His explication of the nature of illness in chapter 10 of The Social System was one of the founding texts of medical sociology.
His doctorate examined the concept of capitalism in German scholarship, while during World War II he wrote a series of important monographs on the sociology of Nazism, arguing that they sought to overthrow the enlightenment. He called the gratification of emotions "affectivity", which he contrasted with a state of "affective neutrality."  He differentiated between societies that valued action in the correct context versus advancement per se, a distinction he dubbed ascription and achievement. His educational theories emphasized people finding their appropriate occupation in society, an idea that with his students Davis and Moore became the theory of role allocation. His explication of the nature of illness in chapter 10 of The Social System was one of the founding texts of medical sociology. For 10 points, identify this popularizer of Max Weber who analyzed the "unit act" to understand The Structure of Social Action.
His doctorate examined the concept of capitalism in German scholarship, while during World War II he wrote a series of important monographs on the sociology of Nazism, arguing that they sought to overthrow the enlightenment.
Talcott Parsons