Sociology

A formal study of the society demands intricate discipline from the sociologist. This is so because society is a complex organization composed of individuals, groups, culture, and worldview. This complexity results from the combination of large-scale social forces and the individual actions. The sociologist must possess the capacity to see this complexity both from a macro and micro perspectives. This capacity is termed as sociological imagination.

Mills argued that the present day is an age of frustration. People fell that their private lives are a series of trap (1). Mills maintained that people are trapped because their worldviews and visions are limited to the close-up scenes of job, family, and the immediate neighborhood. These individuals do not understand the sociological patterns related to their private troubles. As Mills noted

They sense that within their everyday worlds, they cannot overcome their troubles, and in this feeling, they are often quite correct. What ordinary people are directly aware of and what they try to do are bounded by the private orbits in which they live their visions and their powers are limited to the close-up scenes of job, family, neighborhood in other milieu, they move vicariously and remain spectators. And the more aware they become, however vaguely, of ambitions and of threats which transcend their immediate locales, the more trapped they seem to feel (1).

Now, the most fruitful distinction which the sociological imagination works is between personal troubles and public issues (social structure). Before proceeding to a thorough discussion of this subject matter, there is a need to clarify some things. Every field of science works through a series of frameworks, which apparently are useful tools of analysis. The boundary between personal troubles and public issues is not strictly unambiguous. Indeed, in many of Mills writings, he himself clarified that the boundary which separates the two is creaky. Lastly, it is impossible to dissociate personal troubles from public issues, as the two are clearly related social facts.

Now, troubles occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his or her immediate relations with others (2). Two facts are clearly established. First, troubles are inherent in the character of the individual. Second, they are limited to special areas of concern (individual). Mills continued

Accordingly, the statement and the resolution of troubles properly lie within the individual as a biographical entity and within the scope of ones immediate milieu - the social setting that is directly open to her personal experience and to some extent her willful activity. A trouble is a private matter values cherished by an individual are felt by her to be threatened (2).

The individual is overtly aware of hisher conditions. Heshe seeks to rectify the consequences of the trouble and attempts to create an atmosphere of willful activity. Indeed, this is a means to reinvigorate hisher sense of dignity.

Now, issues have to do with matters that go beyond the local environments of the individual. Issues have to do with the organization of many such milieu into institutions of a historical society as a whole, with the ways in which various milieu overlap and interpenetrate to form the larger structure of social and historical life (2). In short, when private troubles aggregate, they become a force to be reckoned with in the society. They essentially become a part of the social environment. A cherished value is threatened when all things fall apart. A public issue involves a crisis in institutional arrangements. It is more than an aggregate of personal troubles it is an entity independent from the conduct of men.

To illustrate the difference between personal troubles and public issues, consider divorce. Suppose that there are 1000 marriages annually. If there are one or two couples who separated for a variety of reasons, then such occasion is an example of personal troubles. Note that the troubles are inherent in the character of the couple (since this is an issue between man and wife). The trouble is a special concern of the couple. It is within the couples authority to rectify the deficiencies of marriage.

Now, suppose that out of 1000 marriages annually, 100 couples divorce. This is an example of a public issue. Marriage both as an institution and generalized value is threatened. It is threatened because a significant portion of the population experiences divorce. Divorce here is assumed to be a dangerous threat because it destroys marriage both as an institution and value. Note that the issue goes beyond the individual lives of married couples. It is an entity which becomes part of the social structure.

It is tempting to assume that numbers or proportionality alone is the formal basis of a public issue. Effect is also another factor. Suppose that there are 5000 murder cases in the country. If only 40 of those murder cases occur in a particular district, then it becomes a public issue. Why is this the case It is only 0.8 of the total murder cases. Note that the 40 murder cases occur only in a particular district. This is comparatively high than in other districts. Thus, it becomes a public issue (a national issue). What is the immediate effect This only shows that citizens in the particular district is more prone to crime (murder) than other citizens in other districts. Now, the duty of the national government is to reduce the potential number of murder cases in the district.

It is insignificant whether an individual considers hisher personal troubles apart from a larger public issue. The thing is, hisher personal trouble, from a societal point of view, is part of a larger social issue. When personal troubles become a public issue, its resolution is dependent on the ability of the society to find meaningful solutions. That being said, the government (which is part of the society) should never ignore the implications of any public issue because it often increases in size and scope.

There are three ways to determine whether a situation is a personal trouble or public issue. First, the situation must go beyond the confines of ones life or character. Second, the issue is magnified in a significant number of individuals. Lastly, the effect of this issue must be felt in almost all social dimensions. It must influence social action as it pertains to specific issues. Indeed, a public issue often has the ability to distort other issues. As such, it is often impossible to separate one issue from another because they are indirectly related by social action. Social action is, by definition, the action of social aggregates.