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Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

Write short note: Pattern variables.

  • UPSC 1998
  • Sociological Thinkers

Pattern variables are the five pairs of alternative value orientations that, according to Talcott Parsons, an actor must choose between before any situation can guide action. Set out in The Social System (1951) and in Toward a General Theory of Action (1951, with Edward Shils), they are the point at which cultural values enter the…

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What the full answer covers

  • Definition and logic
  • The five dichotomies
  • Uses
  • Two critiques
  • Conclusion

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