Social institutions types and functions. Basic institutions of society

The main social institutions traditionally include family, state, education, church, science, and law. Below is a brief description of these institutions and their main functions. The family is the most important social institution of kinship, connecting individuals through a commonality of life and mutual moral responsibility. The family performs a number of functions: economic (housekeeping), reproductive (having children), educational (transferring values, norms, models), etc. The state is the main political institution that governs society and ensures its security. The state performs internal functions, including economic (regulating the economy), stabilization (maintaining stability in society), coordination (ensuring public harmony), ensuring the protection of the population (protecting rights, legality, social security) and many others. There are also external functions: defense (in case of war) and international cooperation (to protect the interests of the country in the international arena). Education is a social cultural institution that ensures the reproduction and development of society through the organized transfer of social experience in the form of knowledge, skills, and abilities. The main functions of education include adaptation (preparation for life and work in society), professional (training of specialists), civic (training of citizens), general cultural (introduction to cultural values), humanistic (discovery of personal potential), etc. Church - a religious institution formed on the basis of a single religion. Church members share common norms, dogmas, rules of behavior and are divided into clergy and laity. The church performs the following functions: ideological (determines views of the world), compensatory (offers consolation and reconciliation), integrating (unites believers), general cultural (introduces cultural values), etc. Science is a special socio-cultural institution for the production of objective knowledge. Among the functions of science are cognitive (promotes knowledge of the world), explanatory (interprets knowledge), worldview (determines views on the world), prognostic (makes forecasts), social (changes society) and productive (determines the production process). Law is a social institution, a system of generally binding norms and relations protected by the state. The state, with the help of law, regulates the behavior of people and social groups, establishing certain relationships as mandatory. The main functions of law: regulatory (regulates social relations) and protective (protects those relations that are useful for society as a whole). All the elements of social institutions discussed above are illuminated from the point of view of social institutions, but other approaches to them are also possible. For example, science can be viewed not only as a social institution, but also as special shape cognitive activity or as a system of knowledge; family is not only an institution, but also a small social group.

Implies the Spencerian approach and the Veblenian approach.

Spencerian approach.

The Spencerian approach is named after Herbert Spencer, who found much in common in the functions of a social institution (he himself called it social institution) and biological organism. He wrote: “in a state, as in a living body, a regulatory system inevitably arises... With the formation of a stronger community, higher centers of regulation and subordinate centers appear.” So, according to Spencer, social institution - This is an organized type of human behavior and activity in society. Simply put, it is a special form of social organization, when studying which it is necessary to focus on functional elements.

Veblenian approach.

Veblen's approach (named after Thorstein Veblen) to the concept of social institution is somewhat different. He focuses not on functions, but on the norms of a social institution: " Social institution - it's a collection social customs, the embodiment of certain habits, behavior, areas of thought, passed on from generation to generation and changing depending on circumstances." Simply put, he was not interested in functional elements, but in the activity itself, the purpose of which is to meet the needs of society.

System of classification of social institutions.

economic- market, money, wages, banking system;
political- government, state, judicial system, armed forces;
spiritual institutions- education, science, religion, morality;
family institutions- family, children, marriage, parents.

In addition, social institutions are divided according to their structure into:

simple- having no internal division (family);
complex- consisting of several simple ones (for example, a school in which there are many classes).

Functions of social institutions.

Any social institution is created to achieve some goal. It is these goals that determine the functions of the institute. For example, the function of hospitals is treatment and healthcare, and the army is to provide security. Sociologists of different schools have identified many different functions in an attempt to organize and classify them. Lipset and Landberg were able to summarize these classifications and identified four main ones:

reproductive function- the emergence of new members of society (the main institution is the family, as well as other institutions associated with it);
social function- dissemination of norms of behavior, education (institutions of religion, training, development);
production and distribution(industry, Agriculture, trade, also state);
control and management- regulation of relations between members of society by developing norms, rights, responsibilities, as well as a system of sanctions, that is, fines and punishments (state, government, judicial system, public order authorities).

By type of activity, functions can be:

obvious- officially formalized, accepted by society and the state (educational institutions, social institutions, registered marriages, etc.);
hidden- hidden or unintentional activities (criminal structures).

Sometimes a social institution begins to perform functions unusual for it, in this case we can talk about the dysfunction of this institution . Dysfunctions They work not to preserve the social system, but to destroy it. Examples are criminal structures, shadow economy.

The importance of social institutions.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning the important role played by social institutions in the development of society. It is the nature of institutions that determines successful development or the decline of the state. Social institutions, especially political ones, must be publicly accessible, but if they are closed, this leads to dysfunction of other social institutions.

1.Plan………………………………………………………………………………1

2. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..2

3. The concept of “Social institution”………………………………………………………..3

4. Evolution of social institutions…………………………………………..5

5. Typology of social institutions……………………………………….…...6

6. Functions and dysfunctions of social institutions……………………….……8

7. Education as a social institution……………………………..….…...11

8. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….13

9. List of references…………………………………………………………….……..………15

Introduction.

Social practice shows that it is vital for human society to consolidate certain types of social relations, to make them mandatory for members of a certain society or a certain social group. This primarily refers to those social relationships, by entering into which, members of a social group ensure the satisfaction of the most important needs necessary for the successful functioning of the group as an integral social unit. Thus, the need for the reproduction of material goods forces people to consolidate and maintain production relations; the need to socialize the younger generation and educate youth on the examples of the group’s culture forces us to consolidate and support family relationships, young people's learning relationships.

The practice of consolidating relationships aimed at satisfying urgent needs consists of creating a rigidly fixed system of roles and statuses that prescribe rules of behavior for individuals in social relationships, as well as defining a system of sanctions in order to achieve strict compliance with these rules of behavior.

