Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Talcott Parsons’ work The Social System (1951) is considered one of the key texts of sociology. In this major theoretical contribution, Parsons develops the AGIL scheme—a universal model for analyzing social systems that is still used in sociology, organizational research, and systems theory today. This article explains the theoretical foundations, the structure of social action,
The Structure of Social Action, first published in 1937, stands as Talcott Parsons’s inaugural major work and is widely recognized as laying the theoretical groundwork for his later structural functionalism. In this seminal text, Parsons undertakes an ambitious synthesis of European social theory and contemporary societal dynamics. Rather than treating the individual as a passive
Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT) argues that high crime rates result from a cultural emphasis on economic success combined with institutional imbalance. When economic values dominate other social institutions—such as family, education, and politics—social control weakens, leading to higher levels of utilitarian, self-interested behavior and, ultimately, crime. Key Points Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT) Main Proponents: Steven