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S. Freud's psychological theory implies a theory of society, which Freud later explicitly developed. The psychoanalytic therapy developed by Freud is actually equivalent to the critical theory of socialization, which focuses on the dialectic of assimilation & alienation. Freud's culture & society theory may be considered critical, since it refers to institutions on the basis of the problems that they cause for individuals. Class systems are able to function due to an acculturation process that block an individual's drives by cultural ideals. Thus, large groups may be dominated by smaller, elite groups. This crisis can only be removed by replacing a religious social morality with a rationalistic social morality. Psychoanalysis actually works against false awareness & illusion & attacks the status quo -- which then merges the therapy into a critique of socially necessary illusions. M. Migalski.

Applied research has the potential for greatly enriching social theory Many of the metatheoretical assumptions that underlie social theory are seldom explicitly stated. The attempted application of theory and postapplication analysis often bring these assumptions to the fore. Applied research also allows for a more rigorous testing of theory than that which is possible in nonapplied research. In this paper an effort is made to delineate some aspects of the relationship between applied social research and theory through the use of cultural deprivation theorizing and investigations.

REJECTING THE ECONOMIC DETERMINIST ATTEMPTS TO DEDUCE SPECIFIC POLITICAL CONCLUSIONS FROM MARX'S GENERAL THEORY, THIS ARTICLE NOTES THAT MARX'S DEVELOPMENT AS A POLITICAL THEORIST PASSED FROM OBSERVATION OF OR PARTICIPATION IN EXISTING RADICAL MOVEMENTS TO FORMULATION OF NEW THEORIES AND STRATEGIES, AND THEN TO APPLICATION OF THESE STRATEGIES.

Economic determinist attempts to deduce specific political conclusions or strategies from Marx's general theory do not jibe with Marx's own extensive political activity. Instead, Marx's development as a political theorist and organizer passed from observation of (French Revolution, Chartism) or participation in (1848, the International Workingmen's Association) existing radical movements to formulation of new theories and strategies, and then to application of these strategies in subsequent movements. In applying his general theory to formulating strategies and historical explanations, Marx utilized a framework of mainly political auxiliary statements to define the specific international and national historical setting. Faced with the defeat of a strategy or a tension between the strategy and an older theory, Marx reformulated his theory in different ways, sometimes altering these auxiliary statements rather than the general theory to explain unexpected events, more rarely changing the general theory itself. These new explanations reinforced his strategies. This impact of political experience on Marx's thinking illustrates his famous definition, drawn from Theses on Feuerbach, of revolution as a "practical-critical" activity. Taken as a whole, Marx's new explanations underline the role of politics in historical materialism and conflict with Marx's general expectation that economic oppression alone would ultimately drive the proletariat to make socialist revolution.