The growth of sociological theories - A structuralist alternative to seeking theoretical continuity

A critical appraisal of Wagner and Berger's framework for analyzing the growth of sociological theories calls for more precise criteria for identifying theoretical continuity. We propose a structuralist theory of science as an alternative framework. Our rational reconstruction of selected theories in the family of social psychological balance theories shows that Wagner and Berger's key concepts have counterparts in the exact formalism of structuralism. Overall, our results support Wagner and Berger's main thesis: the growth of theoretical knowledge in sociology is not rare but simply hidden by mistaken assumptions about the nature of theoretical activity.