ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the concept of a theoreticalresearch program in light of recent developments in the understanding of theoretical growth. It argues that the theoretical research program is the most appropriate unit for the analysis of the growth of theory. The chapter also argues that the concept of a theoretical research program is perfectly general in its conceptualization of theoretical growth. The core component of a theoretical research program is a set of interrelated theories. Elaboration is a basic form of growth in research programs and is driven by a combination of goals. Integrations represent major steps in theory growth. Orienting strategies, such as functionalism, social behaviorism, rational choice theory, or postmodernism, are sets of metatheoretical concepts, presuppositions, and directives that guide the construction of theory and conduct of inquiry. Methodological working strategies shape the nature of the theories a program constructs and the specific methods of observation and inference used to test, refine, and extend them.
