According to Parsons, what four needs must all social systems meet in order to sustain equilibrium? What subsystems perform these necessary functions? (Provide both the theoretical label and a concrete example for each.)

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The AGIL paradigm includes adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and latency as prerequisites for society to survive. Adaptation (A) refers to responses to the physical environment. At the level of the social system, the economy typically fulfills the requirement of adaptation. Goal attainment (G) refers to the problem of resolving the discrepancies between “the inertial tendencies of the system and its ‘needs’ resulting from interchange with the situation”. At the level of the social system, the requirement of goal attainment is typically met by the polity. The polity and government establish status and reward systems so that social goals can be attained. Integration (I) refers to the coordination of a system’s or subsystem’s constituent parts, since “all social systems are differentiated and segmented into relatively independent units”. Integration involves solidarity, that is the feeling of “we-ness” that develops in a social group as distinct roles are carried out; integration depends on interaction and the norms that guide interaction more so than abstract cultural values. Latent pattern maintenance (L) refers to the “imperative of maintaining the stability of the patterns of institutionalized culture”. Within the social system, the function of latent pattern maintenance, that is the maintaining of shared values, is most readily apparent in the realm of religion.