Social institutions concept signs of function. Social institutions and their functions

Introduction

1. The concept of "social institution" and "social organization".

2. Types of social institutions.

3. Functions and structure of social institutions.

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

The term "social institution" is used in a wide variety of meanings. They talk about the institution of the family, the institution of education, health care, the institution of the state, etc. The first, most often used meaning of the term "social institution" is associated with the characteristics of any kind of ordering, formalization and standardization of social relations and relations. And the process of streamlining, formalization and standardization is called institutionalization.

The process of institutionalization includes a number of points: 1) One of the necessary conditions for the emergence of social institutions is the corresponding social need. Institutions are designed to organize the joint activities of people in order to meet certain social needs. Thus, the institution of the family satisfies the need for the reproduction of the human race and the upbringing of children, implements relations between the sexes, generations, etc. The institution of higher education provides training for the workforce, enables 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. 2) A social institution is formed on the basis of social ties, interactions and relationships of specific individuals, individuals, social groups and other 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, have their own systemic quality.

Consequently, a social institution is an independent public 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.

3) The third essential element of institutionalization

is the organizational design of a social institution. Outwardly, a social institution is a collection of individuals, institutions, equipped with certain material resources and performing a certain social function.

So, each social institution is characterized by the presence of a goal of its activity, specific functions that ensure the achievement of such a goal, a set of social positions and roles typical for this institution. Based on the foregoing, we can give the following definition of a social institution. Social institutions are organized associations of people performing certain socially significant functions, ensuring the joint achievement of goals based on the social roles performed by members, set by social values, norms and patterns of behavior.

It is necessary to distinguish between such concepts as “social institution” and “organization”.

1. The concept of "social institution" and "social organization"

Social institutions (from Latin institutum - establishment, establishment) are historically established stable forms of organizing joint activities of people.

Social institutions govern the behavior of community members through a system of sanctions and rewards. In social management and control, institutions play a very important role. Their task is not only to coercion. In every society there are institutions that guarantee freedom in certain activities - freedom of creativity and innovation, freedom of speech, the right to receive a certain form and amount of income, housing and free medical care, etc. For example, writers and artists have guaranteed freedom creativity, search for new artistic forms; scientists and specialists are obliged to investigate new problems and search for new technical solutions, etc. Social institutions can be characterized in terms of both their external, formal (“material”) structure, and their internal, content.

Outwardly, a social institution looks like a collection of individuals, institutions, equipped with certain material resources and performing a specific social function. From the content side, it is a certain system of expediently oriented standards of behavior of certain individuals in specific situations. So, if there is justice as a social institution, it can outwardly be characterized as a set of persons, institutions and material means administering justice, then from a substantive point of view, it is a set of standardized patterns of behavior of eligible persons providing this social function. These standards of conduct are embodied in certain roles characteristic of the justice system (the role of a judge, prosecutor, lawyer, investigator, etc.).

The social institution thus determines the orientation of social activity and social relations through a mutually agreed system of expediently oriented standards of behavior. Their emergence and grouping into a system depend on the content of the tasks solved by the social institution. Each such institution is characterized by the presence of an activity goal, specific functions that ensure its achievement, a set of social positions and roles, as well as a system of sanctions that encourage the desired and suppress deviant behavior.

Consequently, social institutions perform in society the functions of social management and social control as one of the elements of management. Social control enables society and its systems to enforce normative conditions, the violation of which is detrimental to the social system. The main objects of such control are legal and moral norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. The effect of social control is reduced, on the one hand, to the application of sanctions against behavior that violates social restrictions, on the other hand, to the approval of desirable behavior. The behavior of individuals is conditioned by their needs. These needs can be satisfied in various ways, and the choice of means to satisfy them depends on the value system adopted by a given social community or society as a whole. The adoption of a certain system of values contributes to the identity of the behavior of members of the community. Education and socialization are aimed at conveying to individuals the patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given community.

Scientists understand a social institution as a complex, covering, on the one hand, a set of normatively value-conditioned roles and statuses designed to meet certain social needs, and on the other hand, a social entity created to use society's resources in the form of interaction to meet this need.

Social institutions and social organizations are closely linked. There is no consensus among sociologists about how they relate to each other. Some believe that there is no need to distinguish between these two concepts at all, they use them as synonyms, since many social phenomena, such as the social security system, education, army, court, bank, can be simultaneously considered both as a social institution and as a social organization, while others give a more or less clear distinction between them. The difficulty of drawing a clear “watershed” between these two concepts is due to the fact that social institutions in the process of their activity act as social organizations - they are structurally designed, institutionalized, have their own goals, functions, norms and rules. The difficulty lies in the fact that when trying to single out a social organization as an independent structural component or a social phenomenon, one has to repeat those properties and features that are also characteristic of a social institution.

