SOCS185N-11504 Discussions Week 1 Discussion: Social Caus…! " This is a graded discussion: 25 points possible due Sep 9 at 1:59am Week 1 Discussion: Social Causes of Suicide 8 8 # Reply Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity: Lesson Minimum of 1 outside scholarly source Initial Post Instructions Sociologist C. Wright Mills preferred to call the sociological perspective the sociological imagination, and he saw it transforming personal troubles into public issues. Let us begin our discussion this week by considering suicide, which is thoroughly explored in Chapter 1 of the textbook. For the initial post, address the following: How does the sociological imagination help to examine private acts such as suicide within a larger societal context? What are some examples of social forces influencing youth suicide trends in the United States, suicide trends in India, and suicide trends in the U.S. military? Use the sociological imagination to explain your observations, and how the sociological imagination helps us consider the causes and possible solutions to suicide. Follow-Up Post Instructions Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification and/or include perspectives from outside scholarly sources shared in the discussion forum by classmates and/or the instructor. Writing Requirements Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up) APA format for in-text citations and list of references Include citations from at least the assigned textbook/lesson reading and one additional outside scholarly source to support your response. Grading This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link: Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines Course Outcomes (CO): 1, 2 Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday Reference Kendall, D. (2018). Sociology in our times: The essentials (11 ed). Boston: Cengage Learning. th Sheila Farr (Instructor) Aug 25, 2019 # Reply $ " Hello Students, As you begin to analyze “the sociological imagination, I encourage you to ask yourself the following question: “How can you analyze other situations, not just suicide as you will do in this question using what you have learned about the sociological imagination.” It may be helpful if you have this question in the back of your mind as you are addressing the various parts of this discussion question. I think this discussion will be a lively one! This discussion covers the following outcomes: (CO #1 ) (PO #1 & #3) as outlined in your syllabus. http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2013/04/29/t he-sociological-imagination-thinking-outside-the- box/ Best, Sheila Farr Sameera Farhood Thursday # Reply $ " Suicide is more than a private act amongst oneself. The sociological imagination helps us place seemingly personal troubles, such as loos.

1. SOCS185N-11504 Discussions Week 1 Discussion: Social
Caus…!
"
This is a graded discussion:
25 points possible
due Sep 9 at 1:59am
Week 1 Discussion: Social
Causes of Suicide
8 8
# Reply
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Lesson
Minimum of 1 outside scholarly source
Initial Post Instructions
Sociologist C. Wright Mills preferred to call the
sociological perspective the sociological imagination,
and he saw it transforming personal troubles into public
issues. Let us begin our discussion this week by
considering suicide, which is thoroughly explored in
Chapter 1 of the textbook.
For the initial post, address the following:

2. How does the sociological imagination help to
examine private acts such as suicide within a
larger societal context?
What are some examples of social forces
influencing youth suicide trends in the United
States, suicide trends in India, and suicide trends
in the U.S. military?
Use the sociological imagination to explain your
observations, and how the sociological
imagination helps us consider the causes and
possible solutions to suicide.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the
instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more
information and clarification and/or include perspectives
from outside scholarly sources shared in the discussion
forum by classmates and/or the instructor.
Writing Requirements
Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)
APA format for in-text citations and list of
references
Include citations from at least the assigned
textbook/lesson reading and one additional
outside scholarly source to support your response.
Grading
This activity will be graded using the Discussion
Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:
Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines
Course Outcomes (CO): 1, 2

3. Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on
Wednesday
Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on
Sunday
Reference
Kendall, D. (2018). Sociology in our
times: The essentials (11 ed).
Boston: Cengage Learning.
th
Sheila Farr (Instructor)
Aug 25, 2019
# Reply $
"
Hello Students,
As you begin to analyze “the sociological
imagination, I encourage you to ask yourself the
following question: “How can you analyze other
situations, not just suicide as you will do in this
question using what you have learned about the
sociological imagination.” It may be helpful if you
have this question in the back of your mind as you
are addressing the various parts of this discussion
question. I think this discussion will be a lively
one!
This discussion covers the following outcomes:

4. (CO #1 ) (PO #1 & #3) as outlined in your
syllabus.
http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2013/04/29/t
he-sociological-imagination-thinking-outside-the-
box/
Best,
Sheila Farr
Sameera Farhood
Thursday
# Reply $
"
Suicide is more than a private act amongst oneself.
The sociological imagination helps us place
seemingly personal troubles, such as loosing one's
job or feeling like committing suicide, into a larger
social context, where we can distinguish whether
and how personal troubles may be related to public
issues (Kendall, 2018). It helps us take personal
troubles, that are happening worldwide, and make
them into public issues. For example, in New Delhi,
India, a new economic boom has increased suicide
rates in the 15-29 age category, especially high
among those living in the wealthier areas. Many
people would read about an economic boom and
automatically think about how the civilians living in
that area must be living a "good" life, when in reality,
it is causing a major public issue behind the scenes.
The result? Intensified job anxiety, higher
expectations, and more pressure for individual

