ABSTRACT
As we explained in the Preface, the first volume of this trilogy focused primarily on philosophical and psychological approaches to learning although the social context was always recognised, so that in order to explore the sociology of lifelong learning it is necessary to revisit the previous argument and locate the individual learner in the social context (see also Jarvis 1985). Consequently, the first section of this chapter returns to the theory of learning adopted in Volume 1 and explains how a sociological perspective may be used to interpret the same material. Thereafter, the chapter will look at the social processes of learning and in the third section will examine the nature of social power and the way in which it impinges upon human learning. The chapter highlights the tension between social conformity and individualism and in so doing it will look back to the brief discussion on authenticity and autonomy that occurred in Volume 1 within the framework of learning theory. It concludes with a brief discussion of how specific sociological theories presuppose certain types of learning.
