Talcott Parson's theory of action defines core concepts like action, personalities, social systems, and cultural systems. Action is behavior oriented toward goals that occurs in situations involving objects. Personalities are organized systems of motivation and orientation. Social systems are made up of interacting individuals in relationships. Cultural systems represent symbolic patterns that guide choices through organization of values, norms, and symbols. Parsons applied these concepts in "Democracy and Social Structure in Pre-Nazi Germany," finding the mal-integration of cultural patterns as important as integration to the theory of action, and that problems of conformity, alienation, and social stability are crucial.

1. Talcott Parsons
Theory of Action
Universität Konstanz, FB Geschichte und Soziologie
Seminar: American Cultural Sociology
Dozent: Werner Binder, M.A.
Referent: Sven Giersig
4.5.2009 / SS2009 1

2. 0) agenda
(1) overview of the core concepts
(2) linkage to empirical findings in „Democracy and Social
Structure in Pre-Nazi Germany“
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3. 1) core concepts
action
personalities
social systems
cultural systems
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4. 1) action
behaviour, oriented to attainment of ends
occurs in situations with objects, thus in relations to
objects
objects: cathected / significances attached ->
organized in ,systems of orientations‘
objects: goals, resources, means, conditions, obstacles, symbols
system of orientations: cognitive; selection from and evaluation of alternatives
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5. 1) personalities
def: the organized system of the orientation and
motivation of action of one individual actor
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6. 1) social systems
def: the process of interaction of a plurality of actors;
made up of relationships of individuals
(but not simply a plurality of personalities!)
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7. 1) cultural systems
def: a system of symbolic patterns
characteristics:
1. constituted by organization of values, norms & symbols (which guide choices and
limit types of interaction)
2. not empirical; represents abstractions of social systems and personalities
3. (certain degree of) consistency and thus interrelated
4. forming value systems, belief systems and systems of expressive symbols
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8. 1) values
stabilize ,double contingency‘ (reciprocity of
expectations)
alter & ego both expect expectations, therefor they
need to generalize how to communicate and react
appropriately
normative regulation of ,criteria of selection‘
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9. 2) Pre-Nazi Germany
„Prussian Conservatism“
interdependent
pictures taken from commons.wikimedia.org 9

10. 2) Pre-Nazi Germany
„Prussian Conservatism“
interdependent
- feudal
- militaristic
- bureaucratic
- authoritarian
features
pictures taken from commons.wikimedia.org 9

11. 2) Empirical findings in
„Pre-Nazi Germany“
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12. 2) Empirical findings in
„Pre-Nazi Germany“
„The nature and sources of the mal-integration of
cultural patterns are as important to the theory of
action as the integration itself“
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13. 2) Empirical findings in
„Pre-Nazi Germany“
„The nature and sources of the mal-integration of
cultural patterns are as important to the theory of
action as the integration itself“
„The group of problems centering around conformity,
alienation (...) are among the most crucial (...) because
of their relevance to problems of social stability and
change“
Parsons (1959): Some fundamental Categories of the Theory of Action, p.20/22
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14. let‘s take a look at the text
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15. let‘s take a look at the text
in terms / layers of:
personality: cathexis and cognition
social system: integration; distribution of power and
prestige
cultural system: value systems, belief systems,
expressive symbols
integration / disintegration
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