Hhmmm...Psychology being the study of the mind, and Sociology being the study of society and it's behaviors/problems....just one persons opinion, I'd be quick to say one is no more or less important than the other. But as far as what leads what, I'll vote Psych.leading Soc. They both share a common goal, but I believe Psych. to be a catalyst for Sociology. Just my opinion
Dave, what a great question! It's loaded though - and could generate some intense dialogue here. (Disclaimer: I don't want to spend time on the subject tho and I feel outnumbered by the psycho types ;-) I'll just tell a story. Fielding has a mostly psycho (my loving nickname for people I highly respect Ph.D. and a mostly sociological Ph.D. called HOD. I was in the HOD part. When I first started the program on the very first day, the HOD and psycho students were mixed together and we had a great time. However, within a day it was clear that "psychos and HOD don't mix" - mostly driven from the psycho faculty, which I found knee-slapping funny! There was a definite of 'looking down' on HOD from the psycho's side. Throughout the 4 years I spent at Fielding, I observed that the cultures of both communities were radically different. During psycho sessions that I sat in, some psychos wore ties, sat in nice neat rows, had a podium with a prim-and-proper speaker at the front. Serious, serious, serious. HOD was laid back, some dressed in shorts (even faculty), laughed a lot, got into intense dialogue (sometimes 'hot'), sat in a large circle, and the "speaker" engaged the group. Also, many HOD students would often stay up way too late, talking, sharing, networking, etc. - while the psychos were soundly sleeping. Well, at least I found the difference quite humorous!
Lead it where? I may be slow, but I think your question is meaningless unless it is fleshed out with a context. Are you asking if psychology led sociologically historically, in terms of their temporal order of development? Are you asking if psychology leads sociology philosophically, in terms of dealing with more fundamental entities and issues? Are you asking if it leads pedagogically, in that it is something better studied before sociology? Are you asking if psychology is more politically "progressive"? Are you asking if psychology is a more popular or lucrative subject than sociology? And what is the relevance to distance education?
Dave, I'm going to have to echo a couple of others here. You're question is very ill conceived. You need to say more for a response. Barry, Can you stand a tweak from the non-HOD side of the class?