5. achievement (Kendall, 2018). The sociological
imagination is the reason today that we are able to
take personal troubles, such as suicide, and link
them to many different public issues, figuring out
what the cause is. It has helped us focus more on
the social problems causing individuals to act out
rather than blaming individuals for creating their own
problems, making them act in such ways. Many
sociologists have also used the sociological
imagination in a way to explore the relationship
between suicide and today's society, creating
theoretical perspectives. One perspective that was
applied to suicide is the Symbolic Interactionist
Perspective which focuses on studying at a
microlevel, analyzing people's face-face interactions
and the roles they play in society. From this point of
view, a suicide attempt may be a way of garnering
attention-a call for help- rather than ending ones life
(Kendall 2018). Social forces influencing youth
suicide trends starts with what one see's, hears
about or is exposed to. About a third of respondents
reported hearing about cutting from an outside
source, such as books, magazines, TV, or friends. In
some instances, it was picked up from friends who
were engaged in the practice. These findings
suggest that some self-injurers do in fact learn the
practice from others ( Taylor & Ibañez 2015). In
today's society I have observed many different
things when referring to suicide. I believe that there
are still problems with people blaming an individual
instead of trying to solve the issue, whether it is
personal or public; I have also seen many areas,
globally, attempt to reach out and help suicidal
people, making them feel like they have another
option, another reason to continue living. Overall,
the sociological imagination has helped us look

6. deeper into the causes of suicide, analyzing the
individual at a micro and macro-level, which has
helped us realize the private issue is more of a
public issue in todays society.
Taylor, J., & Ibañez, L. (2015). Sociological
approaches to self-injury. Sociology
Compass, 9(12), 1005-1014.
doi:10.1111/soc4.12327
Kendall, D. (2018). Sociology in our times: The
essentials (11 ed). Boston: Cengage Learningth
Amber Britt
Yesterday
# Reply $ (1 like)
"
Hello, Sameera! I loved your interpretation of C.
Wright Mills sociological perspective. I also
agree that a problem often seen is blaming. I'd
personally have to say blaming is another form
of and/or can lead to shaming which is a big
concern for me. An approach I've recently
learned about that can help minimize such acts
are social support as introduced in the functional
perspective of sociological imagination! Like any
plan, it could be disrupted, leading to a
disorderly system, so I encourage anyone
dealing with their own "private affairs or
distresses" to continue to seek help and
guidance and to be reminded that their problem

7. is not being faced by only them but others too
(global interdepence—a relationship in which
the lives of all people are closely intertwined and
any one nation's problems are part of a larger
global problem).
Eric Devich
Yesterday
# Reply $ (1 like)
"
Sameera, I agree that personal troubles refer to
the problems affecting the individuals, that the
affecting individual, including other members of
the society, typically will blame on the individuals
own personal and moral failings. As you have
said, blaming is a form of rejection that society
uses to reject a person who made mistakes or
failed at something. Instead society should do
everything to still accept that person and help
pick them back up. Just like Amber said in her
reply, there are many things in society that will
help an individual. Social Support definitely is a
big one. Social issues are the main reasons why
individuals commit suicide. When society makes
you feel like you belong, you get a since of
being wanted. This in turn gives that individual a
since of purpose. Appraisal support is another
key concept that should be followed. Having
another person to get reasonable advice from to
help in a certain situation is very beneficial. I
agree that the Social Imagination helps us to get
a bigger picture of what may cause suicide and
being able to look at the smaller details, which

8. help us to realize that an individual issue is
more of a public issue.
Amber Britt
Yesterday
# Reply $
"
One would think their struggles are supposedly lived
alone and told they are brought on because of their
own personal actions and decisions. C. Wright Mills
proposes those thoughts to be disprovable through a
systematic study called sociological imagination. It is
simply not ‘you vs. the world’, but you AND the
world. This perspective gives one the ability to
differentiate experiences of oneself and societal
molding and to see private affairs like financial
instability or unemployment are caused by social
causes like environmental concerns or even poverty.
Social Imagination is constructed of research
methods (e.g. surveys, questionnaires and
interviews) and theoretical perspectives such as the
functionalist perspective and symbolic interactions
which views society on a microlevel.
Global interdependence—a relationship in
which the lives of all people are closely intertwined
and any one nation's problems are part of a larger
global problem (Kendall, 2018)
is introduced when grasping an understanding of the
relations of both personal distresses and public
affairs. Mills points out that your problem is faced by
others but even so your simple daily activities like

