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Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

Do you think that in T. Parsons there has been a ‘transition from the analysis of the structure of social action as such to the structural-functional analysis of social systems’? Discuss in detail.

  • UPSC 1987
  • Sociological Thinkers

Talcott Parsons' work runs from a theory of the purposive actor (1937) to a theory of self-regulating systems (1951 onwards). Whether this was a transition that abandoned the actor, or a development of one project, is among the central debates about his work. The evidence points to a real shift in emphasis within a continuous…

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions.

What the full answer covers

  • Phase 1: the structure of social action (1937)
  • Phase 2: the social system (1951)
  • Phase 3: functional imperatives and evolution (1953–1970s)
  • The case for a transition
  • The case for continuity
  • Conclusion

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