ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the fundamentals of the sociological perspective through sociological explanation by discussing the distinction between sociological and social problems, private troubles and public issues, distinctions between macro and micro levels of sociological analysis, and reflexivity. Another key component of the sociological perspective introduced in this chapter is the sociological imagination. The chapter also suggests some key questions that are associated with the sociological imagination such as: What is happening? Why? What are the consequences? How do you know? How could it be otherwise? A further dimension of the sociological explanation that this chapter discusses is continuity and change in social life.
