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Behavioral Organism
The Behavioral Organism is an action system named by Talcott Parsons, used in describing Structural functionalism. The Behavioral Organism plays a role in the adaptation part of Parson’s General Social Thoery. His General Social Theory is broken down into four main parts than is called the AGIL Paradigm. AGIL stands for adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and latency. (Ritzer 2003) The Behavioral Organism in his scheme plays out the adaptation function by transforming to the external world. The AGIL Paradigm can be used to describe one person in particular, or a large group of people. In order for the Behavioral Organism to be functional it must be flexible to it’s changing environment in order to survive. All humans can be described as a Behavioral Organism. For example, humans used to hunt for their food in order to survive, now it is impossible for most humans in the modern world to hunt for food whenever they are hungry, now humans must go to a grocery store in order to eat the food that they need. Humans have adapted to that change in the world. As a whole humans adapt to the rapidly changing world around them. As individuals, humans are constantly moving to new cities, changing careers, getting married or divorced, having children and so on, each individual must learn to adapt to their changing lives. According to Parsons, every humanbeing can be considered a Behavioral Organism.

Talcott Parsons is responsible for coining the term “behavioral organism” along with his General Social Thoery. Parsons was a well-known sociologist during the 1950s and 60s throughout the United States. He was a theorist responsible for the structural functionalism theory, he is what sociologist consider a "Funstionalist". His General Social Theory has become one of his most notable works.

Larger Theory
The Behavioral Organism serves a large roll in the adaptation part of Parsons' Social Theory. Parsons theorized that AGIL was necessary for all systems to survive in the world. The ‘A’ stands for adaptation; the behavioral organism adapts to the changing world. The ‘G’ stands for goal attainment; the personality system defines its goals and creates a plan of action in order to attain those goals. The ‘I’ stands for integration; the social system copes with the changing world by controlling its component parts. Finally, the ‘L’ stands for latency; the cultural system provides actors with norms and values to motivate them for action. Parsons viewed each organism or system acting as a different level of analysis, building from each other, begining with the behavioral organism. (Ritzer 2003) Talcott Parsons believed that not one system (human or groups of people) could function without the AGIL Paradigm being applicable.

Still in use?
Talcott Parsons' General Social Theory is still used in contemporary research. It can be used to study the structural changes in the growing economy. (Smelser, 2005) It is applied by describing the constant changes in the economy and how humans, businesses in particular, adapt to it. The behavioral organism can also be applied to cultural research; how humans adapt to the external world. It can tie in with most modern studies of how humans react to the world around them.

Criticisms
David Sciulli, in his "Annual Review of Sociology", describes Bershady’s critique of Parson’s General Social Theory. It is argued that it is not generalizable, nor comprehensible. Meaning it cannot be applied to the outside world. (Sciulli 1985) Bershady argued that his ideas in the AGIL scheme were too vague to be understood or applied; the categories are not clearly defined enough to describe functions or dysfunctions. (Sciulli 1985) Sciulli also describes Habermas’ critique of Parson’s theory. He claimed that is was only based on “isolated individuals” and it could not be generalized to others. (Sciulli 1985) Habermas wrote that Parsons did not take into consideration the modernizations of the world; meaning that as the world and the individuals in it change, Parsons' theory cannot change with it. (Sciulli 1985)

Outside Resources
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072817186/student_view0/chapter7/chapter_summary.html

http://ssr1.uchicago.edu/PRELIMS/Theory/parsons.html