Action structures and sociological action theory

Abstract

Three research traditions that have developed formal representations of action structures are presented in the first part of this paper and preliminary attempts are made to unify them. These three efforts differ more or less substantially in focus: affect control (Heise 1979; 1985), institutionalized social action (Fararo and Skvoretz 1984; 1986) and action feasibility (Nowakowska 1973). In the second part of the paper, we attempt to place these formal models in a more general theoretical context, namely, that of sociological action theory as it has been developed in the work of Talcott Parsons. Our presentation here concentrates on cybernetic imagery in Parsonian action theory, particularly in relation to his famous AGIL scheme of analysis and in relation to his concern with types of actions and corresponding value‐standards.