Systems of roles, statuses and sanctions are created in the form of social institutions, which are the most complex and important types of social connections for society. It is social institutions that support joint cooperative activities in organizations and determine sustainable patterns of behavior, ideas and incentives.

The concept of “institution” is one of the central ones in sociology, therefore the study of institutional connections is one of the main scientific tasks facing sociologists.

The concept of “Social institution”.

The term “social institution” is used in a wide variety of meanings.

One of the first to give a detailed definition of a social institution was the American sociologist and economist T. Veblen. He viewed the evolution of society as a process natural selection social institutions. By their nature, they represent habitual ways of responding to stimuli that are created by external changes.

Another American sociologist, Charles Mills, understood an institution as the form of a certain set of social roles. He classified institutions according to the tasks they performed (religious, military, educational, etc.), which form the institutional order.

The German sociologist A. Gehlen interprets an institution as a regulatory institution that directs the actions of people in a certain direction, just as institutions guide the behavior of animals.

According to L. Bovier, a social institution is a system of cultural elements aimed at satisfying a set of specific social needs or goals.

J. Bernard and L. Thompson interpret an institution as a set of norms and patterns of behavior. This is a complex configuration of customs, traditions, beliefs, attitudes, laws that have a specific purpose and perform specific functions.

In Russian sociological literature, a social institution is defined as the main component of the social structure of society, integrating and coordinating many individual actions of people, organizing social relations in certain areas public life.

According to S.S. Frolov, a social institution is an organized system of connections and social norms, which combines significant public values and procedures that meet the basic needs of society.

According to M.S. Komarov, social institutions are value-normative complexes through which people’s actions in vital areas – economics, politics, culture, family, etc. – are directed and controlled.

If we summarize all the variety of approaches outlined above, then a social institution is:

A role system, which also includes norms and statuses;

A set of customs, traditions and rules of conduct;

Formal and informal organization;

A set of norms and institutions regulating a certain area

public relations;

A separate set of social actions.

That. we see that the term “social institution” can have different definitions:

A social institution is an organized association of people performing certain social significant functions, ensuring the joint achievement of goals based on the members fulfilling their social roles, defined by social values, norms and patterns of behavior.

Social institutions are institutions designed to satisfy the fundamental needs of society.

A social institution is a set of norms and institutions regulating a certain area of social relations.

A social institution is an organized system of connections and social norms that brings together significant social values and procedures that satisfy the basic needs of society.

Evolution of social institutions.

The process of institutionalization, i.e. formation of a social institution consists of several successive stages:

The emergence of a need, the satisfaction of which requires joint organized actions;

Formation of common goals;

The emergence of social norms and rules during a spontaneous social interaction carried out by trial and error;

The emergence of procedures related to norms and regulations;

Institutionalization of norms and rules, procedures, i.e. their acceptance, practical application;

Establishment of a system of sanctions to maintain norms and rules, differentiation of their application in individual cases;

Creation of a system of statuses and roles covering all members of the institute without exception.

The birth and death of a social institution can be clearly seen in the example of the institution of noble duels of honor. Duels were an institutionalized method of clarifying relations between nobles in the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries. This institution of honor arose due to the need to protect the honor of the nobleman and streamline relations between representatives of this social stratum. Gradually, a system of procedures and norms developed and spontaneous quarrels and scandals turned into highly formalized fights and duels with specialized roles (chief manager, seconds, doctors, service personnel). This institution supported the ideology of untarnished noble honor, accepted mainly in the privileged strata of society. The institution of duels provided for fairly strict standards for the protection of the code of honor: a nobleman who received a challenge to a duel had to either accept the challenge or leave public life with the shameful stigma of cowardly cowardice. But with the development of capitalist relations, ethical standards in society changed, which was expressed, in particular, in the unnecessaryness of defending noble honor with arms in hand. An example of the decline of the institution of duels is Abraham Lincoln's absurd choice of dueling weapon: throwing potatoes from a distance of 20 m. So this institution gradually ceased to exist.

Typology of social institutions.

Social institutions are divided into main (basic, fundamental) and non-main (non-basic, frequent). The latter are hidden inside the former, being part of them as smaller formations.

In addition to dividing institutions into main and non-main, they can be classified according to other criteria. For example, institutions may differ in the time of their origin and duration of existence (permanent and short-term institutions), the severity of sanctions applied for violations of the rules, the conditions of existence, the presence or absence of a bureaucratic management system, the presence or absence of formal rules and procedures.

Ch. Mills counted in modern society five institutional orders, actually meaning by this the main institutions:

Economic – institutions that organize economic activities;

Political – institutions of power;

Family – institutions that regulate sexual relations, the birth and socialization of children;

Military – institutions that protect members of society from physical danger;

Religious - institutions that organize the collective veneration of gods.

The purpose of social institutions is to satisfy the most important vital needs of society as a whole. There are five such basic needs, and they correspond to five basic social institutions:

The need for reproduction of the family (the institution of family and marriage).

The need for security and social order (the institution of the state and other political institutions).

The need for obtaining and producing means of subsistence (economic institutions).

The need for the transfer of knowledge, socialization of the younger generation, training (institute of education).

Needs for solving spiritual problems, the meaning of life (institute of religion).

Non-core institutions are also called social practices. Each main institute has its own systems of established practices, methods, techniques, and procedures. Thus, economic institutions cannot do without such mechanisms and practices as currency conversion, protection of private property,

professional selection, placement and evaluation of workers, marketing,

market, etc. Within the institution of family and marriage are the institutions of fatherhood and motherhood, naming, family revenge, inheritance of the social status of parents, etc.

