`Power' in the Recent Writings of Talcott Parsons

Abstract

This article gives a brief description and critique of the analysis of power developed by Talcott Parsons in some of his recent works. Parsons's discussion of power is largely directed towards meeting what he sees as major flaws in the `traditional' view of power as embodied in `coercion theory' (or `zero-sum' theory). But his treatment of power is at least as partisan as the view which he wishes to replace. Parsons deals with the main points at issue between integration and coercion theory simply by setting most of them aside as of little importance, or by ignoring them altogether. While his new conceptualization of power makes his treatment of the subject more consistent with his general social theory, it draws his position even further away from coercion theory. In conclusion, I try to show that both Parsons and Dahrendorf wrongly imply that the main focus of the division between integration and coercion theory centres around the integrative function of `common value-systems'. The main issues which separate the two perspectives in fact concern the social processes whereby such value-systems are formed, and how value-consensus is maintained in societies.