Social systems theory

Social systems theory may refer to one of the following theories:

• Niklas Luhmann's theory of social systems
• Actor–network theory, a theoretical and methodological approach to social theory where everything in the social and natural worlds exists in constantly shifting networks of relationships
• Conflict theories, perspectives in political philosophy and sociology that argue that individuals and groups within society interact on the basis of conflict rather than agreement
• Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
• Ecological systems theory, a theory in developmental psychology
• Social network analysis, the analysis of social structures using network and graph theory
• Structural functionalism, a theoretical framework for constructing theories that views society as an intricate system where its components collaborate to foster unity and stability
• Symbolic interactionism, a sociological theory focused on cultural symbols exchanged during interpersonal interactions
• Systems theory, a transdisciplinary study of systems
• World-systems theory, an approach emphasizing the world-system as the primary unit of social analysis