Non-main political institutions include, for example, the institutions of forensic examination, passport registration, legal proceedings, the legal profession, juries, judicial control over arrests, judiciary, presidency, etc.

Everyday practices that help organize the coordinated actions of large groups of people bring certainty and predictability to social reality, thereby supporting the existence of social institutions.

Functions and dysfunctions of social institutions.

Function(from Latin - execution, implementation) - the purpose or role that a certain social institution or process performs in relation to the whole (for example, the function of the state, family, etc. in society.)

Function of a social institution is the benefit it brings to society, i.e. This is a set of tasks to be solved, goals to be achieved, and services provided.

The first and most important mission of social institutions is to satisfy the most important vital needs of society, i.e. something without which society cannot exist as a current one. Indeed, if we want to understand what the essence of the function of this or that institution is, we must directly connect it with the satisfaction of needs. E. Durheim was one of the first to point out this connection: “To ask what the function of the division of labor is means to investigate what need it corresponds to.”

No society can exist if it is not constantly replenished with new generations of people, obtaining food, living in peace and order, acquiring new knowledge and passing it on to next generations, and dealing with spiritual issues.

List of universal ones, i.e. The functions inherent in all institutions can be continued by including the function of consolidating and reproducing social relations, regulatory, integrative, broadcasting and communicative functions.

Along with universal ones, there are specific functions. These are functions that are inherent in some institutions and not in others, for example, establishing order in society (state), discovery and transfer of new knowledge (science and education), etc.

Society is structured in such a way that a number of institutions perform several functions simultaneously, and at the same time, several institutions can specialize in performing one function. For example, the function of raising or socializing children is performed by institutions such as the family, church, school, and state. At the same time, the institution of family performs not only the function of education and socialization, but also such functions as the reproduction of people, satisfaction in intimacy, etc.

At the dawn of its emergence, the state performs a narrow range of tasks, primarily related to establishing and maintaining internal and external security. However, as society became more complex, so did the state. Today it not only protects borders, fights crime, but also regulates the economy, provides social security and assistance to the poor, collects taxes and supports healthcare, science, schools, etc.

The Church was created to resolve important ideological issues and establish the highest moral standards. But over time, it also began to be involved in education, economic activities (monastic farming), preservation and transmission of knowledge, research work (religious schools, gymnasiums, etc.), guardianship.

If an institution, in addition to benefits, brings harm to society, then such an action is called dysfunction. An institution is said to be dysfunctional when some of the consequences of its activities interfere with the implementation of other social activities or another institution. Or, as one of the sociological dictionaries defines dysfunction, it is “any social activity that makes a negative contribution to maintaining the effective functioning of the social system.”

For example, as economic institutions develop, they place greater demands on the social functions that an educational institution must perform.

It is the needs of the economy that lead to industrial societies to the development of mass literacy, and then to the need to prepare all more qualified specialists. But if the educational institution does not cope with its task, if education is delivered very poorly, or trains the wrong specialists that the economy requires, then society will not receive either developed individuals or first-class professionals. Schools and universities will produce routinists, amateurs, and half-knowledgeable people, which means that economic institutions will be unable to meet the needs of society.

This is how functions turn into dysfunctions, plus into minus.

Therefore, the activity of a social institution is considered as a function if it contributes to maintaining stability and integration of society.

The functions and dysfunctions of social institutions are obvious, if they are clearly expressed, recognized by everyone and quite obvious, or latent, if they are hidden and remain unconscious to participants in the social system.

The explicit functions of institutions are expected and necessary. They are formed and declared in codes and enshrined in a system of statuses and roles.

Latent functions are the unintended result of the activities of institutions or individuals representing them.

The democratic state that was established in Russia in the early 90s with the help of new institutions of power - parliament, government and the president, seemingly sought to improve the lives of the people, create civilized relations in society and instill in citizens respect for the law. These were the obvious, stated goals and objectives that everyone heard. In reality, crime has increased in the country, and the standard of living has fallen. These were the by-products of the efforts of government institutions.

Explicit functions indicate what people wanted to achieve within a particular institution, and latent functions indicate what came out of it.

The explicit functions of the school as an educational institution include

acquiring literacy and a matriculation certificate, preparing for university, learning professional roles, assimilating the basic values of society. But the institution of school also has hidden functions: acquiring a certain social status that will allow a graduate to climb a step above an illiterate peer, establishing strong friendly school connections, supporting graduates at the time of their entry into the labor market.

Not to mention a number of such latent functions as the formation of interaction classroom, hidden curriculum and student subcultures.

Explicit, i.e. fairly obvious functions of the institute higher education can be considered the preparation of young people to master various special roles and the assimilation of value standards, morality and ideology prevailing in society, and implicit - the consolidation of social inequality between those who have a higher education and those who do not.

Education as a social institution.

Material and spiritual values and knowledge accumulated by humanity must be passed on to new generations, therefore maintaining the achieved level of development and its improvement is impossible without mastering cultural heritage. Education is an essential component of the process of personal socialization.

In sociology, it is customary to distinguish between formal and informal education. The term formal education implies the existence in society of special institutions (schools, universities) that carry out the learning process. The functioning of the formal education system is determined by the prevailing cultural standards and political guidelines in society, which are embodied in state policy in the field of education.

The term non-formal education refers to the unsystematized training of a person with knowledge and skills that he spontaneously masters in the process of communicating with the environment. social environment or through individual assimilation of information. For all its importance, non-formal education plays a supporting role in relation to the formal education system.

