ABSTRACT
The theory developed by Freud can be divided into two broad areas as far as sociologists are concerned. The first of these, to be discussed in this chapter, concerns the processes involved in socialization. One such process is the acquisition of a language by children and another is learning about gender roles and about sexuality generally. The second, to be discussed in the next chapter, concerns the theory of social group life, involving Freud’s analysis of authority, moral values, religion, and collective acts of violence. As with any major theoretical position in sociology, each part connects with the whole, and any distinctions of the kind just made are somewhat arbitrary. Clearly, for example, the way in which children learn about sexuality is affected by the religious and moral culture in which they are socialized, and thus there is a major link between the two areas.
