Status, roles and the sociological imagination In society, each of us has our own niche. In sociological terms, we refer to this as status and roles. Statuses are “the positions that individuals occupy within society” (Newman 15). An example of a status is that I am a college student. More specifically, this is one of my achieved statuses. “An achieved status is a social position that we assume voluntarily or acquire through our efforts or achievements” (15). Becoming a college student is something I achieved in life because it wasn't just given to me. Another type of status is ascribed status. “An ascribed status is a social position that we acquire at birth or enter into involuntarily later in life” (15). An example of the status I am given would be that I am a white male. This status was given to me because I was born into it and did not achieve it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Next, there are many roles associated with each state. A role could relate to an ascribed status or even an achieved status. According to Newman, a role is “a set of rights, obligations, behaviors and duties that people occupying a particular position are expected to fulfill”. Returning to the first example of status achieved, a role to play as a university student would include attending classes and studying for exams. Class attendance is a duty that a student must follow to pass the classes. If a student did not show up for class, they would fail and would no longer be a student and occupy that particular status. Studying for exams would also be considered a role because it is an obligation that the student must fulfill in order to pass classes and successfully occupy that status. Along with the achieved statuses, the attributed statuses also have roles. Being a white male has to do with the behaviors expected of a person in a society. For example, a white male is expected to be a legitimate and productive citizen in society. Being a white male, or of any gender or race, a person is expected to be a law-abiding citizen. These people are also expected to hold jobs and help the community. A famous sociologist named C. Wright Mills came up with the idea of ​​the sociological imagination. This is a person's ability to understand how “cultural or historical processes” (8) are linked to their personal experiences. If a person is unable to understand the sociological imagination, he or she is likely to attribute individualistic explanations to his or her personal experiences. The individualistic explanation “attributes people's successes and failures to their personal qualities” (4). It seems that people tend to draw hasty conclusions and naturally assume the individualistic explanation, instead of attributing a deeper understanding of the sociological imagination. For example, if a person couldn't afford to put gas in their car, the sociological imagination would say that the problem is due to the economy and the dramatic increase in gas prices over the last decade. However, the individualistic explanation would say that the problem is due to the individual not having a high-paying job or not managing their money wisely. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get custom essays. The statuses and roles all link to your personal bio. Previously mentioned, there are personal states and roles that follow each. For.