The most significant features modern system education are:

Transforming it into a multi-stage one (primary, secondary and higher education);

Decisive impact on the individual (essentially, education is the main factor in its socialization);

Predetermining to a large extent career opportunities and achieving a high social position.

The Institute of Education ensures social stability and integration of society by performing the following functions:

Transmission and dissemination of culture in society (for it is through education that scientific knowledge, artistic achievements, moral standards, etc. are transmitted from generation to generation);

Formation in young generations of attitudes, value orientations and ideals that dominate in society;

Social selection, or a differentiated approach to students (one of the most important functions of formal education, when the search for talented youth in modern society is elevated to the rank of state policy);

Social and cultural change realized in the process scientific research and discoveries (modern institutions of formal education, primarily universities, are the main or one of the most important scientific centers in all branches of knowledge).

The model of the social structure of education can be represented as consisting of three main components:

Students;

Teachers;

Organizers and leaders of education.

In modern society, education is the most important means of achieving success and a symbol of a person’s social position. Expanding the circle of highly educated people and improving the formal education system have an impact on social mobility in society, make it more open and perfect.

Conclusion.

Social institutions appear in society as large unplanned products social life. How does this happen? People in social groups try to realize their needs together and look for different ways to do this. In the course of social practice, they find some acceptable patterns, patterns of behavior, which gradually, through repetition and evaluation, turn into standardized customs and habits. After some time, these patterns and patterns of behavior are supported by public opinion, accepted and legitimized. On this basis, a system of sanctions is being developed. Thus, the custom of making a date, being an element of the institution of courtship, developed as a means of choosing a partner. Banks, an element of the business institution, developed as a need for accumulation, movement, loans and saving of money and as a result turned into an independent institution. Members from time to time. societies or social groups can collect, systematize and give legal evidence of these practical skills and patterns, as a result of which institutions change and develop.

Based on this, institutionalization is the process of defining and consolidating social norms, rules, statuses and roles, bringing them into a system that is capable of acting in the direction of satisfying some social need. Institutionalization is the replacement of spontaneous and experimental behavior with predictable behavior that is expected, modeled, and regulated. Thus, the pre-institutional phase of a social movement is characterized by spontaneous protests and speeches, disorderly behavior. Appear on short term, and then the leaders of the movement are displaced; their appearance depends mainly on energetic calls.

Every day a new adventure is possible, every meeting is characterized by an unpredictable sequence of emotional events in which a person cannot imagine what he will do next.

When institutional moments appear in a social movement, the formation begins certain rules and norms of behavior shared by the majority of his followers. A place for a gathering or meeting is designated, a clear schedule of speeches is determined; Each participant is given instructions on how to behave in a given situation. These norms and rules are gradually accepted and become taken for granted. At the same time, a system of social statuses and roles begins to take shape. Stable leaders appear, who are formalized according to the accepted procedure (for example, elected or appointed). In addition, each participant in the movement has a certain status and performs a corresponding role: he can be a member of an organizational activist, be part of leader support groups, be an agitator or ideologist, etc. Excitement gradually weakens under the influence of certain norms, and the behavior of each participant becomes standardized and predictable. The prerequisites for organized joint action are emerging. As a result, the social movement becomes more or less institutionalized.

So, an institution is a unique form of human activity based on a clearly developed ideology, a system of rules and norms, as well as developed social control over their implementation. Institutional activities are carried out by people organized in groups or associations, where they are divided into statuses and roles in accordance with the needs of a given social group or society as a whole. Institutions thus maintain social structures and order in society.

Bibliography:

Frolov S.S. Sociology. M.: Nauka, 1994
Methodological instructions for sociology. SPbGASU, 2002
Volkov Yu.G. Sociology. M. 2000

Social Institute or public institution- a historically established or created by purposeful efforts form of organization of joint life activities of people, the existence of which is dictated by the need to satisfy the social, economic, political, cultural or other needs of society as a whole or part of it. Institutions are characterized by their ability to influence people's behavior through established rules.

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Subtitles

History of the term

Types of social institutions

The need for reproduction of the family (the institution of family and marriage).
The need for security and order (state).
The need to obtain a means of subsistence (production).
The need for the transfer of knowledge, socialization of the younger generation (institutes of public education).
Needs for solving spiritual problems (institute of religion).

Basic information

The peculiarities of its word usage are further complicated by the fact that in the English language traditionally, an institution is understood as any established practice of people that has a sign of self-reproduction. In such a broad, not highly specialized, meaning, an institution can be an ordinary human queue or English language as a centuries-old social practice.

Therefore, in Russian, a social institution is often given a different name - “institution” (from the Latin institutio - custom, instruction, instruction, order), meaning by it a set of social customs, the embodiment of certain habits of behavior, way of thinking and life, passed on from generation to generation. generation, changing depending on circumstances and serving as an instrument of adaptation to them, and by “institution” - the consolidation of customs and orders in the form of a law or institution. The term “social institution” includes both “institution” (customs) and “institution” itself (institutions, laws), since it combines both formal and informal “rules of the game.”

A social institution is a mechanism that provides a set of constantly repeating and reproducing social relations and social practices of people (for example: the institution of marriage, the institution of family). E. Durkheim figuratively called social institutions “factories for the reproduction of social relations.” These mechanisms are based both on codified sets of laws and on non-thematized rules (non-formalized “hidden” ones that are revealed when they are violated), social norms, values and ideals historically inherent in a particular society. According to the authors of a Russian textbook for universities, “these are the strongest, most powerful ropes that decisively determine the viability of [the social system].”

