Refine
Language
- English (1) (remove)
Document Type
- Dissertations (1)
Has Fulltext
- yes (1) (remove)
Year of publication
- 1992 (1)
This thesis seeks to uncover the methodological ground-work necessary for the construction of an emancipatory theory of society. The theoretical work of Erich FROMM on the necessary valuative criteria of social sanity is explored first. This leads to a discussion on the subjective and speculative characteristics of social theories; it hopes to demonstrate the presence of an inherent psychological, internal debate that lies at the root of any political agency. This debate is properly located between our accepted social norms and our more deeply rooted, historically acquired beliefs and perspectives, between the public and the private realm. – This dichotomy leads to the more contemporary work of Nancy Chodorow, where this public-private debate is critiqued through the use of the interpretive analysis of object-relations theory, a theory of personality development firmly grounded in specific socially constructed patterns. Her work serves as an example of an interrelational theory of political agency which does not risk becoming self-justifying. This thesis concludes with observations on the fact that mainstream political theory seems to have failed to take into account the subconscious motivational factors as the birth-place of our complex, socio-political behaviour; what we will call the >pre-political,< private debate. It finally restates the possible contribution that psychoanalytic methodology can make to social theory and to the study of political behaviour.