Análisis estructuralista de la teoría de los grupos de referencia

Abstract

The goal of this article is to present a reconstruction, according to the structuralist metatheory, of the reference groups theory. The theory developed by Robert Merton is a theory largely used in the most varied fields of social sciences but, still up to this day, it does not have a more accurate treatment from the metascientific standpoint. The reconstruction will attend the presentation of it is reflected in two articles in his book Social Theory and Social Structure, namely: “Contributions to the theory of reference group behavior” and “Continuities in the theory of reference groups and social structure”. After an informal account of the theory will be presented their potential models, models, partial potential models, constraints, intertheoretical links and applications intended.