Spheres of life of society

There are a number of spheres of society, in each of which specific public institutions and social relations are formed:
− Economic- relations in the production process (production, distribution, exchange, consumption of material goods). Institutions related to economic sphere: private property, material production, market, etc.
− Social- relations between different social and age groups; activities to ensure social security. Institutions related to social sphere: education, family, healthcare, social security, leisure, etc.
− Political- relations between civil society and the state, between the state and political parties, as well as between states. Institutions related to political sphere: state, law, parliament, government, judicial system, political parties, army, etc.
− Spiritual- relationships that arise in the process of forming spiritual values, their preservation, distribution, consumption, and transmission to next generations. Institutions related to the spiritual sphere: religion, education, science, art, etc.

− Institute of kinship (marriage and family)- are associated with the regulation of childbirth, relations between spouses and children, and the socialization of youth.

Institutionalization

The first, most often used meaning of the term “social institution” is associated with the characteristics of any kind of ordering, formalization and standardization public relations and relationships. And the process of streamlining, formalization and standardization itself is called institutionalization. The process of institutionalization, that is, the formation of a social institution, consists of several successive stages:

the emergence of a need, the satisfaction of which requires joint organized action;
formation of common goals;
the emergence of social norms and rules in the course of spontaneous social interaction carried out by trial and error;
the emergence of procedures related to norms and regulations;
institutionalization of norms and rules, procedures, that is, their adoption and practical application;
establishment of a system of sanctions to maintain norms and rules, differentiation of their application in individual cases;
creation of a system of statuses and roles covering all members of the institute without exception;

So, the final stage of the institutionalization process can be considered the creation, in accordance with the norms and rules, of a clear status-role structure, socially approved by the majority of participants in this social process.

The process of institutionalization thus includes a number of aspects.

One of the necessary conditions for the emergence of social institutions is the corresponding social need. Institutions are called upon to organize joint activities people in order to satisfy certain social needs. Thus, the institution of the family satisfies the need for the reproduction of the human race and raising children, implements relations between the sexes, generations, etc. The Institute of Higher Education provides training work force, makes it possible for a person to develop his abilities in order to realize them in subsequent activities and ensure his existence, etc. The emergence of certain social needs, as well as the conditions for their satisfaction, are the first necessary moments of institutionalization.
A social institution is formed on the basis of social connections, interactions and relationships of specific individuals, social groups and communities. But it, like other social systems, cannot be reduced to the sum of these individuals and their interactions. Social institutions are supra-individual in nature and have their own systemic quality. Consequently, a social institution is an independent social entity that has its own logic of development. From this point of view, social institutions can be considered as organized social systems, characterized by the stability of the structure, the integration of their elements and a certain variability of their functions.

First of all, we are talking about a system of values, norms, ideals, as well as patterns of activity and behavior of people and other elements of the sociocultural process. This system guarantees similar behavior of people, coordinates and channels their specific aspirations, establishes ways to satisfy their needs, and resolves conflicts that arise in the process. Everyday life, ensures a state of balance and stability within a particular social community and society as a whole.

The mere presence of these sociocultural elements does not ensure the functioning of a social institution. In order for it to work, it is necessary that they become public inner world personalities, were internalized by them in the process of socialization, embodied in the form of social roles and statuses. The internalization by individuals of all sociocultural elements, the formation on their basis of a system of personal needs, value orientations and expectations is the second most important element of institutionalization.

The third most important element of institutionalization is the organizational design of a social institution. Externally, a social institution is a set of organizations, institutions, individuals, equipped with certain material means and performing a certain social function. Thus, the institute of higher education is operated by a social corps of teachers, service personnel, officials who operate within institutions such as universities, the ministry or the State Committee for higher school etc., who have certain material assets (buildings, finances, etc.) for their activities.

Thus, social institutions are social mechanisms, stable value-normative complexes that regulate different areas social life (marriage, family, property, religion), which are little susceptible to changes in people’s personal characteristics. But they are put into action by people carrying out their activities, “playing” by their rules. Thus, the concept of “monogamous family institution” does not mean separate family, but a set of norms implemented in countless families of a certain type.

Institutionalization, as P. Berger and T. Luckman show, is preceded by a process of habitualization, or “habituation” of everyday actions, leading to the formation of patterns of activity that are subsequently perceived as natural and normal for a given type of activity or solving problems typical in given situations. Patterns of action act, in turn, as the basis for the formation of social institutions, which are described in the form of objective social facts and are perceived by the observer as “social reality” (or social structure). These trends are accompanied by signification procedures (the process of creating, using signs and fixing meanings and meanings in them) and form a system social meanings, which, developing into semantic connections, are recorded in natural language. Signification serves the purpose of legitimation (recognition as competent, socially recognized, legal) of the social order, that is, justification and justification of the usual ways of overcoming the chaos of destructive forces that threaten to undermine stable idealizations of everyday life.

The emergence and existence of social institutions is associated with the formation in each individual of a special set of sociocultural dispositions (habitus), practical patterns of action that have become for the individual his internal “natural” need. Thanks to habitus, individuals are included in the activities of social institutions. Social institutions, therefore, are not just mechanisms, but “original “meaning factories” that set not only patterns of human interactions, but also ways of comprehending, understanding social reality and the people themselves.”

Structure and functions of social institutions

Structure

Concept social institution assumes:

the presence of a need in society and its satisfaction by the mechanism of reproduction of social practices and relationships;
these mechanisms, being supra-individual formations, act in the form of value-normative complexes that regulate social life as a whole or its separate sphere, but for the benefit of the whole;

Their structure includes:

role models of behavior and statuses (instructions for their implementation);
their justification (theoretical, ideological, religious, mythological) in the form of a categorical grid, defining a “natural” vision of the world;
means of transmitting social experience (material, ideal and symbolic), as well as measures that stimulate one behavior and repress another, tools for maintaining institutional order;
social positions - the institutions themselves represent a social position (“there are no empty” social positions, so the question of the subjects of social institutions disappears).