9. jeopardizing study time to scroll on a social media
platform and like pictures. (Examples of Sociological
Imagination, n.d.) Sociological imagination,
encourages one to think outside of their norm, to
remove themselves and think beyond in certain
approaches, global for example. Society removes
individualistic decision making. One might think that
their subconscious decision to take a certain route
over the other or choice to purchase a specific brand
instead of the other is commonsense, almost like an
un-doubtly right decision that’s been shaped by past
experiences. C. Wright Mills deems “commonsense”
not commonsense at all but rather myths. (Kendall,
2018 p.6) For example, memes created by users on
the internet and shared by thousands a day can be
said to be agreeable or felt need to be. They
encourage groupthink and could produce harmful
outcomes like suicide. Memes or rather social media
ultimately, are big social forces influencing suicide
trends in the United States. Social media includes
any coverage that can be seen, heard or
experienced like tv shows (copycat suicides), the
news, and peer pressure from (cyber)bullies or
friends who’ve attempted themselves. Social media
in the U.S. even effects our food and drinking
consumption which becomes social rituals that
places more importance on the symbolic value of a
cup of coffee or tea than the food itself. A cup of tea
could be more than for a health benefit but rather
social interaction or coffee for its drug effects on the
brain rather taste. (Crossman, 2019)
Is the saying, “money can’t buy happiness”
true? The economic boom in Dehli, India proves it to
be. The suicide rates in India are highest amongst
the rich, in ages ranging from 15 to 29, as well the

10. well educated. (NDTV.com, 2012;Lancet 2012;
Kendall, 2018 p.7) It is understandable that with
wealth and proper education more opportunities are
introduced, however, so are job performance
anxieties, mental and health issues (e.g. sleep
disorders, depression, heart issues) and weakened
relationships with people because of moving. When
people move because of an increase of income,
they lose social support which is expressed to be
very important in the functionalist perspective of
sociological imagination. The functionalist
perspective, when disrupted leave people to
question their lives and their ability to live it. One
study that examined the functions of social support
in reducing or preventing suicidal ideation in Air
Force personnel during U.S. combat operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan found that all forms of social
support were not equally important in protecting
individuals against suicidal thoughts or actions.
Esteem support played a big factor in the severity of
the Air Force personnel’s thoughts of suicide.
(Kendall, 2018 p.15)
Sociological imagination helps identify the
causes (and indirect preventions) and solutions by
placing flaw in public issues rather than a person’s
life’s decisions. Shame is a factor I’ve observed that
results in suicide and many seemingly private acts
like it. Others shame people into losing their
interests and rob them of the fact they are human.
This shame tactic is often seen with teen
pregnancies, addiction, homelessness, incarceration
and even simply music taste. Resources for help
and guidance in certain communities are limited or
not utilized as a result of self-shame or fear of being
ridiculed.

11. Overall, the sociological approach has
allowed for us the opportunity to look more in depth
to an act deemed private. It allows us to take the
action of an individual that would other wise be
classified as personal and relate it to and identify
society’s role in that action. We are able to then use
theories and perspectives to help further understand
an individual and find solutions to help.
Kendall, D (2018) Sociology in our times: The
essentials (11 ed). Boston: Cengage Learning
Examples of Sociological Imagination. (n.d.).
In YourDictionary. Retrieved from
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-
sociological-imagination.html
Crossman, Ashley. (2019, March 26). Definition of
the Sociological Imagination and Overview of the
Book. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/sociological-imagination-
3026756)
th
Sheila Farr (Instructor)
Yesterday
# Reply $

12. "
Hello Students,
Thinking specifically about the connection
between personal troubles and public issues, do
you think there are any social problems in which
this connection is hard to make? For example,
can you look at poverty in general from this
perspective?
Best,
Sheila Farr
Sameera Farhood
Yesterday
# Reply $
"
Poverty from a sociological stand point can be
interpreted in many different ways. Two main
ways are; someone living in poverty brought it
upon themselves or someone is living in poverty
due to the society they live in and social forces
around them. Generally speaking I truly think
linking poverty (a personal trouble) to public
issues is a hard connection to make.
Think of it this way, you can attempt to link
poverty to unemployment issues globally but;
not everyone who is unemployed is poor and
not everyone who is poor is unemployed.

