Social Institutions

Sociology is defined as ‘’the study of social institutions’’.

Malinowski defines institution as, ‘’a group of people united by common interests, endowed with
material equipment, following rules of their tradition or agreement and contributing to the work
of culture as a whole.

According to Bertrand,’’ institutions are system of social relationships for meeting various felt
human needs’’.

Elements of Social institution

 A group of people
 United by common interest
 Having material resources
 Having norms/rules and
 Fulfill some social need

There are five basic social institutions which are found in every society.

 Family Institution

 Educational institution

 Economic Institution

 Political Institution

 Religious Institution

1. Family Institution

The United States Census Bureau (2007) defines family as a relatively permanent group of two
or more people who are related by blood, marriage or adoption and who live under the same
roof.
M. F. Nimkoff, ‘Family is the biological social unit composed of husband, wife and children.’

Functions of Family Institution:

 Procreation and Rearing of Children:
By performing this function of procreation family contributes to the continuity of family and
ultimately human race. Hence perpetuation of human race or society is the most important
function of family. Not only the production of children but also child rearing is another important
function of family. Family is the only place where the function of child rearing is better
performed.

It provides food, shelter, affection, protection and security to all its members. It plays a vital role
in the process of socialization of child. It provides healthy atmosphere in which the personality
of the child develops properly. Family takes care of the child at the time of need. Hence it is
rightly remarked that family is an institution par excellence for the procreation and rearing of
children. It has no parallels.

 Socialization:
It is another important essential function of family. It is said man is not born human but made
human. New born human baby became human being after they are socialized. Family plays an
important role in the socialization process.

It is one of the primary agents of socialization. Living in a family human baby learns norms,
values, morals and ideals of society. He learns culture and acquires character through the process
of socialization. His personality develops in the course of his living in family. From family he
learns what is right and wrong and what is good or bad. Through socialization he becomes a
social man and acquires good character.

 Economic functions:
It fulfills almost all the economic needs of its members such as food, clothing, housing etc.

 Educational functions:
Family continues to play an important role in providing the first lessons and primary education to
its members. Mother act as the first and best teacher of a child. He learns all sorts of informal
education such as discipline, obedience, manners etc. from family. For formal education, family
sends children to formal institutions e.g. school, college and universities.

 Religious functions:
Family is the centre of all religious activities. Children learn different religious values from their
parents. Family transmits religious beliefs and practices from one generation to another. Family
continues to play an important role in shaping religious attitude of its members.

 Health related functions:

Family as a primary social group performs several health related functions for its members. It
takes care of the sick, old and aged persons of the family.

 Culture Transmission

Family is also an important agent of cultural transmission. Culture is transmitted from one
generation to another through family. All the aspects of culture are learnt within the family
structure.

 Recreational function

Family also has a recreational function. Earlier, most recreation was family- based. Family
gatherings during festivals, functions, family reunions, marriages, brought entire families
together. Now-a-days, taking family members out on holidays or for movies, plays, dinners, or
parties, etc., perform the same function.

Fulfill Basic Needs: Family provide its member the facilities and requirements of basic needs
like food supply, house and clothing.
Love and Affection: Love and affection for its members is necessary especially for children. If
there is no love and affection, the children would be socially and mentally retarded. So, it is the
basic institution which regulates these outstanding duties.
Security: Security from all outside and internal dangers is necessary for its members. So, the
shelter, security and protection is provided to its members.
 2. Religious Institution

In viewing religion as an institution, sociologists evaluate its impact on human societies. As an

institution, religion has operated to standardize the religious emotions, beliefs and practices, and
to spread and perpetuate them. It is a powerful instrument of social control and social integration.

French sociologist Émile Durkheim defined religion as “a unified system of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things”.

Functions of Religious Institution

 Religion as an Integrative Force:

Durkheim believed that the primary function of religion was to preserve and solidify society. It
functions to reinforce the collective unity or social solidarity of a group. Sharing the same
religion or religious interpretation of the meaning of life unites people in a cohesive manner and
builds moral order.

The social cohesion is developed through rituals such as reciting prayer in the honour of God,
institutions of worship (church, temple, mosque, etc.), performing Namaz, and multitudes of
observances and ceremonies practised by different groups.

Durkheim was particularly concerned with a perplexing question, ‘How can human societies be
held together when they are generally composed of individuals and social groups with diverse
interests and aspirations’. In his view, religious bonds often transcend these personal and divisive
forces. It gives people certain ultimate values and ends to hold in common.

 Religion as Social Control:

Besides acting as an integrating force, religion also reinforces social control in society.