In addition, they assume the presence of certain social positions of “professionals” capable of putting this mechanism into action, playing by its rules, including a whole system of their preparation, reproduction and maintenance.

In order not to denote the same concepts by different terms and to avoid terminological confusion, social institutions should be understood not as collective subjects, not social groups and not organizations, but as special social mechanisms that ensure the reproduction of certain social practices and social relations. But collective subjects should still be called “social communities”, “social groups” and “social organizations”.

“Social institutions are organizations and groups in which the life activities of community members take place and which, at the same time, perform the functions of organizing and managing this life activity” [Ilyasov F.N. Dictionary of Social Research http://www.jsr.su/ dic/S.html].

Functions

Each social institution has a main function that determines its “face”, associated with its main social role to consolidate and reproduce certain social practices and relationships. If it is an army, then its role is to ensure the military-political security of the country by participating in hostilities and demonstrating its military power. In addition to it, there are other obvious functions, to one degree or another, characteristic of all social institutions, ensuring the fulfillment of the main one.

Along with explicit ones, there are also implicit ones - latent (hidden) functions. Thus, the Soviet Army at one time carried out a number of hidden state tasks unusual for it - national economic, penitentiary, fraternal assistance to “third countries”, pacification and suppression of mass riots, popular discontent and counter-revolutionary putschs both within the country and in the countries of the socialist camp. The explicit functions of institutions are necessary. They are formed and declared in codes and enshrined in a system of statuses and roles. Latent functions are expressed in the unintended results of the activities of institutions or individuals representing them. Thus, the democratic state that was established in Russia in the early 90s, through the parliament, government and president, sought to improve the lives of the people, create civilized relations in society and instill in citizens respect for the law. These were the explicit goals and objectives. In fact, the crime rate in the country has increased, and the standard of living of the population has fallen. These are the results of the latent functions of the institutions of power. Explicit functions indicate what people wanted to achieve within a particular institution, and latent functions indicate what came out of it.

Identification of the latent functions of social institutions allows not only to create an objective picture of social life, but also makes it possible to minimize their negative and strengthen positive influence in order to monitor and manage the processes occurring in it.

Social institutions in public life perform the following functions or tasks:

The totality of these social functions adds up to the general social functions of social institutions as certain types of social system. These functions are very diverse. Sociologists different directions they sought to somehow classify them, present them in the form of a certain ordered system. The most complete and interesting classification was presented by the so-called. "institutional school". Representatives of the institutional school in sociology (S. Lipset, D. Landberg, etc.) identified four main functions of social institutions:

Reproduction of members of society. The main institution performing this function is the family, but other social institutions, such as the state, are also involved.
Socialization is the transfer to individuals of patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given society - institutions of family, education, religion, etc.
Production and distribution. Provided by economic and social institutions of management and control - authorities.
The functions of management and control are carried out through a system of social norms and regulations that implement the corresponding types of behavior: moral and legal norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. Social institutions manage the behavior of the individual through a system of sanctions.

In addition to solving its specific problems, each social institution performs universal functions inherent to all of them. The functions common to all social institutions include the following:

The function of consolidating and reproducing social relations. Each institution has a set of norms and rules of behavior, fixed, standardizing the behavior of its participants and making this behavior predictable. Social control provides the order and framework within which the activities of each member of the institution should take place. Thus, the institution ensures the stability of the structure of society. The Code of the Family Institute assumes that members of society are divided into stable small groups - families. Social control ensures a state of stability for each family and limits the possibility of its disintegration.
Regulatory function. It ensures the regulation of relationships between members of society by developing samples and patterns of behavior. A person’s entire life takes place with the participation of various social institutions, but each social institution regulates activities. Consequently, a person, with the help of social institutions, demonstrates predictability and standard behavior, fulfills role requirements and expectations.
Integrative function. This function ensures cohesion, interdependence and mutual responsibility of members. This occurs under the influence of institutionalized norms, values, rules, a system of roles and sanctions. It streamlines the system of interactions, which leads to increased stability and integrity of the elements of the social structure.
Broadcasting function. Society cannot develop without the transfer of social experience. Each institution for its normal functioning needs the arrival of new people who have mastered its rules. This happens by changing the social boundaries of the institution and changing generations. Consequently, each institution provides a mechanism for socialization to its values, norms, and roles.
Communication functions. Information produced by an institution should be disseminated both within the institution (for the purpose of managing and monitoring compliance with social norms) and in interaction between institutions. This function has its own specifics - formal connections. This is the main function of the media institute. Scientific institutions actively absorb information. The communicative capabilities of institutions are not the same: some have them to a greater extent, others to a lesser extent.

Functional qualities

Social institutions differ from each other in their functional qualities:

Political institutions - state, parties, trade unions and other types public organizations pursuing political goals aimed at establishing and maintaining a certain form of political power. Their totality is political system of this society. Political institutions ensure the reproduction and sustainable preservation of ideological values and stabilize the dominant social and class structures in society.
Sociocultural and educational institutions aim at the development and subsequent reproduction of cultural and social values, the inclusion of individuals in a certain subculture, as well as the socialization of individuals through the assimilation of stable sociocultural standards of behavior and, finally, the protection of certain values and norms.
Normative-orienting - mechanisms of moral and ethical orientation and regulation of individual behavior. Their goal is to give behavior and motivation a moral reasoning, an ethical basis. These institutions assert imperatives in the community human values, special codes and ethics of behavior.
Normative-sanctioning - social regulation of behavior on the basis of norms, rules and regulations enshrined in legal and administrative acts. The binding nature of norms is ensured by the coercive power of the state and the system of corresponding sanctions.
Ceremonial-symbolic and situational-conventional institutions. These institutions are based on a more or less long-term acceptance of conventional (under agreement) norms, their official and unofficial consolidation. These norms regulate everyday contacts and various acts of group and intergroup behavior. They determine the order and method of mutual behavior, regulate methods of transmission and exchange of information, greetings, addresses, etc., regulations for meetings, sessions, and activities of associations.

