Vilfredo ParetoÆs Sociology: A Framework for Political Psychology

Vilfredo Pareto is a key figure in the history of economics and sociology. His sociological works, which attempted to bridge these two disciplines, hinge upon a 'psychologistic' analysis of society, economy and politics.Much has already been written on Pareto but this is the first book to rethink Pareto by focusing on the psychological component of his sociology. This is done by locating the origins of Pareto's psychologistic approach to sociology, both within the history of Italian thought, and within Pareto's own experiences of business and politics; by evaluating his psychologistic approach to sociology through the lens of contemporary social science, to reach the conclusion that it remains viable; and by looking at Pareto's assumptions about human personality through the lens of contemporary psychological theory and research, to conclude that they contain real insight and are likely to be of particular value to those interested in political psychology.Although Pareto is recognised as one of the principal founders of sociology, the author argues that his contribution to the discipline has suffered neglect in recent decades. This re-evaluation and application of Pareto's sociology can help reverse this trend. He shows that it remains possible, even today, to return to a classic sociological theorist and find ways to progress their core ideas. Moreover, he shows that Pareto's sociology yields a very simple and elegant theoretical template which is easily learned and has many possible applications.