Religious beliefs can influence the conduct of those who believe in them. It keeps people ‘in
line’. Religious sanctions are sought for certain desirable patterns of behaviour to persist in
society.
  Religion as Emotional Support:
Religion is a sense of comfort and solace to the individuals during times of personal and social
crises such as death of loved ones, serious injury, etc. It gives them emotional support and
provides consolation, reconciliation and moral strength during trials and defeats, personal losses
and unjust treatments.

It provides a means whereby man can face the crises of life with strength and fortitude. Thomas
O’Dea (1970) writes, ‘Men need emotional support in the face of uncertainty, consolation when
confronted with disappointments and anxiety.’ It is often said that visiting places of worship and
holy premises serves as outlets for releasing tension and stress.

Religion offers consolation to oppressed peoples also by giving them hope that they can achieve
salvation and eternal happiness in the afterlife.

 Religion Serves a Means to Provide Answers to Ultimate Questions

Why are we here on earth? Is there a supreme being? What happens after death? All religions
have certain notions and beliefs that provide answers to the above questions. These beliefs are
based on the faith that life has a purpose, and there is someone or something that controls the
universe. It defines the spiritual world and gives meaning to the divine. Religion provides an
explanation for events that seem difficult to understand.

3. Educational Institution

The term education is derived from the Latin word ‘educatum’ which means the act of training or
teaching, to ‘bring up’ or to ‘draw out’ the latent powers of child.

Education is a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic
knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms. Every nation in the world is equipped with some
form of education system, though those systems vary greatly.
According to Samuel Koenig, Education may also be defined as the process whereby the social
heritage of a group is passed on from one generation to another as well as the process whereby
the child becomes socialised, i.e. learns the rules of behaviour of the group into which he is born.
Formal and Informal Education

Education is not solely concerned with the basic academic concepts that a student learns in the
classroom. Societies also educate their children, outside of the school system, in matters of
everyday practical living. These two types of learning are referred to as formal education and
informal education.

Formal education describes the learning of academic facts and concepts through a formal
curriculum. It takes place in schools, colleges, universities and other formal educational
institutions.

In contrast, informal education describes learning about cultural values, norms, and expected
behaviours by participating in a society. Our earliest learning experiences generally happen via
parents, relatives, and others in our community. Through informal education, we learn how to
dress for different occasions, how to perform regular life routines like shopping and preparing
food, and how to keep our bodies clean.

Functions of Educational Institution

There are many functions of education few of them are given below;
 Socialisation:
The most important function of education is socialisation. The people must learn the ways in
which their society functions. Hence, the children as they grow up must be introduced into the
culture which they are going to face.

Society, therefore, provides a conscious teaching programme to inculcate values, norms and
social skills that will fit the individuals for their adult role in society. Society creates educational
institutions such as school and colleges to perform certain functions in accomplishing this
general end.

The learners acquire academic knowledge through schools and college which they will need to
get them fit for some sort of job. At the same time the schools and colleges inculcate social
values and norms among them.
Though people learn a great deal from their parents or in groups of friends, they learn more of
the culture of their society though educational system.

Through education, the child is able to develop reasoning in social relations, cultivates social
virtues and thus becomes socially efficient. Education, may be only part of the process of
socialisation, but it is a very important part.

 Development of Personality:
Education plays an important role in the development of personality. The object of education, as
said Durkheim “is to awaken and develop in the child those physical, intellectual and moral
states which are required of him both by his society as a whole and by the milieu (surroundings,
environment) for which he is specially designed”. Education helps the development of the
qualities of an individual, such as physical, mental and emotional make-up as well as his
temperament and character.

The self, the core of personality, develops out of the child’s interaction with others.
Subsequently, the habits, traits, attitudes and ideals of an individual is patterned by the process of
education. A learner’s personality is also developed indirectly when he is encouraged to form his
own attitudes and values by studying outstanding people in history and literature. Moreover, a
learner is also influenced by the outlook and attitudes of fellow students and teachers.

 Social Control
Through the process of education society regulates the behaviour of its members and enforces
conformity to its norms.

“Education in a broad sense”, as says Bottomore, “From infancy to adulthood, is thus a vital
means of social control”. Formal education in modern societies communicate ideas and values
which play a part in regulating behaviour. The new generations are instructed to observe the
social norms, the violation of which may invite punishment.

 Social Integration:
Education, by imparting values, also integrates people into the broader society. Education unifies
the individuals in society and creates the sense of solidarity among them. It helps the individuals
and groups to cooperate with one another and find a common ground for social life. The
curriculum of the school, its ‘extra-curricular’ activities and the informal relationship among
students and teachers communicate certain values and social skills such as cooperation or team-
spirit, obedience, fair play.

