Below is a clear, high-level, UPSC-perfect explanation of how Parsons’ concept of Moving Equilibrium fits into the Social System’s internal AGIL and its role in Latency/Pattern Maintenance.

This ties together:

• Internal AGIL of Social System
• Macro-function of Latency (L)
• Parsons’ Moving Equilibrium

⭐ What is Moving Equilibrium? (Parsons’ Concept)

Parsons rejects the idea of a fixed, static equilibrium.

Instead, he says societies maintain order through a moving (dynamic) equilibrium:

✔ The system stays stable

✔ BUT constantly adjusts to internal & external changes

✔ So equilibrium = “stability through controlled change”

This is central to functionalism:

A system survives by balancing continuity + adaptation.

⭐ How Moving Equilibrium Enters the Social System’s Internal AGIL

The Social System (family, school, community, religion, norms) constantly faces:

• new challenges
• external pressures (economic, political, technological)
• internal strains (role conflicts, value shifts, intergenerational tension)