Social Institutions

The Study of Social Institutions

Sociologically, an INSTITUTION is not a person or group. It is a part of the future, a patterned segment of the way of life of people.

Social relations and social roles form the major elements of the institution.

An INSTITUTION is a configuration or combination of behavior patterns shared by a plurality and focused upon the satisfaction of some basic group needs.

Source: Epitacio S. Palispis, Ed.D (2007) Intro to Sociology & Anthropology; pp 301

Functions of Institution

Source: Epitacio Palispis, Ed.D(2007) Intro to Sociology & Anthropology

1. Institutions simplify social behavior for the individual person.

Ways of thinking and acting is regularized & prearranged for the individual

Provides to every person will all the needed social & cultural mechanisms through he can grow socially

Functions of Institution

Source: Epitacio Palispis, Ed.D(2007) Intro to Sociology & Anthropology

2. Institutions, provide ready-made forms of social relations & social roles for the individual.

Principal roles are not invented by the individuals; they are provided by the institutions.

Functions of Institution

Source: Epitacio Palispis, Ed.D(2007) Intro to Sociology & Anthropology

3. Institutions act as agencies of coordination and stability for the total culture.

They provide a means of security because they become the normal and proper ways which the great majority of people approve of.

Functions of Institution

Source: Epitacio Palispis, Ed.D(2007) Intro to Sociology & Anthropology

4. Institutions tend to control behavior.

They contain the systematic expectations of the society.

Group behavior is subconsciously fixed through constant repetition; ascertains the normal modes, trends & procedures.

Classification of Institutions

Source: Epitacio Palispis, Ed.D(2007) Intro to Sociology & Anthropology

2 General Classifications

1. Major Institutions- are those which the largest number of people participate in, that are essential to the society…

2. Subsidiary Institutions – they are numerous, minor, and variable institutions that are contained within the major institutions.

Major Institutions1. Familial Institutions – system that regulates, stabilizes,

and standardizes sexual relations and the reproduction of children.

- Its most widespread form is the monogamous union of male and female living together with their children in a household.

- Subsidiary Institutions like: Courtship, Marriage, Child Care, In-law relations

Major Institutions2. Educational Institutions – systematized process of

socialization occurring informally in the home and in the general cultural environment, and formally in the complex educational arrangements of the society.

- Subsidiary Institutions like: Grading, Testing, Graduations, Degrees, Homework,& Honor System

Major Institutions3. Economic Institutions – configuration of patterned social

behaviors through which material goods and services are provided for the society. It involves fundamentally the production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of commodities.

-Subsidiary institutions like: Creit & Banking, Bookkeeping, Advertising, Collective Bargaining, & Seniority System.

Major Institutions4. Political Institutions – functions primarily to satisfy the

need for general administration and public order in society.

-Subsidiary institutions like: Legal, Police, Military Systems, Forms of Appointment, Diplomatic Relations with foreign countries.

Major Institutions5. Religious Institutions – satisfies man’s basic social need

for relationship with God. - It is expressed in creeds and in

forms of worship people perform.- Includes moral & ethical systems

indicating the rightness or wrongness of behaviors

-Subsidiary institutions like: Lay-Clerical Relationships, Systems of Prayer, Arrangements for divine sacrifices, Rituals. Etc.

Major Institutions6. Recreational Institutions – fulfills the social need for

physical and mental relaxation. -Subsidiary institutions like: Games,

Sports, and Dancing, Swimming, Aesthetic Systems of Art, Music, Painting, and Drama.

Network of Institutions

“ The coordinated network of interdependently functioning major institutions is vital to the continuance of the culture and the society”.

Network of Institutions

“ No institution can exist itself ”.

However, in spite of the fact that all the different institutions are interwoven in the web of culture and are necessarily interdependent, they are not always in harmony with one another.

Group DiscussionExplain:

“ Marriage has lost its importance in many developed countries”.

Phenomenology of Social Roles in the Society

(ECKHART TOLLE.2005. A New Earth: Awakening to your Life’s Purpose)

Different people fulfill different functions in the world.

As far as intellectual or physical abilities are concerned, - KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, TALENTS & ENERGY LEVELS – human beings differ widely.