 Determination of Status:
Determination of status of an individual is an important function of education. Amount of
education is a good indicator of socio-economic status, education leads to economic opportunity.
It is through education young people secure higher status jobs than their parents. With higher
incomes they come to associate with the persons of higher status. Thus, education provides the
channel to better socio-economic status.

 Provides Route for Social Mobility:

The educational system is expected to provide opportunities for social and economic mobility by
selecting and training the most able and industrious youth for higher-status position in society.

The educational system places those with the greater abilities and training in higher positions and
those with the lesser abilities and training in lower ones. Thus, education tends to generate
vertical social mobility by increasing their earning power and by preparing them for higher-
status occupation than that of their parents.

 Social Development:
Skills and values learned in education are directly related to the way to which the economy and
the occupational structure operate. Education trains the individuals in skills that are required by
the economy. In modern planned economy the output of skilled people must be consciously
geared to the economic and social priorities of the society. That explains the vital role of
education in social development. Literacy, for example, stimulates economic and social
development and that is why all developing countries have undertaken large-scale literacy
programmes.
  Transmission of Culture
Education instills and transmits the social norms, values and beliefs into the next generation. The
ways of life of our ancestors are handed down to coming generations through education.
 Career Selection
Education helps individual to think about their career which they want to pursue in future. It
prepares them for future endeavors (activities, actions). It provides them with all the necessary
information regarding the social life and professional life.
 Rational Thinking
Education helps us to think rationally and conclude any event, situation and issue with
reasonable explanation.
 Adjustment in Society
Education grooms the personality of individual which helps him/her to adjust in any
environment, group, community and society.
 Patriotism
Love for nation and country are instilled in people from very young age through educational
institution. They learn their duties and obligation towards nation and their country.
4. Economic Institution

John J.Maccionis,’Economy is the social institution that organizes a society’s production,

distribution and consumption of goods and services.’

Functions of Economic Institution

Social Stratification: The society is divided into various classes i.e. upper class, middle class,
lower class by the distribution of economic resources. They can change their classes with the
change in their economic resources.

Power & Authority: The economic resources provide power and authority to its holders. Wealth
is a great power which authorizes one to hold control of various agencies, organizations and
resources.

Socialization: The economic institutions have their respective norms. These norms are taught to
the workers, technicians and accountants. Every institution guides its workers in its norms.
Similarly, a worker of a textile mill leans how to work on loom and a worker of drug industry
will learn how to label bottles and pack them in boxes.

Need Satisfaction: The major function of economic institution is to fulfill human needs for
which they have developed. Agriculture provides wheat, sugarcane, cotton, and other raw
materials. Transport carries passengers from one place to another. Similarly, such institutions
fulfill the required needs.

Income Generation & Employment: Economic institutions provide employment and income
generation opportunities to the people. Through this, people fulfill their basic needs of life.

Division of labor & Specialization: Economic institutions assign roles according to skills,
capacities and abilities of the people. In this way different roles are assigned to different people
and a complex division of labor and specialization of job developed in society.

Provision of Funds: Economic institutions provide financial support to other institutions like
family, politics, religion, education. Without economic institutions, these institutions cannot
perform rather collapse.

5. Political Institution

‘System of power and authority which is used to maintain social order is called political
institution.’

Functions of Political Institution

Defense against Foreign Danger: In case of foreign attack, the state is to defend its people. The
property, life and honor of the people are saved at any cost. It is the duty of the government to
protect its citizens from foreign invaders.

Welfare works: The state is to provide the facilities of education, health, rail, road, postal
services, care of the insane, handicapped, and criminals. In cities, the electricity, water and gas
supply are included among the duties of municipal committees.

To Create Social Control: The state is to create social control among the people. The laws are
defended and the violators are punished. The legislature makes laws. The judiciary decides cases
of violation by punishing the violators of law. The executive enforces the laws in society with
special powers of Police and Military Forces, if required. These three branches of the
government create social control.

Elections: Political Institutions are responsible for organizing elections between political parties.
Election commission in this regard is the organization which organizes this national level
political activity.

Legislations: Laws are made by the political institutions. And parliaments, senate, Islamic
Council are the supreme authorities of making laws. These law making bodies constitute laws
according to the needs of the country.

Implementation of Law: Implementation and enforcement of law is also important as law

making. Police, courts, administration and jails are implementing authorities.

International Relations: These institutions develop economic, political and cultural links and
signs agreement with neighboring and other countries of the world. For this, our
parliamentarians, foreign secretaries, ambassadors and technocrats are working in different
countries.