Our decisions do not simply result from what philosophers call free will.

Our decisions do not simply result from what philosophers call free will. Sociology teaches us that the social world guides our life choices in much the same way that the physical world influences our choice of clothing or the type of food we feel like eating. C. Wright Mills pointed to the power of what he called the sociological imagination to help us understand everyday events. As he saw it, society, not people’s personal failings, is the main cause of poverty and other social problems.

For this assignment, explain how a personal problem can be caused by a larger social issue. It can be a problem that you, a friend or family member, or someone you have read about has experienced. Describe the situation, putting both the personal problem and the larger social issue in boldface, and then explain the relationship in terms of cause and effect. Limit your response to a single double-spaced page.

Remember to submit your assignment for grading.

MODEL ANSWER

Personal Problem:  Anorexia

I remember when I was at the age of 15 years old, I started having issues regarding my body image and how I looked like. Being an adolescent at the time made me stop eating and instead invested in exercising more. This became the trend for me as I tried to lose weight in the shortest time I could. Everything shifted to my mind. Even though I managed to lose weight, I suffered from amenorrhea in the process, the bond with my mum became worse by the day in this period. I recall my mother trying to get me to eat, but I didn’t want to destroy my perfect body. To many people, the ideal fit and body is the skinny and well-built body (Sobal & Maurer, 2017). I tried to fit in at the expense of my health, but that changed as I gained more insight into what is essential in life. 

Larger Social Issue: Body Image 

When I take a look at my situation, I realize that it was not only a personal issue but also social. All along, I believed that I was meant to fit into society and how they viewed me. The society fans the idea that the ideal body is the thin and well-aligned waistlines or bodies. So many people try so hard to fit into that description especially women who desire to have perfect waistlines among other things (Tomas-Aragones & Marron, 2016). Actors and actresses picked to act specific roles sell this very idea despite the health effects that not eating has on their health. The society and the media expect us to fit into the current wave of the perfect body image at all costs, but we are the ones who lose instead…