ABSTRACT
Consensus is seen as an accord between role behavior and role expectation. Consensus theory is employed to settle a wide range of sociological problems. In short, consensus differs from conflict as organization differs from deviance. A series of considerations that are increasingly being adduced to demonstrate the singular advantages of consensus theory over conflict theory relates to the difficulties of a social examination of unstable relations. The wide uses of consensus theory, particularly as a replacement for conflict theory, shows a close historical and analytical connection to the displacement of the language of social class by an alternate language of social status. In short, both consensus and conflict are phenomena that may promote or retard social cooperation or political cohesion. cooperation concerns toleration of differences, while consensus demands abolition of these same differences. The concept of cooperation is essentially the programming of common standards in a world of conflicting interests, and even of different notions as to what constitutes interests.
