An inventory and overview of fields linked to a research program on sociotherapy. These include clinical sociology, sociological/critical social work, health and medical sociology, mad studies/critical psychiatry, psychosocial theory, social psychiatry and social medicine, sociological/relational special education, and critical/radical psychology. This inventory concludes with an overview of the sociological analysis of psychology as a field and various forms of therapy within psychotherapy and psychiatry. It concludes with the observation that there is a wealth of research that could be channeled into a research program focused on sociotherapy. Recent research on sociotherapy is essentially nonexistent. Clinical sociology is clearly in a research slump. The other fields are focused primarily on understanding without applying that understanding in practice. Critical psychologists have conducted research to lay the groundwork for an alternative therapeutic practice that incorporates social and political factors, but there is a lack of research on how this should be carried out in practice in ways that yield the best outcomes for the client. Sociologists, in my view, have concentrated too much on understanding and analyzing practices that are harmful in various ways without clearly researching an alternative. This has led sociologists, in a sense, to reify psychiatric hegemony (Cohen, 2016) and psychological consciousness (Rose, 1999, 2019) as the primary frameworks, which sociologists have criticized, without creating the conditions for an alternative consciousness grounded in sociology. This, in turn, undermines the potential of the sociological consciousness/imagination that sociologists view as something valuable. Sociological imagination/consciousness/thinking (Mills 1956, Berger 1960, Collins 2013) is valuable, but it is not sufficient to replace psychological consciousness; it becomes the unconscious approach that allows it to be reproduced without clear competition. Research on psychiatry and the role of psychology in society is weakened because alternatives are not sufficiently studied. Sociologists are thus forced to draw on cultures that have not been as heavily influenced by the psychotherapeutic discourse and associated practices.
Integrative socioanalysis. Within clinical sociology, several proposals for a form of socioanalysis have been put forward. Sociological diagnoses are advocated as helpful constructs, though they should be viewed more heuristically than is the case with psychiatric diagnoses. Sociotherapists need to focus on the effect that diagnoses have, since they are “interactive categories” (Hacking, 1999) that influence people’s thoughts and actions. This is followed by a proposal for a socioanalysis comprising the following components: 1. Discourse analysis, discourses; 2. Structure/habitus analysis, structures, habitus; 3. Interaction analysis, practices, subjectifications, interactions, 4. Intersectionality analysis, e.g., class, gender, ethnicity, function, 5. Actant analysis or technosociological analysis, objects as actants, 6. Socio, bio, analysis, the biological in relation to the social, 7. Socio, dynamic analysis, the subconscious (Turner, 2006), 8. Sociological analysis of emotions, 9. Sociological analysis of morality, 10. Care analysis (Tronto, 1993), 11. Balance analysis (Berglund, 2026). These 11 components, of course, constitute a very comprehensive analysis in which the clinical gaze (Foucault) can expand enormously and make the client feel completely exposed. The sociotherapist uses the various components based on what is most relevant to start with, and can narrow them down according to the specific purpose. The goal of this socioanalysis is to provide a comprehensive picture so that the therapist and the client can see how a multitude of different factors reinforce one another to create the social situation in which the client finds themselves in their life. This is followed by suggestions for various sociological diagnoses. Should the sociotherapist work with diagnoses? How should diagnoses be formulated, and on what grounds? What concepts should be used? Is it possible to construct a new conceptual framework with a sociological foundation? Would such a framework have advantages, such as reducing the negative effects of medicalization and therapeutization, being less alienating, less subjectifying of the patient, and less esoteric (Rose, 2019)?
A comprehensive catalog of various sociological diagnoses within a unified framework. Lindblom (2023) outlines some of the most important sociological diagnoses. Aristotelian balance theory (Berglund, 2026) is used as the basis for systematizing this diversity of diagnoses, each with its own nuances, within the cohesive framework proposed in sociology. This long list of sociological diagnoses could easily lead to massive overdiagnosis, but the aim is to highlight that normality is permeated by various conditions that hinder the pursuit and realization of the good life (Savage, 2021). This is not controversial within the field of sociology, where normality is often problematized, which should lead to the conclusion that, rather than being generally over diagnosed, contemporary humans are in fact severely underdiagnosed.
Aristotelian Balance Theory (ABT) is used in a therapeutic context for social configurations at the micro level and for the individual. Berglund (2026) introduced ABT as a major new theory. In this study, ABT is used to systematize sociological diagnoses, but also to demonstrate how ABT can contribute to the sociological literature that sociologizes various psychiatric diagnoses. Based on ABT, it follows that sociological diagnoses are best viewed as imbalances across various dimensions of balance that individuals may encounter in their efforts to strive, act, and seek the good life as they engage with the social world (Berglund, 2026).
