This blog discussion is based on chapter 1 and 2 of the book Seeing Ourselves, the articles by Peter Berger and C. W Mills.
Explain Peter Berger’s description of the sociological perspective as “seeing the general in the particular.” or C W Mills’s description of the sociological Imagination as ‘Perhaps the most fruitful distinction with which the sociological imagination works is between ‘the personal troubles of milieu’ and ‘the public issues of social structure.’
Explain how we know that the power of society is evident in the personal decision to bear a child or even in the act of committing suicide (e.g. at the Golden gate Bridge)
I think that it means that most sociologists are men…as you see in the chapters you see mostly men sociologists. I think that this happened because women are more sensitive then men when it comes to certain things. They become more attached then men and we are more emotional. I think that all the women sociologists have in common that they all say that you need contact and affection from humans in order to live a social life. It is important to recognize women in sociology because they look at things differently then men. Also women have different outlooks then men.
What Peter Berger means by seeing the General in the Particular is that in sociology we look at general patterns of social behavior in particular groups or individual people. Berger also had a the idea of seeing the strange in the familiar meaning that with sociology we can study normal patterns of our everyday lives that normally would not seem unusual, but when examined can show obvious patterns and biases that we otherwise would not notice. What C.W mills was saying about ‘the personal troubles of milieu’ and ‘the public issues of social structure.’ is that the sociological imagination can help us distinguish between and deal with personal/ private troubles and public issues. He believed that the beliefs of society and what people could hold on to such as their role definitions could help them deal with their own personal troubles and feel whole. This is related to the discussion on suicide and the research done by Durkheim on social interaction. Durkheim studied social groups in western Europe and found that among the groups with more social integration that suicide rates were much lower. Her work showed what impact social interactions can have on individuals. The sociological perspective is important because it can help us understand the reality behind our commonly held beliefs, it can help us understand what constraints are put on our lives by society, it can help us recognize diversity and help us deal with the challenges of living in a diverse world, and it can encourage individuals to become more socially aware and active.