pattern variable

== English == === Etymology === Coined by Talcott Parsons (1902–1979), American sociologist. === Noun === pattern variable (plural pattern variables) (sociology) Any of a set of contrasting pairs of characteristics said to be associated with various kinds of social interaction: affectivity – affective neutrality; self-orientation – collectivity-orientation; universalism – particularism; ascription – achievement; and specificity – diffusity.