Many, if not all, personal experiences are directly or indirectly affected by dominant social forces and are common experiences of many people. In other words, what many think of as “problems” are often actually “problems.” Being aware of the relationship between personal experience and wider society is what we call having a “sociological imagination” (Lemert, 2012, p.15). People are often unaware of the connection between problems in their personal lives and the broader situation surrounding current problems (Mills, 1959, para. 3). They therefore lack sociological imagination. There is a significant difference between “problems” and “problems.” Problems are private matters, matters that can be entirely explained by an individual's character or matters that can be attributed to fate. Either way, it is something they feel guilty about and that they must deal with alone (Lemert, 2012, p.15). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In contrast, issues are public issues, widespread, and systemic/structural issues. When we lack sociological imagination, we are unable to differentiate between the two. To further demonstrate this concept and bring it to life, I will share an example. In the professional field of child and youth care, which is my specialty of study, a worker will encounter children facing adversity in many different ways. For example, one might meet a girl who wants to appear thin. To achieve this, she becomes anorexic, causing serious health problems. Now, if she analyzes this as a "problem", she will conclude that it is her personal insecurity and that the deterioration of her health is her own fault. However, if she uses her sociological imagination and analyzes it as a "problem", she will realize and conclude that it is society in general's obsession with thinness that has indirectly affected this girl. It is the unrealistic beauty standards of the media, which represents society, that portray beautiful and desirable girls as thin. This type of portrayal affects many people directly or indirectly, as happened in the case of this particular girl. If only a few girls suffered from anorexia in society, then it would make sense to consider this an individual or personal problem. But when many girls suffer from a similar problem, then it becomes a societal issue where stereotypical attitudes towards women and social media need to be examined closely. It is very important to be aware of the difference and to use your sociological imagination, because otherwise one could end up having a false awareness of one's social position (Mills, 1959, para. 8). For example, this girl would have blamed herself and, therefore, would have felt inferior. When one is aware of the connection between their problem and the problems, it helps them to be aware of the situation, reduces the psychological impact and makes it easier to seek help/resolve the problem..