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What Does It Mean To Have A Sociological Imagination

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What Does It Mean To Have A Sociological Imagination
Explain what it means to have a sociological imagination and discuss how it impacts our interactions with others.
A sociological imagination is “how individuals understand their own and others’ pasts in relation to history and social structure” (Keirns, N., Strayer, E. Griffiths, H., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Saddler, T. & Vyain, S., 2012). The sociological imagination impacts interactions with other people because everyone has a different perspective on issues and topics. For example, someone who was sexually assaulted as a young child might view sex with their spouse differently than someone who is a virgin or has always consented to sexual intercourse before they got married. A persons experiences shape their lens of how they view the world around them; everyone has a different pair of glasses that they view the …show more content…
They also state that conflict theory is when society is viewed as a competition for the limited resources that are available. Of these two theories, conflict theory is more realistic for how societies today operate. Most people view the world as how they can gain the most amounts of material substances compared to other people living in the world. Society views life as a competition for the resources that are available to the human race. For example, college students have scholarships that are available to them to assist in paying for expenses as they progress through their college careers. All of the college students that are eligible for these scholarships have to compete for these limited resources. It is a competition for who is better and fit for the monetary values of these scholarships. Conflict theory can be seen at play everywhere in society everyday, especially as the world becomes more populated and the resources available become more
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