A Psychoanalytic Perspective on the Two Fundamental Sociological Views on the Relationship between Society and the Individual
The view that individuals are formed within the society and that the society creates the individual versus the view that society is formed by individuals and that individuals create society, represent the two main sociological approaches put forward by E. Durkheim and M. Weber. In the psychoanalytic theory of development, the importance of first, the mother and family and then, the wider society in the formation of the human psyche are emphasised. Human beings are born in a state of absolute need for others and cannot survive without others. This dependence on others is not valid only in terms of physical care. The infant is constantly shaped by the psychic material coming from others in different relationships and interactions. It also exists through structures such as language, education, law and art, which both form and reflect the fabric of the society.
Shall we emphasise more that society is not simply the sum of individuals but a separate living organism, a reality in its own right, or that the unpredictable consequences of the predominantly internally determined actions of individuals shape the social structure? This presentation will try to ponder on these questions.
Türkay DEMIR is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst, who is a member of Psike Istanbul and IPA. He graduated from Istanbul Faculty of Medicine and completed his residency at the same place. He worked at Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital. Later, he worked as a faculty member and head of the department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty. Since his retirement in 2017, he has been working in his own office. His articles have been published in journals such as Toplum ve Bilim, Birikim, Virgül Yeni Olgu, Artimento, Beyaz, Psikeart, Psikanalysis Writings, Psikanalizin Dili, Psikanaliz Defterleri. His books includeAşk ve Öbür Duygular (2004), Canavar ve Kurbanı (2006), and Ruhsallığın Merkezine Seyahat (2013). Since 2014, he has been writing for the online newspaper T24.