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Sociology vocabulary · Theories and Thinkers

Sociological imagination

Meaning in sociology, with examples

nounCore term

In sociology, sociological imagination means: The ability to see the link between personal experiences and wider social forces, so that private troubles can be understood as public issues.

In Turkish: sosyolojik imgelem, sosyolojik tahayyül

How it is used

The term comes from C. Wright Mills's 1959 book The Sociological Imagination. Lecturers often introduce it in the first week of an introductory course, and students are asked to apply it to examples such as unemployment, divorce or debt.

Example sentences

  1. Using the sociological imagination, we can see one person's unemployment as part of a wider economic crisis.

  2. The essay asks you to apply the sociological imagination to your own education.

Common collocations

  • develop a sociological imagination
  • apply the sociological imagination
  • private troubles and public issues
  • societyA large group of people who live in a shared territory, interact with one another and share institutions, rules and, to some degree, a common culture.
  • social structureThe relatively stable pattern of social relationships, institutions and positions in a society, which shapes and limits what individuals can do.
  • agencyThe capacity of individuals to act independently, make their own choices and change their circumstances, despite the limits set by social structure.

More terms: Theories and Thinkers

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