Talcott Parsons on the nuclear familyĪccording to Parsons, nuclear families are responsible for teaching children the common values and norms of society and for providing adults with emotional support. His ideas on role allocation and stratification were later criticised by many sociologists, who argued that individuals do not compete on equal grounds and socio-economic status determines one’s status in society much more than their work ethic and abilities. As such, he believed that society was meritocratic. Parsons believed that people competed on equal grounds, and they could achieve high status and high rewards if they worked hard and had talent, no matter where they came from. They were also rewarded for their work according to the importance of their jobs. He believed in effective role allocation, which meant that all individuals in society get roles that were best suited to their abilities, work ethic and qualifications. Societies: Evolutionary and Comparative Perspectives (1966) Its conclusion is that social action was shaped by shared norms and values rather than on individual personalities (as argued by Freud and Weber). It is mainly based on the works of Weber, Pareto and Durkheim. It deals with the Hobbesian problem of how social order was possible. We will go briefly look at some of his most important works. Talcott Parsons' contributions to sociologyĪlongside functionalist theory (discussed below), Parsons is famous for creating a whole school of thought within sociology by connecting the discipline to clinical psychology and social anthropology. Let's now go over some of his theories and works. He remained a professor at Harvard until he retired in 1973. Parsons served as the president of the American Sociological Society in 1949. He became a professor in 1944 and, two years later, the chairman of the new social studies department. Including their work in his book, The Structure of Social Action (1937), drove Parsons closer and closer to the sociological perspective he became most associated with functionalism. Parsons got to know the works of Émile Durkheim and Vilfredo Pareto during his time at Harvard as economics instructor. He started teaching economics and, later, sociology at Harvard University. While studying there, he translated the works of Max Weber (including The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism), thus introducing European sociology to American scholars. He got his PhD from University of Heidelberg. Initially, he was interested in biology and economics, and only later did he turn towards the social sciences. He studied at Amherst College and at the London School of Economics. Talcott Parsons was born in 1902 in Colorado, United States. Finally, we will include some of his most essential quotes.
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