pattern variable
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English
[edit ]Etymology
[edit ]Coined by Talcott Parsons (1902–1979), American sociologist.
Noun
[edit ]pattern variable (plural pattern variables )
- (sociology ) Any of a set of contrasting pairs of characteristics said to be associated with various kinds of social interaction: affectivity – affective neutrality; self-orientation – collectivity-orientation; universalism – particularism; ascription – achievement; and specificity – diffusity.