The Structure of Neofunctionalist Sociology

Abstract

This paper interprets the basic structure of “Neofunctionalist Sociology”.
First, neofunctionalists have addressed the presuppositional problems (the action-order problems) of social systems specifying Talcott Parsons' presuppositional arguments of action systems. And they have analyzed the theoretical presuppositions of the sociological theorizings which appeared in the second phase of postwar sociodogy. Consequently, they point out that their theorizings “one-dimensionalized” by reductions and conflations. Therefore, neofunctionalists advocate the “multi-dimensional” sociological theory which can link micro and macro theorizings.
Second, neofunctionalists have organized “research programs” specifying their presuppositional argument (the generalized discourse) and have been oriented to the empirical and concrete analyses of social orders. They are developing the multi-dimensional analyses of normative order, normative macro-sociology incorporating micro elements (action/agency) and conditional materialistic ones. In the 1990 s, neofunctionalism must be 'institutionalized' and 'internalized'.