TOPLUMSAL EYLEM VE DEĞİŞME: TALCOTT PARSONS’IN DÜŞÜNCESİ ÜZERİNDEN BİR OKUMA

Abstract

In the second half of the 20th century, as material and human resources became USA-centered and the social sciences were instrumental in providing appropriate models for both American society and the non- Western world, Talcott Parsons’ system theory was developed with the mission of providing a theoretical and conceptual framework for applied sociologica l studies. Parsons’ system theory focused on the question of how to hold society together. Accordingly, concepts such as social balance, social integration, and social harmony came to the fore. This does not mean, however, that he ignored social action and social change. On the contrary, social action compatible with social equilibrium and gradual social change are inherent in Parsons’ theory. Based on a literature review, this study aims to show how Parsons dealt with phenomena of social action and social change in the three phases of his sociological thought, which can be classified as social action, general systems theory, and the cybernetic model of general systems theory. Within this framework, it is revealed that in Parsons’ thinking social action and social change allow movement toward adaptation within the mutual relationship between society and the individual’s psychological and motivational structure .