interest. Dahrendorf firmly believed that while conflicts may be "channelled, institutionalised, and shorn of their more violent manifestations, they can never be eradicated from the human scene". (Coser 1977 p, 581)It is therefore obvious that the concept of a social system has many features. This has become evident through the examination of a functionalist perspective of the social system and more in particular through Parsons grand theory of action. Parsons established features that included the high level of abstraction of the concept and its relationship with many others. By addressing the concept in the context of Parsons’ theory, features such as an interpenetrating, interdependent and self-equilibrating social system becomes apparent. Such a system, and all its parts, will always reorganise to bring back to normal. Dahrendorf, on the other hand, highlighted a social system with a conflictual nature. One in which has its interests divided. ...
