Question 1
C. Wright Mills claimed that the sociological imagination transformed what?
Question 2
Sociologist C. Wright Mills preferred to call the sociological perspective “the sociological imagination” and he saw it transforming personal troubles into public issues. Let’s begin our discussion this week by considering homelessness. Why are a high percentage of the homeless veterans? What situations might be a cause in someone being homeless? Use the sociological imagination to explain your observations, and how the sociological imagination helps us consider the causes and possible solutions to homelessness?
Answer to question 1
The sociological imagination has to do with your ability to mentally divorce yourself, from your place in society, and look at a society thru an objective lens, instead of from the view of someone who lives in that society. How do the police interact with certain groups in society? How do businesses treat their workers? How do people in a society interact with one another and the institutions within that society? How is power distributed in society? Mills felt it was important to view all these things as if you were an outsider, in order to obtain a more objective perspective, as opposed to one that is biased by your place in that society.
Answer to question 2
Why are a high percentage of the homeless veterans? What situations might be a cause in someone being homeless?
One of the major reasons of veterans being homeless is due to the huge amount of poverty that they face, accompanied by the lack of any kinds of supports, and living conditions that are desolate. There are many reasons of the veterans being homeless some of which are inavailability of affordable housing, and lack of proper access to health care. One of the reasons that also influence homelessness is post traumatic stress disorder as well as substance abuse. Also, due to the extensive training, veterans fall short and at a disadvantage because their training cannot be incorporated at most of the work places and for them, finding an employment becomes an extremely difficult job, adding to their financial crisis.
One of the major reasons of being homeless is the lack of being able to pay rents or have a permanent house. For this, the veterans need personal development and job training along with placement assistance. Obtaining as well as Sustaining importance is important to maintain a housing facility, and this may be one of the major reasons of the homeless veterans.
Solutions need to be brought about by the government and certain organisations that could come up to provide substance abuse care and employment assistance to the veterans. Also, it is required that certain occupational therapists should also be in touch with these organisations such that they could provide assistance with patients suffering from PTSD.