Dysfunction of a social institution

Violation of normative interaction with the social environment, which is society or community, is called dysfunction of a social institution. As noted earlier, the basis for the formation and functioning of a specific social institution is the satisfaction of one or another social needs. In conditions of intensive social processes and the acceleration of the pace of social change, a situation may arise when changed social needs are not adequately reflected in the structure and functions of the relevant social institutions. As a result, dysfunction may occur in their activities. From a substantive point of view, dysfunction is expressed in the vagueness of the goals of the institution, the uncertainty of its functions, the decline of its social prestige and authority, the degeneration of its individual functions into “symbolic”, ritual activity, that is, activity not aimed at achieving a rational goal.

One of the obvious expressions of the dysfunction of a social institution is the personalization of its activities. A social institution, as we know, functions according to its own, objectively operating mechanisms, where each person, based on norms and patterns of behavior, in accordance with his status, plays certain roles. Personalization of a social institution means that it ceases to act in accordance with objective needs and objectively established goals, changing its functions depending on the interests of individuals, their personal qualities and properties.

An unsatisfied social need can give rise to the spontaneous emergence of normatively unregulated activities that seek to compensate for the dysfunction of the institution, but at the expense of violating existing norms and rules. In its extreme forms, activity of this kind can be expressed in illegal activities. Thus, the dysfunction of some economic institutions is the reason for the existence of the so-called “shadow economy”, which results in speculation, bribery, theft, etc. Correction of the dysfunction can be achieved by changing the social institution itself or by creating a new social institution that satisfies a given social need.

Formal and informal social institutions

Social institutions, as well as the social relations that they reproduce and regulate, can be formal and informal.

Classification of social institutions

In addition to the division into formal and informal social institutions, modern researchers distinguish conventions (or “strategies”), norms and rules. The convention is a generally accepted instruction: for example, “in the event of a telephone connection interruption, the one who called will call back.” Conventions support the reproduction of social behavior. A norm implies a prohibition, requirement or permission. The rule provides for sanctions for violations, hence the presence in society of monitoring and control over behavior. The development of institutions is associated with the transition of a rule into a convention, i.e. with the expansion of the use of the institution and the gradual abandonment in society of coercion for its implementation.

Role in the development of society

According to American researchers Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (English) Russian It is the nature of the social institutions that exist in a given country that determines the success or failure of the development of that country; their book Why Nations Fail, published in 2012, is devoted to proving this statement.

Having examined examples from many countries around the world, scientists came to the conclusion that a defining and necessary condition for the development of any country is the presence of public institutions, which they called publicly accessible (English: Inclusive institutions). Examples of such countries are all developed democratic countries of the world. Conversely, countries where public institutions are closed are doomed to lag and decline. Public institutions in such countries, according to researchers, only serve to enrich the elites who control access to these institutions - this is the so-called. “extractive institutions” (eng. extractive institutions). According to the authors, economic development society is impossible without rapid political development, that is, without the formation public political institutions. .

At its core, society consists of social institutions - a complex set of various characteristics that ensure the integrity of the social system. From a sociological point of view, this is a historically established form of human activity. The main examples of social institutions are school, state, family, church, and army. And today in the article we will examine in detail the question of what social institutions are, what are their functions, types, and also give examples.

Terminological issue

In the narrowest sense, a social institution means organized system connections and norms that satisfy the basic needs of society in general and the individual in particular. For example, the social institution of the family is responsible for reproductive function.

If we go deeper into the terminology, a social institution is a value-normative set of attitudes and a body or organizations that approve them and help implement them. This term can also denote social elements that provide stable forms of organization and regulation of life. These are, for example, social institutions of law, education, state, religion, etc. The main goal of such institutions is to promote the stable development of society. Therefore, the main functions are considered to be:

Meeting the demands of society.
Control of social processes.

A little history

Ensuring functionality

In order for a social institution to perform its functions, it must have three categories of means:

Right. Within a certain institution, it is necessary to establish its own norms, rules, and laws. This feature of a social institution, in the example of education, is manifested in the compulsory acquisition of knowledge by children. That is, according to the laws of the Institute of Education, parents must send their children to schools from a certain age without fail.
Material conditions. That is, in order for children to have a place to study, they need schools, kindergartens, institutes, etc. It is necessary to have the means that will help implement the laws.
Moral component. Public approval plays a big role in compliance with laws. After finishing school, children go to courses or institutes; they continue to study because they understand why education is needed.

Main features

Based on all of the above, it is already possible to determine the main features of a social institution using the example of education:

Historicity. Social institutions arise historically when society has a certain need. People had a thirst for knowledge long before they began to live in the first ancient civilizations. Exploring the world around them helped them survive. Later, people began to pass on experience to their children, who made their discoveries and passed them on to their offspring. This is how education came into being.
Sustainability. Institutions may die out, but before that they exist for centuries, or even entire epochs. The first people learned to make weapons from stone, today we can learn to fly into space.
Functionality. Each institution performs an important social function.
Material resources. The presence of material objects is necessary for the functions for which the institution was created to be performed. For example, an educational institute requires educational institutions, books and other materials so that children can learn.

