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Talcott Parsons- Social System, Pattern Variables

 Social system as product of rational impulses of human beings to integrate the needs and urges as orderly system.

Subject matter of Parson is SOCIAL ACTION and SOCIAL SYSTEM


GRAND THEORY OF SOCIAL ACTION

Weber used Ideal type to explain all action of human beings

Parson says Social action is derived from behaviour of human beings

Behaviour became action through conditions like Goal orientation and situations, norms and values, energy or motivation or effort.

Orientation of action is either be motivational based on needs, plans, exteriority or values such as values, aesthetic, morality, thinking

Modes of Organisation

1. Personality system - Aspects of individual social functioning

2.Cultural system - Beliefs, values

3.Social system - interaction between individuals and organisation


MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATION 

Weber gave passing reference on Motives but Parson emphasis more on Action Motives

Action motives like 1.Cognitive( Thinking, Analysing) 2.Cathetic(Likes and dislikes) 3.Evalutative(Emotional and Rationality) 4.Appreciative(spontaneity)

Weber focus only on actors perspective but PARSON added situations and norms of the society with the motivational orientation.

They are Instrumental,  Expressive and Moral motives


VALUE ORIENTATION

Values based on custom and culture can be Normative constraints on Actor to achieve a goal and Situational Constraints based on motives


Motivational Orientation involves only Motives(psychological aspects) of an individual while the value orientation involves the cultural system(values). 


Motive + Value = Action


Psychological (Mind) + Cultural norms and values = Human behaviour(action)

Cognitive (Intellectual)'+Cognitive(Honesty) = Instrumental action(Integrity)

Cathetic (smile) + Appreciative(Happiness) = Expressive action ( Joy)

Evaluative+ Moral = Moral action


PARSON ON SOCIAL EQUILIBRIUM

Socialisation: Values transmitted from one to next and internalised to form individual personalities.

Levels of Socialisation

1.Cultural socialisation (culture, norms, symbol, language, behaviour)

2.Social socialisation ( role play, role understanding, role position)

3.Psychic Socialisation ( anxiety control, tension management)

Mechanism of social control encourage integration and discourage deviance

1.Formal : Rule of Law

2.Informal: Friends, Family, Morality, Conscience, Religion

3.Coercive: Police, Army

Parson functional Prerequisites

1.Adaptation

2.Goal Attainment

3.Integration

4.Latency

Equilibrium maintained by above mentioned system.  If weakening of above system will lead to disorganisation, crime, deliquency


MOVING EQUILIBRIUM


Parson says "Change is never alteration of pattern but alteration by the overcoming of resistance"

Conflict or strain in the system destabilize social system.

Restore the equlibrium with the proces of self maintenance

Role Bargaining during changing situation

Role allocation is bound by norms which guide action.  If it is institutionalized, this creates stability and new structure formed.  This model of social change is known as moving equilibrium


SOCIAL SYSTEM


Interrelationship mechanism for people used for satisfying their material and social needs

Cultural system ( emotional, aesthetic)

Personality sytem ( qualities present in each other)

Interaction occurs through socialisation and social control. The form of interaction will be either formal or informal or coercive

Socialisation occurs through learning values.  Psychic socialisation at personal level and social socialisation(interrealtionship)

Functional Goals

AGIL model Adaptation Goal Integration Latency

Adaptation in Organismic system, Goal achieved in Personality sytem, Integration through Economic sytem, Latency through Cultural system



CYBERNETIC HIERARCHICAL CONTROL

AGIL SYSTEM is a cybenetic hierarchy

LIGA is an informational point of view

Conditional - AGIL Adaptation is the highest level of cybernetic hierarchy

High Information High Energy LIGA

DNA contain information about human body which has high energy.  So DNA has high cybernetic control

Cultural system has highest  information and has cybernetic control over other components of action system.

AGIL model specify the minimum condition for the society to survive



PATTERN VARIABLE

It refers to variety of choices to actor at any social situation


1.Universalism vs Particularism

Cognitive vs Cathetic evaluation

Universal standards of human behaviour is strict adherance to legal norms.  This is  universalistic mode of role performance.  Ex. Officer following the rules for everyone in government tender in infrastructure development

Particularism is avoiding rules for the favour of close relative.  Particularism encorage nepotism and favouristism.  Ex. Privant Bank CEO is allowing a loan to a corporate group which had dealings with his relatives

2.Ascription vs Achievement

Quality vs Performance

Role allocation on the basis of caste system is ascription

Provinding jobs on the basis of merit is achievement

3.Affective vs Affective neutrality

Mother child relationship is affective

Doctor patient relationship is affective neutrality

4.Self orientation vs Collective orientation

Own gratification vs Collective good

Person involved in corruption is self orientation. Ex. Vijay Mallaya

Atruism and self sacrifice for collective good.  Soldiers martyr in war

5.Specificity vs Diffusiveness

Doctors do specific role is specificity

Friendship is diffused throughout


Pattern variable helps in decision making during the nature of role allocation, role expectation and role performance


Critic to Talcott Parson


1.Habermas says values are coercively injected through education, family, mass media.  They are not voluntaristic as envisaged by Parson

2. Bryan Turner argues that Parson makes no difference on Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Communist China, Democratic US.  All social system has AGIL model according to Parson.  But failed to recognised about revolutionary changes.

3.Conflict Management: Ralf Dahrendorf says he overemphasize on value consensus model.  Continuity of system occur even by conflict management

4. Ends and Values: Alvin Gouldner says some groups in society dominate others.

5. RK Merton look into only functional aspect not dysfunctional.






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