Norbert Elias and Sigmund Freud: The Psychoanalytic Foundations of the Civilizing Process

This book explores the influence of Freudian psychoanalysis on Norbert Elias’ theory of the civilizing process – an influence acknowledged by Elias himself – conducting a dialogue with a view to analyzing points of contact and distance between them. Examining the development of Elias’ work, it sheds light on the integration of psychoanalytic concepts in his thought, considering the dynamics that exist between individuals and social processes, as the civilizing process affects the psychic economy of individuals and psychic structures serve to sustain civilization. A genealogical study of Freudian concepts as expressed in the trajectory of Elias’s sociology, it will appeal to scholars of sociology and psychology with interests in social and psychoanalytic theory.