Socioaskesis/sociopractise and sociopharmaka. The section on socioaskesis and sociopharmaka provides an overview of various exercises found in clinical sociology and critical social work, followed by proposals for new exercises based on ABT as a framework. The concepts proposed are socioascesis (from the Greek aske) and sociopharmaka (from the Greek pharmakon), viewing the social as something that can be practiced and exercised with therapeutic effects. Previous research has been conducted on a few different exercises, but very little has been explored. Additionally, some areas that need further exploration include the role of the therapist, where research is primarily limited to psychotherapy and clinical sociology, and general ideas about how a sociotherapist should conduct themselves. Some outlines for sociological exercises include a sociological life compass inspired by the life compass in ACT, sociological moral training, the application of sociological heuristics, sociological journaling, sociological emotion training, exercises in new chains of thought, narratives and discourses, self, socialization techniques, and exercises to build sociological imagination. Finally, there are various behavioral experiments or action experiments. Action experiments are a practice advocated by the Stoics, among others. The purpose of these action experiments is to create new forms of sociality that will bring about changes in thought patterns with the support of the therapist.
Socioeducation (teaching sociology) as part of sociotherapeutic practice is proposed as a key component. This opens the door to a form of sociological self, help that other researchers have already identified as necessary (McGee, 2005; Paulsen, 2020). However, this is not “self, help” in the conventional sense, but rather a form of assistance embedded in the social context and grounded in sociological awareness. The most effective form of self, help often involves drawing on the social context. Social assistance does not assume that individuals lack agency, but rather that their agency is limited, varied, and distributed.
Sociological and social heuristics are proposed as neologisms to support the development of sociological wisdom. Flyvbjerg (2001) argues convincingly for the importance of sociology, and the rest of the social sciences, in helping to build phronesis, or practical wisdom. Sociological heuristics are a proposal for how insights, even if they should be viewed as heuristic, can serve as the foundation for socio, education that builds wisdom. This is contrasted with social heuristics as a concept to capture how certain chains of thought embedded in the social sphere function as shortcuts that simplify social reality. Heuristics is a concept that has been analyzed primarily within cognitive psychology and to a minimal extent within cognitive sociology.
The sociologization of ancient philosophies such as Stoicism. I outline what a sociologization of Stoicism might look like, highlighting the ideas about the importance of the social and citizenship that have been lost in the psychologization of Stoicism through CBT as formulated by Albert Ellis.
In summary, this study seeks to build upon previous research in the following ways:
It contributes a new way to justify sociologically grounded therapy, primarily based on why sociologists have been reluctant to engage more deeply with these issues.
The focus is on creating a form of sociotherapy that is primarily grounded in sociological thinking, distinct from other scientific fields, in order to establish a clear distinction. Sociotherapy can be seen as a complement to Lindblom’s “social, psychological psychiatry” (2023), social psychiatry (Rose, 2019), and critical social work (Webb, 2019; Payne, 2015). At the same time, this serves as an argument for sociotherapy as a distinct field in its own right, for example, to reduce the risk of being co, opted by social work, medicine, or psychiatry as fields.
Proposes a more concrete and detailed approach than before regarding how an integrated socioanalysis could be formalized. This incorporates various perspectives and approaches within sociology, using ABT as a foundation or framework to synthesize these different approaches.
An attempt at a comprehensive catalog of sociological diagnoses based on ABT, which, together with socioanalysis, becomes a means of creating deeper and more contextualized formulations (Rose, 2019; Lindblom, 2023, 202).
Conduct a review of clinical sociology and related fields to highlight what has been done and what can therefore be developed.
Define socio, education as a key component of sociotherapy and describe how it can be implemented based on, for example, ABT. This implies that sociological diagnoses themselves are part of socio, education, which is intended to support the formation of sociological “imagination”, “consciousness,” and “perspective” (Mills, 1956; Berger, 1959; Collins, 2013). “Experience-based terminology” (Lindblom, 2023, 205) is considered important in therapeutic encounters, but here a balance is struck in recognizing that somewhat more complex concepts, drawn from sociology and requiring active engagement, can also be valuable for building sociological consciousness.
Offers suggestions for practical exercises and heuristics to support change work. These exercises include both “relationship, building practices” (Lindblom, 2023, 212) and group activities, as well as somewhat individualized exercises that can be done without other people present.
Applies ABT (Berglund, 2026) in a new context that highlights its broad applicability.
It expands on the concept of sociological self, help, which is grounded in the social, and a form of care based on outward perspective rather than inward insight (Paulsen, 2020). This is achieved by proposing that ABT’s focus on the civic struggle and citizenship as a balancing act be a central part of sociopractise and socioanalysis.
It frames sociotherapy as the construction of wisdom using, for example, sociological heuristics.