Sociological Imagination As A Social Problem

Introduction
A common issue that most families deal with is conflict, it is often overlooked due to the fact that people often cannot physically see the consequences especially if the conflict is mostly verbal. It is seen as a small issue and sometimes even as a regular part of life however; it can have detrimental consequences on children and teenagers. In this essay, with the use of the sociological imagination, I will break down this issue and discuss whether it is a personal problem or if it is part of a larger issue.

The Sociological Imagination
“The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals.” (Mills,

The difference between a personal problem and a social issue is that a social issue is a problem that may be thought to be unique to an individual but is actually part of a larger problem affecting many people. Using the sociological imagination, we can separate these issues when looking at a certain individual’s circumstances. For example: Homeless people. Often our first thought when we see a homeless man begging at a traffic light is that he put himself in that situation through the choices he made, this would make it a personal problem. However, this may not always be the case, as the rates of unemployment and poverty soar in South Africa. 54% of the South African population are found in poverty (Lilenstein, Woolard & Liebbrandt; 2016: 193). Through this we find that it may not be the fault of a single individual but rather the country or the community. People who live in poverty may live that way because of age, nationality or ill health, these problems are not choices made by the individual and can therefore be seen as a social

Often, parents struggle to maintain a balance between work and family, the conflict caused by this was well defined by Greenhaus & Beutell (1985:76) “Work-family conflict exists when time devoted to the requirements of one role makes it difficult to fulfil requirements of another; strain from participation in one role makes it difficult to fulfil requirements of another; and specific behaviours required by one role make it difficult to fulfil the requirements of