  Postmodernists argue against the notion of a scientific sociology Functionalism: Society is the way it is because of general consensus, Functionalists argue that society is a structure with interrelated parts. They commonly use the analogy of a human body compared to society. The elements making up society for instance norms, customs and institutions work as the organs work in a human body.