Beschreibung
Written in 1939, the manuscript represents the first
systematic revision of Parsons’ theory of action following
the publication of The Structure of Social Action.
It first presents the distinctions among cognitive,
affective, and moral dimensions of action systems that later
were incorporated in The Social System. It also
presents Parsons’ first formulations in functional theory
and thus documents the start of a chain of reflections that
only in the 1960s and 1970s produced the famous four
function paradigm. At the time it was written, Parsons
intended to publish it, as is apparent from his
correspondence. He circulated it to students in his seminars
in sociological theory for a decade. The text remains an
accessible introduction to Parsons’ intellectual world.
Talcott Parsons was one of most influential
but also controversial theorists of 20th Century sociology.
He served on the faculty of Harvard University for 45 years.
