Sociology: Talcott Parsons and Social Order

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What is the primary focus of Parsons' work?

The cultural system and its symbols
The behavioral system and learning processes
The social system and social interaction (correct)
The biological drives and organism

What is the relationship between biological drives and the social system, according to Parsons?

Biological drives are the primary motivators of human behavior
The social system is a product of biological drives and instincts
Biological drives and the social system are unrelated
Biological drives are socially developed and influenced by the social system (correct)

What is the cultural system, according to Parsons?

The social stock of knowledge, symbols, and ideas (correct)
The sum of individual personalities and motivations
The system of social relationships and interactions
The biological and behavioral system of the human organism

What is the role of individuals in Parsons' social system?

Individuals are passive recipients of social and cultural influences (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the social system and the personality system, according to Parsons?

The personality system is a product of the social system (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the basis of social order according to Knapp?

Norms and values of people around them (C) Signup and view all the answers

What do the pattern variables describe, according to Parsons' scheme?

Societal norms and values (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of conditioning and learning in Parsons' theory?

Conditioning and learning influence the development of individual personalities (C) Signup and view all the answers

What was Talcott Parsons' area of specialty in sociology?

Structural functionalism (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of affective neutrality in social interactions?

Deferred gratification (C) Signup and view all the answers

Where did Talcott Parsons do his graduate work?

London School of Economics and Heidelberg, Germany (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of collectivity-oriented actions?

Collective or shared interests (B) Signup and view all the answers

How do particularism and diffuseness relate to affectivity?

They are associated with affectivity (A) Signup and view all the answers

What was the title of Talcott Parsons' major work published in 1937?

The Structure of Social Action (A) Signup and view all the answers

What position did Talcott Parsons hold in 1949?

President of the American Sociological Association (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of Weber's sociological perspective?

Motivation and meaning (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the context for our social actions, according to the text?

Social context with others (C) Signup and view all the answers

Who influenced Talcott Parsons' theory?

Emile Durkheim (D) Signup and view all the answers

According to Parsons, what is the importance of the latent function?

It is on the same level as the other three functions in a system. (C) Signup and view all the answers

How did Marx view social reproduction?

He took it for granted and spent little time analyzing it. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the AGIL functions as societies develop?

They evolve and institutions develop different functions. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Where were the AGIL functions typically centered in traditional societies?

In family and kinship structures, and in local communities. (B) Signup and view all the answers

How did Durkheim approach the latent function?

He recognized the problem, but did not develop it further. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What happens to roles and functions in complex societies?

They become more differentiated. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of a modern, complex society?

Specialized functions and roles develop, and specialized institutions evolve (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a possible way that specialized functions and roles can develop?

Through a natural, evolutionary process (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of bureaucracies?

They have consciously worked out organizational structures (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is a relevant perspective on social change?

That of Talcott Parsons (A) Signup and view all the answers

Who compared society to the human body?

Herbert Spencer (C) Signup and view all the answers

Parsons' primary focus

Social system and social interaction

Biological drives & social system

Biologically driven but influenced by the social system