Sociology of Early Childhood: Why We Need Child Psychoanalysis

This chapter will argue that sociologists investigating early childhood need to develop a relational approach that is multi-disciplinary, making important connections with other related disciplines, particularly child psychoanalysis. Although it is well known that Elias was influenced by Sigmund Freud, there are some important psychoanalytic concepts and theories that Elias uses and incorporates into his analysis that have not yet been fully explored for their influence on his approach to childhood—for example, Wilhelm Reich’s concept of ‘armour’. Moreover, I will argue that there are other related approaches in child psychoanalysis such as Anna Freud’s concept of developmental lines that can be integrated with Elias’s perspective to explain young children’s development.