Topic
Social system
About: Social system is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2974 publications have been published within this topic receiving 92395 citations.
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01 May 2004
TL;DR: In this article, a theory is developed according to which emotional processes are situated in the zones of structural coupling between organic, psychic and social systems, drawing attention to a substantive historical link between rights and emotions.
Abstract: After a critical examination of Luhmann’s observations concerning the emotions, a theory is developed according to which emotional processes are situated in the zones of structural coupling between organic, psychic and social systems. The theory draws attention to a substantive historical link between rights and emotions. This link is illustrated with some broad examples dealing with specific emotions, and with the generic concept of emotion.
21 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that the utility of Marx's approach is tied both to his overall theoretical framework, and its rootedness in specific historical, social and economic conditions, illustrated with reference to Marx's theory of the falling rate of profit under conditions of competitive capitalism.
Abstract: Conventional sociological theory is unable to account for endogenous change at the structural level. While various sociologists have attempted to develop aframework that would account for such change by abstracting formalized elements out of Marxist theory, these efforts-precisely because of their highly formal nature-are unsuccessful. Marx's theory itself seeks to explain change as built into the contradictory survival requirements of class societies conceived as closed social systems. The forces militating for change play themselves out with quasiautomatic necessity. The direction of change depends partly on the structural parameters and partly on the consciousness of individuals organized into social classes. It is argued that the utility of Marx's approach is tied both to his overall theoreticalframework, and its rootedness in specific historical, social and economic conditions. This argument is illustrated with reference to Marx's theory of the falling rate of profit under conditions of competitive capitalism.
21 citations
TL;DR: This article examines the critical responses to Talcott Parsons' first major work, The Structure of Social Action (1937), and his two subsequent books, Toward a General Theory of Action and The Social System (both 1951).
Abstract: This article examines the critical responses to Talcott Parsons' first major work, The Structure of Social Action (1937), and his two subsequent books, Toward a General Theory of Action and The Social System (both 1951). Because Parsons' work was the subject of such virulent debate, we cannot fully understand Parsons' impact on the discipline of sociology without understanding the source and nature of those early criticisms. I trace the responses to Parsons, first through book reviews and private letters and then in the more substantial statements of C. Wright Mills, George Homans, and Alvin Gouldner, from the largely positive but superficial reception of Structure to the polemics that followed Parsons' 1951 works. In the late 1930s and 1940s, Parsons' reputation grew steadily but there remained no careful reception of Structure, fostering resentment toward Parsons in some quarters while precluding a sophisticated understanding of his work. After 1951, a few critics capitalized on that tension, writing sweeping rejections of Parsons' work that spoke to a much broader audience of sociologists. That dynamic, coupled with Parsons' own indifference toward his harshest critics, produced a situation in which many sociologists simply chose not to read Parsons in the 1950s and 1960s, reinforcing a caricature and distorting perceptions of Parsons' place in mid-twentieth-century American sociology.
21 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how "social democratic" Sweden initiated and implemented choice reforms that attracted the interest of "liberal" England, by studying how English media framed and portrayed the choice reforms.
Abstract: This paper explores how 'social democratic' Sweden initiated and implemented choice reforms that attracted the interest of 'liberal' England. By studying how English media framed and portrayed the ...
21 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that the legitimacy of the social and political order in Britain is undermined by persistent inequalities of skills and opportunities, and argue that in Britain the well educated and people in work have higher participation rates than the poorly educated and unemployed.
Abstract: In this article we argue that the legitimacy of the social and political order in Britain is undermined by persistent inequalities of skills and opportunities. We first contend that British society is characterised by a liberal regime of social cohesion. Crucial to such a regime is the belief in individual opportunity and rewards based on merit. We demonstrate, through comparative analysis, that skills inequality is actually higher and social mobility lower in Britain than in other western countries. Also the perception of equal opportunities is lower. In Britain there is thus a mismatch between the cherished ideal of meritocracy and the reality of a stratified society, both objective and perceived. This, we postulate, is likely to contribute to the political alienation of disadvantaged groups. We argue that in theory adult learning could reduce the skills gap but that in reality it only magnifies skills inequality since in Britain the well educated and people in work have higher participation rates than the poorly educated and unemployed.
21 citations