ists ▁who ▁are ▁des ir ous ▁of ▁power ▁and ▁influence ▁which ▁they ▁do ▁not ▁have , ▁dis gu ise ▁their ▁real ▁mot ives . ▁This ▁is ▁hot ly ▁disput ed ▁by ▁many ▁Marx ists , ▁who ▁claim ▁Marx ism ▁is ▁something ▁that ▁grows ▁out ▁of ▁their ▁lives . ▁ ▁The ▁soci ological ▁imagination ▁C . ▁Wright ▁M ills ▁developed ▁a ▁concept ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁soci ological ▁imagination , ▁the ▁idea ▁being ▁that ▁understanding ▁the ▁link ▁between ▁" private ▁troubles " ▁and ▁" public ▁issues " ▁requires ▁cre ative ▁insight ▁by ▁the ▁research ers , ▁who ▁are ▁personally ▁involved ▁in ▁what ▁they ▁try ▁to ▁study . ▁The ▁analyt ical ▁question ▁for ▁social ▁scient ists ▁then ▁is , ▁how ▁much ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁" character ▁mask s " ▁can ▁really ▁explain , ▁or ▁whether ▁its ▁application ▁is ▁over ext ended ▁or ▁over work ed . ▁ ▁For ▁example , ▁Jon ▁El ster ▁argued ▁that : ▁ ▁J ürgen ▁R it sert , ▁a ▁Frankfurt ▁soci ologist , ▁quer ied ▁the ▁utility ▁of ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁character ▁mask s : ▁ ▁Soci obi ology ▁Fac ed ▁with ▁the ▁problem ▁of ▁understanding ▁human ▁character ▁mask s ▁– ▁which ▁refers ▁to ▁how ▁human ▁be ings ▁have ▁to ▁deal ▁with ▁the ▁relationship ▁between ▁the ▁" macro - world " ▁( the ▁big ▁world ) ▁and ▁the ▁" m icro - world " ▁( the ▁small ▁world ) ▁– ▁scholar ship ▁has ▁often ▁f lip - f lo pped ▁rather ▁une as ily ▁between ▁struct ural ism ▁and ▁subject iv