American Sociological Theory

American Sociological Theory: A Critical History discusses the history of American sociological theory by providing a selective and critical account of ten writers largely involved in the subject. Chapters 1 to 10 of this book are devoted to the contributions and investigations of ten acclaimed sociological theorists— William Graham Sumner, Lester Frank Ward, Charles Horton Cooley, Edward Alsworth Ross, Florian Znaniecki, Robert Morrison Maclver, Pitirim A. Sorokin, George A. Lundberg, Talcott Parsons, and Robert K. Merton. The sociological label, legacy of Spencer, normative taboo, American references, and the ""Holy Trinity"" (Marx, Durkheim, and Weber) are also elaborated in this text. This publication is a good reference for students and researchers conducting work on general sociological theory.

Preface

Chapter 1 William Graham Sumner

Sumner on Sociology

Sumner's Social Darwinism

Folkways

The Mores

Supplementary Concepts

Miscellaneous Observations

Summary and Evaluation

Chapter 2 Lester Frank Ward

Dynamic Sociology

The Psychic Factors of Civilization

Outlines of Sociology

Pure Sociology

Applied Sociology

Summary and Evaluation

Chapter 3 Charles Horton Cooley

Human Nature and the Social Order

Social Organization

Social Process

Summary and Evaluation

Chapter 4 Edward Alsworth Ross

Social Control

Foundations of Sociology

Social Psychology

Principles of Sociology

Summary and Evaluation

Chapter 5 Florian Znaniecki

Early Philosophical Writings

The Polish Peasant in Europe and America

The Method of Sociology

Social Actions

The Social Role of the Man of Knowledge

Cultural Sciences

Social Relations and Social Roles

What Is Sociology?

Summary and Evaluation

Chapter 6 Robert Morrison MacIver

Community

The Elements of Social Science

Society

Social Causation

Society and the State

Miscellaneous Writings

Summary and Evaluation

Chapter 7 Pitirim A. Sorokin

Social Mobility

Contemporary Sociological Theories

Society, Culture, and Personality

War and Revolution

The Mortality of Groups

Social and Cultural Dynamics

The Pattern of History

Criticism

Summary and Evaluation

Chapter 8 George A. Lundberg

Foundations of Sociology

Excursus on Operationalism

From Methodology to Sociology

Dimensions of Society

Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 9 Talcott Parsons

The Great Language Barrier

The Place of Ultimate Values in Sociological Theory

The Structure of Social Action

The Means-End Schema

Emergence and Convergence

The Theory Grows

The Social System

The Pattern Variables

The Place of Sociological Theory

System-Problems

Societies in Evolutionary Perspective

Conclusion

Chapter 10 Robert K. Merton

The Sociology of Science

Sociological Theory

On "Sociological Theories of the Middle Range"

Bureaucracy

Reference Group Theory

Conclusion

Chapter 11 Epilogue

The Sociological Label

The Legacy of Spencer

The Normative Taboo

American References

The Holy Trinity

Style

Appendix Franklin Henry Giddings

Name Index

Subject Index