With sociological imagination one must be able to shift from one perspective to another and grasp what is happening in the world. With the concept one must also be able to make a distinction between their personal troubles and public issues in the social structure. Personal troubles are at an individual level and can be limited by the scope of one biography and social life. Public issues are when the matters involve local environment of the social structure. Personal troubles and public issues are often both connected. One example of these that is often used is unemployment. Unemployment can occur at a personal level for many reasons such as relocation, laziness, lack of knowledge, no job availability, education, and experience. But it may also be a public issue when it happens due to outsourcing or companies shutting down due to the economy or location. Another example C. Wright Mills writes about in his book is marriage. A marriage is between the husband and wife they may experience difficulties in their marriage that results in divorce which is personal troubles. It becomes a social issue when the divorce rate increases during a certain time span may indicate structural issues based on society. While there are many personal troubles that relate to
social issues there are several that stand out. C. Wright Mills named several in his book The Social Imagination. Unemployment, divorce, war and metropolis are some of the ones he discussed. His book was written in 959 and I think in todays society there are also different types of troubles.
Our textbook The Real World discussed if someone is carrying a lot of credit card debt, psychological reasoning might focus on the persons lack of self-control or inability to delay gratification. The sociological reasoning might focus on the impact of cultural norms that promote a lifestyle beyond means. An individual may use their credit card to purchase unnecessary items such as a Coach purse or the latest IPhone may not be thinking of the increasing personal debt they may be acquiring by making the purchases. The of course is an example of personal trouble because of the increasing debt that is a personal issue the individual must pay back. It becomes a social issue because the individual feels like they must keep up with others in society around them that are carrying the Coach purse and the latest IPhone. The cultural norm of society is get first and pay later which in turn makes it difficult for an individual living pay check to pay check to make ends meat.