Parsons’ Evolutionary Theory
He divided evolution into four sub-processes:
Differentiation: Any society composes of a series of subsystems.
Adaptation: Those systems evolve into more efficient versions. • Inclusion: It includes elements previously excluded from the given systems. • Generalization: It generalizes values and legitimizes the increasingly complex system. Critiques to Parsons’ Evolutionary Theory • When he said “evolutionary theory,” it seems that the theory deal with social change. • However, Parsons’ analysis of evolution does not look at process, rather it is an attempt to “order structural types and related them sequentially” (Parsons, 1966:111). • It is comparative structural analysis, not really a study of the process of social change. • Thus, he is structural-functionalist after all. References and Recommended Books • Schaefer, Richard T. 2008. Sociology (11 th edition). New York and London: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. • Smith, Mark J. 1998. Social Science in Question. London and Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications • Ritzer George. 2000 (1983). Modern Sociological Theory (fifth edition). McGraw-Hill Companies. End