Modern sociology owes its existence and the progress it has made to the integration of differing kinds of orientations. In this work, first published 1987, Professor Richard Munch sets out to reformulate the theory of action, a notion central to sociology and one to which all schools of thought within sociology have contributed. He gives an exposition of the voluntaristic theory of action as found in Talcott Parson's work, reconstructing and extending Parson's theory from the perspective of the present-day level of development. In this way he both integrates opposing orientations to action...

Modern sociology owes its existence and the progress it has made to the integration of differing kinds of orientations. In this work Richard Munch sets out to reformulate the theory of action, a notion central to sociology and one to which all schools of thought within sociology have contributed."