Of all the institutions, the family is the most important.
It performs the following functions:
Reproduction of the race and rearing of the young, cultural transmission or enculturation,
socialization of the child, providing affection and a sense of security, providing the environment
for personality development and the growth of self-concept in relation to others, and providing
social status. A functional understanding of the family thus stresses the ways in
which the family as a social institution helps make society possible. As such, the
family performs several important functions. The family is the primary unit
for socializing children. As previous chapters indicated, no society is possible
without adequate socialization of its young. In most societies, the family is the
major unit in which socialization happens. Parents, siblings, and, if the family is
extended rather than nuclear, other relatives all help to socialize children from
the time they are born. One of the most important functions of the family is the
socialization of children. In most societies the family is the major unit through
which socialization occurs.
there are different types of implicit or explicit functions of schools particularly in
the 21st century. These potential school functions can be classified into five
types: technical/economic functions, human/social functions, political functions,
cultural functions, and educational functions, at the individual,institutional,
community, societal, and international level. In other words, schools can
contribute to the developments of the economic (technical), social, political,
cultural, and educational aspects from individuals to internationalcommunities in
the new century. Technical/Economic Functions refer to the contribution of
schools to the technical or economic developments and needs of the individual,
the institution, the local community, the society, and the international
community. At the individual level, schools can help students to acquire
knowledge and skills necessary to survive and compete in a modern society or a
competitive economy, and provide staff job training and opportunity.
Human/social functions refer to the contribution of schools to human
developments and social relationships at different levels of the society. As
indicated in nearly all formal education goals, at the individual level schools help
students to develop themselves psychologically, socially, and physically, and help
them develop their potential as fully as possible. Political functions refer to the
contribution of schools to the political developments at different levels of society.
At the individual level, schools help students to develop positive civic attitudes
and skills to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Cultural
functions refer to the contribution of schools to the cultural transmission and
development at different levels of society. At the individual level, schools help
students to develop their creativity and aesthetic awareness and to be socialized
with the successful norms, values, and beliefs of society. Education functions of
schools refer to the contribution of schools to the development and maintenance
of education at the different levels of society. Traditionally, education is often
perceived as only a means for achieving the economic, social, political, and
cultural values and goals. At the individual level, it is important for schools help
students to learn how to learn and help teachers to learn how to teach. Also,
facilitating teachers' professional development is one of the key education
functions at this level. In order to encourage mutual understanding among
nations and build up "a global family" for the younger generation, schools can
contribute to the development of global education and international education
exchange and cooperation. At the international level, schools can make an
important contribution to education for the whole world.
Religions promote social change by guiding their followers to share or "live"
their views. By encouraging the outward expression of religious views, the
views become a vehicle for social change. The acceptance or rejection of the
social changes are often tied to personal belief as well. Religion has historically
been an impetus to social change. The translation of sacred texts into everyday, non-
scholarly language empowered people to shape their religions. Disagreements between
religious groups and instances of religious persecution have led to wars and
genocides. This is a big debate in the sociology of religion. While many sociologists argue religion
helps to maintain the status quo and that changes in society then lead to changes in religion, there is
also an opposite view. This view argues that religion can also cause social change and so doesn't
always act as a conservative force.