13. Poverty is one of those things that is not fully
understood yet due to the many different
people/social classes dealing with the issue.
I do believe that there are some social forces
and public issues that can be linked to poverty,
especially those who are dealing with it while
employed. For example, you have a single
mother who is living in poverty while working a
full time job but she's only being paid minimum
wage and she has to provide for herself and her
child. With that example, we could definitely link
minimum wage being too low (a public issue) to
poverty (a personal trouble).
Although looking at poverty from a sociology
stand point can be difficult, there are some ways
you can look at it from the perspective of linking
a personal trouble to a public issue.
Eric Devich
Yesterday
# Reply $
"
The Sociological Imagination helps to examine
private acts such as suicide in a larger societal
content as explained by the Sociologist C. Wright
Mills. He helped individuals see the relationship
between personal experiences and the larger social
world. Suicide is more of an individual act of oneself
that may be the result of personal troubles or social
issues. Personal troubles are private problems that
affect individuals and the networks of people with

14. whom they regularly associate (Kendall, 2018, p. 6).
Today, there are many trends in different countries
all around the world that influence the current rise of
youth suicide. One example, in New Delhi, India,
suicide rates are highest in the 15-29 age category
and are especially high among those living in the
wealthier and more educated regions of the nation
(NDTV.com, 2012;Lancet 2012; Kendall, 2018, p. 7).
One might believe that in the world today, areas of
great wealth would have lower risk of suicide. When
in reality, they have the highest risk. Intensified job
anxiety, higher expectations, and more pressure for
individual achievement (Kendall 2018, p. 6). People
would normally think the poor and uneducated would
have the greater risk of suicide.
Some trends that are increasing youth suicide in the
United States are income, gender disparities, age
group differences and risk factors. In the United
States, females are more likely to commit suicide
than males. Some risk factors may include not
having access to healthcare, to help prevent the
chance of an individual committing suicide. Trends
that lead to suicide in the U.S. Military may include
unequal social support or companionship. Tangible
support, which an individual has someone who is
willing to help them with money or assistance.
Appraisal support, which requires having someone
to listen and hear problems and provide useful
information on how to solve them. Esteem support
deals with having people show concern for
an individuals well-being and have confidence in
that individual to overcome any obstacle. Esteem
support was found to be one of the most important
factors in whether the Air Force personal had
experienced severe suicidal ideation (Kendall 2018,

15. p. 15).
Today, the sociological imagination allows us to
bridge the connection between why an individuals
problems and thoughts of suicide occur in relation to
problems in society. Social issues are the main
reason why individuals commit suicide. Being able to
distinguish between personal troubles and greater
social issues is the true heart of of thinking
sociologically (Wiley 2015). I have observed many
ways that suicide has been expressed to the public.
Whether it has been on television or on social
media. It does not help that almost everyone in the
world has easy access to both of these and in return
is exposed to the ways that some individuals live
their daily lives. Seeing this puts an added pressure
on individuals who may not live an extravagant
lifestyle. Individuals posting on social media such as,
Facebook and Instagram, expressing a new job and
are advancing up the ladder of success. Individuals
today are triggered by this because they may not
possess the same skills and advantages that some
individuals may have. Many times individuals feel
that their failure to get hired is a personal problem
due to a poor interview or lack of experience (Wiley
2015). Another problem in society today are
structures. Structures are "common and persistent
roles and relationships that shape human interaction
(Wiley 2015). Relationships could be husband and
wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, employee and
employer. Problems between structures can lead to
suicide. Whether it may be an argument between a
husband and a wife or the loss of a job to an
employer. Both of these are reasons in a society that
lead to suicide. Individual choices of a person reflect
how they see themselves. Society looks at

16. individuals who are different from the rest and
considers them to be outcasts. Individuals involved
in teen pregnancy, drugs, or even who smoke are
open targets for society to single out and look at
differently. Social media has a big influence on
depicting this and how these individuals are shown.
Television shows picturing women who became
pregnant at a young age and now have trouble
supporting there children because they're trying to
go to school and work at the same time. All of this
shows what can happen after making poor choices.
Society today looks down on individuals who make
the poor choices. As a result, that individual
becomes ignored and feels like they are not
accepted anymore in society.
Overall, C. Wright Mill's Social Imagination has
helped us to paint a bigger picture and really
understand how society has an influence on the
lives of its people. If we don't make a change,
suicide as a resort to end individual problems will
continue to rise. It is clear that being aware of
structures and institutions can drastically alter the
way we view the world. They act as tools within the
greater sociological imagination to help us think
critically about why individuals may make choices
(Wiley 2015). Being able to analyze the smallest
problems with the biggest problems of an individual,
will help to understand how an individual issue can
become more public in society.
Kendall, D. (2018). Sociology in our times: The
essentials (11 ed). Boston: Cengage Learning

17. Wiley, Jeanette. “Sociological Imagination: A Critical
Way to the World (Community, Environment, and
Development: An Undergraduate Research
Journal).” Community, Environment, and
Development: An Undergraduate Research Journal
(Penn State University), 6 May 2015,
https://aese.psu.edu/students/research/ced-
urj/news/2015/sociological-imagination-a-critical-
way-to-the-world.
th
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