Psyche and Society in Critical Theory and Contemporary Social Research: with Special Reference to Horkheimer/Adorno and Bourdieu

The article examines the significance of a carefully considered inclusion of things psychic in
sociological theory and research, with special reference to the critical theories of the ‘Frankfurt
School’ and Bourdieu. The question of how the relations between psyche and society can be
conceptualized is a central issue in sociology, albeit one that has frequently occasioned over
simplified responses. The author argues that for sociological inquiry the analysis of the interplay
between the societal and psychic factors operative in the actions, motives, and construal patterns of
social agents is in various respects enlightening, if not indispensable. Psychoanalytic perspectives
promise a sophisticated approach to the investigation of the complex psychic dimensions involved in
actions pursued by individuals in society.