Structure

Institutions were created to satisfy human needs, and they are quite diverse. If we give examples of social institutions, we can say that the need for protection is provided by the institute of defense, the institute of religion (in particular, the church) manages spiritual needs, and the institute of education responds to the need for knowledge. Summarizing all of the above, we can determine the structure of the institute, that is, its main components:

Groups and organizations that satisfy the needs of an individual or social group.
Norms, values, rules, laws, following which an individual or social group can satisfy their needs.
Symbols that regulate relations in the economic sphere of activity (brands, flags, etc.) You can even give an example of a social institution with a very memorable green symbol of a snake wrapped around a cup. It is often seen in hospitals that provide an individual or group with the need for wellness.
Ideological foundations.
Social variables, that is, public opinion.

Signs

It is important to determine the characteristics of a social institution. This can best be illustrated using the example of education:

The presence of institutions and groups united by one goal. For example, a school offers knowledge, children want to receive this knowledge.
Availability of a system of sample norms of values and symbols. You can also draw an analogy with an educational institution, where a book can be a symbol, values can be acquiring knowledge, and norms can be compliance with school rules.
Conduct in accordance with these standards. For example, a student refuses to follow the rules and is expelled from school or from a social institution. Of course, he can take the right path and go to another educational institution, or it may happen that he will not be accepted into any of them, and he will find himself left out of society.
Human and material resources that will help in solving certain problems.
Public approval.

Examples of social institutions in society

Institutions are completely different in their manifestations and factors. In fact, they can be divided into large and low-level. If we talk about the Institute of Education, this is a large cooperation. As for its sublevels, these can be institutes of primary, secondary and high schools. Because society is dynamic, some lower-level institutions may disappear, such as slavery, and some may appear, such as advertising.

Today in society there are five main institutions:

Family.
State.
Education.
Economy.
Religion.

General Features

Institutions are designed to satisfy the most important needs of society and protect the interests of individuals. These can be both vital and social needs. According to social research, institutions perform general and separate functions. General functions are assigned to each object, while individual functions may vary depending on the specifics of the institution. Studying examples of the functions of social institutions, we note that the general ones look like this:

Establishment and reproduction of relationships in society. Each institution is obliged to designate the standard behavior of the individual by introducing rules, laws and norms.
Regulation. Relations in society need to be regulated by developing acceptable models of behavior and imposing sanctions for violating norms.
Integration. The activities of each social institution should unite individuals into groups so that they feel mutual responsibility and dependence on each other.
Socialization. The main purpose of this function is to convey social experiences, norms, roles and values.

As regards additional functions, they should be considered in the context of the main institutions.

Family

It is considered to be the most important institution of the state. It is in the family that people receive their first basic knowledge about the external, social world and the rules that are established there. The family is the basic unit of society, which is characterized by voluntary marriage, maintaining a common household, and the desire to raise children. In accordance with this definition, the main functions of the social institution of the family are identified. Eg, economic function(general life, housekeeping), reproductive (birth of children), recreational (health-improving), social control(raising children and passing on values).

State

The institution of the state is also called political institution, which governs society and acts as a guarantor of its security. The state must perform such functions as:

Economic regulation.
Supporting stability and order in society.
Ensuring social harmony.
Protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, education of citizens and formation of values.

By the way, in case of war, the state must perform external functions, such as border defense. In addition, take an active part in international cooperation in order to protect the interests of the country, decide global problems and establish profitable contacts for economic development.

Education

The social institution of education is considered as a system of norms and connections that unites social values and satisfies its needs. This system ensures the development of society through the transfer of knowledge and skills. The main functions of the educational institute include:

Adaptive. The transfer of knowledge will help you prepare for life and find a job.
Professional. Naturally, in order to find a job, you need to have some kind of profession; the educational system will help in this matter.
Civil. Together with professional qualities and skills, knowledge can convey mentality, that is, they prepare a citizen of a particular country.
Cultural. The individual is instilled with the values accepted in society.
Humanistic. Helps to unlock personal potential.

Among all institutions, education plays the second most important role. First life experience an individual receives it in the family where he was born, but when he reaches a certain age, the sphere of education has a great influence on the socialization of the individual. The influence of a social institution, for example, can manifest itself in the choice of a hobby that no one in the family not only does, but also does not know about its existence.

Economy

An economic social institution must be responsible for the material sphere of interpersonal relations. A society characterized by poverty and financial instability cannot support optimal population reproduction or provide an educational basis for the development of the social system. Therefore, no matter how you look at it, all institutions are related to the economy. For example, an economic social institution ceases to function properly. The country's poverty rate begins to rise and more unemployed people appear. Fewer children will be born, and the nation will begin to age. Therefore, the main functions of this institute are:

Coordinate the interests of producers and consumers.
Satisfy the needs of participants in the social process.
Strengthen connections within the economic system, and cooperate with other social institutions.
Maintain economic order.

Religion

The institution of religion maintains the belief system that most people adhere to. This is a unique system of beliefs and practices, popular in a particular society, and focused on something sacred, impossible, supernatural. According to the research of Emile Durkheim, religion has three most important functions - integrative, that is, beliefs help unite people together.

In second place is the normative function. Individuals who adhere to certain beliefs act in accordance with canons or commandments. This helps maintain order in society. The third function is communicative; during rituals, individuals have the opportunity to communicate with each other or with the minister. This helps you integrate into society faster.

Thus, there is reason to make a small conclusion: social institutions are special organizations that must satisfy the basic needs of society and protect the interests of individuals, which will make it possible to integrate the population, but if one of the institutions fails, the country with a 99% probability can coups, rallies, armed uprisings will begin, which will ultimately lead to anarchy.