Psychoanalytic Sociological Theories and Emotions

Abstract

Relatively few sociologists analyzing emotions have sought to draw from the legacy of Freud and more recent work in the psychoanalytic tradition. This neglect is somewhat surprising in light of the fact that Freud, more than any other figure in the early twentieth century, drew attention to emotional dynamics. True, many of his constantly evolving ideas have not been supported by subsequent research and practice, but the general argument that humans activate defense mechanisms to protect ego in the face of negative emotions is certainly correct in its essentials. Yet, sociologists tend to adopt gestalt ideas about cognitive consistency and balance rather than repression and other defense mechanisms when explaining human emotional dynamics, and as a result, sociological theories miss a set of important leads in understanding emotions. Still, in going back to Freud (1900, 1923, 1938), we need to be selective in what we adopt and reject in his approach.