Clinical Sociology and Life Histories

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between the sociological approach and the clinical method, to show the advantage for clinicians of integrating a sociological perspective into their research methods and, conversely, to show that a clinical approach can enrich sociology. For example, the contribution of sociology seems indispensable in clinical work, with individuals whose psychological problems are linked to changes in social class. In the etiology of certain neuroses, social factors may be as important as sexual factors. This is the case of `class neurosis'. The analysis of this form of neurosis originated in a series of research and participatory groups on the theme of `family novels and social trajectories'. The study of `life histories' is a sociological method insofar as the development of social relationships may be traced through individual histories, and it is a clinical method insofar as the participants use this knowledge to gain a better understanding of their own destinies.