Psychology and Sociology.

Abstract

THIS PAPER WILL BE concerned with the relations between psychology and sociology as theoretical disciplines, but from a very specific point of view which should be made clear and explicit at the outset. It is written by a sociologist in an attempt not only or even mainly to answer the question of what have been the contributions of psychology to sociology, but rather to attempt to state clearly a framework in which the question of the future fruitfulness of the relations between the two disciplines from the sociological point of view can be worked out. The central question then, is what are the conditions of an optimum fit between two theoretical schemes which can make the one as fruitful as possible for the other. The sociological perspective in which these questions are discussed will inevitably entail some criticism of past and partly of present trends of psychology, but rather less of sociology. If it were written by a psychologist about sociology the reverse would be expected. Hence the reader should keep clearly in mind that the purpose of the paper is not a general evaluation of psychological theory, but rather an evaluation of different trends for this specific purpose. How important this function of psychology relative to others may be is a question which cannot be dealt with here.