A long tradition in the analysis of social institutions incorporates organismic analogies and metaphors as basic components into general conceptual frameworks which serve as the general conceptual context within which more specific theoretical propositions that can be empirically tested are derived. A part of this tradition involves the attempt to extend biocybernetic and general systems principles whose origin comes from research on natural systems, to the analysis of complex social institutions. To the extent that these general perspectives of social systems employ metaphors and analogies from natural systems, it is important to investigate the explanatory or theoretical benefit that they provide for a better understanding of social institutions.