It should also be noted that, as a rule, there are much more organizations than institutions. For the practical implementation of the functions, goals and objectives of one social institution, several specialized social organizations are often formed. For example, on the basis of the institute of religion, various church and religious organizations, churches and confessions (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Islam, etc.)

2. Types of social institutions

Social institutions differ from each other in their functional qualities: 1) Economic and social institutions - property, exchange, money, banks, economic associations of various types - provide the entire set of production and distribution of social wealth, at the same time connecting economic life with other areas of social life.

2) Political institutions - the state, parties, trade unions and other kinds of public organizations pursuing political goals aimed at establishing and maintaining a certain form of political power. Their totality constitutes the political system of a given society. Political institutions ensure the reproduction and sustainable preservation of ideological values, stabilize the social class structures that dominate in society. 3) 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. 4) Normative-orienting - mechanisms of moral and ethical orientation and regulation of the behavior of individuals. Their goal is to give behavior and motivation a moral argument, an ethical basis. These institutions assert imperative universal human values, special codes and ethics of behavior in the community. 5) Normative-sanctioning - social and social regulation of behavior on the basis of norms, rules and regulations enshrined in legal and administrative acts. The binding nature of the norms is ensured by the coercive power of the state and the system of appropriate sanctions. 6) Ceremonial-symbolic and situational-conventional institutions. These institutions are based on the more or less long-term adoption of conventional (by agreement) norms, their official and unofficial consolidation. These norms regulate everyday contacts, various acts of group and intergroup behavior. They determine the order and method of mutual behavior, regulate the methods of transmission and exchange of information, greetings, addresses, etc., the rules of meetings, meetings, the activities of some associations.

People tend to live in groups that exist for a long time. However, despite the advantages of collective life, it does not in itself ensure the automatic preservation of societies. For the preservation and reproduction of society as an integral system, it is necessary to find and use certain forces and resources. This aspect of the existence of societies is studied in the context of social needs or social functions.

J. Lenski singled out six basic conditions for the existence of society:

Communication between its members;
- production of goods and services;
- distribution;
- protection of members of society;
- replacement of retiring members of the society;
- control of their behavior.

The elements of social organization that regulate the use of society's resources and direct the joint efforts of people to meet social needs are social institutions (economic, political, legal, etc.).

social institution(lat. institutum - establishment, device) - a historically established, relatively stable form of organization and regulation of social relations, ensuring the realization of the needs of society as a whole. By creating social institutions and participating in their activities, people affirm and consolidate the relevant social norms. From the content side, social institutions are a set of standards of behavior in certain situations. Thanks to social institutions, the stability of the forms of behavior of people in society is maintained.

Any social institution includes:

The system of roles and statuses;
- rules governing human behavior;
- a group of individuals undertaking organized social action;
- material resources (buildings, equipment, etc.).

Institutions arise spontaneously. institutionalization is the ordering, standardization and formalization of people's activities in the relevant sphere of social relations. Although this process may be perceived by people, its essence is determined by objective social conditions. A person can only correct it with competent management activities based on scientific comprehension of this process.

The variety of social institutions is determined by the differentiation of types of social activity. Therefore, social institutions are divided into economic(banks, stock exchanges, corporations, consumer and service enterprises), political(the state with its central and local authorities, parties, public organizations, foundations, etc.), institutes of education and culture(school, family, theater) and social in the narrow sense(institutions of social security and guardianship, various amateur organizations).

The nature of the organization varies formal(based on strict prescriptions and bureaucratic in spirit) and informal social institutions (setting their own rules and exercising social control over their implementation through public opinion, tradition or custom).

Functions of social institutions:

- meeting the needs of society: organization of communication between people, production and distribution of material goods, setting and achieving common goals, etc.;

- regulation of the behavior of social subjects with the help of social norms and rules, bringing people's actions into line with more or less predictable patterns of social roles;

- stabilization of social relations, consolidation and maintenance of sustainable social ties and relationships;

- social integration, rallying individuals and groups throughout society.

The conditions for the successful functioning of institutions are:

Clear definition of functions;
- rational division of labor and organization;
- depersonalization, the ability to function regardless of the personal qualities of people;
- the ability to effectively reward and punish;
- involvement in a larger system of institutions.

The mutual connection and integration of institutions in society is based, firstly, on the regularity in the manifestations of the personal properties of people, the homogeneity of their needs, secondly, on the division of labor and the substantive connection of the functions performed, and thirdly, on the dominance of institutions of one specific type in society, which is due to the peculiarities of its culture.

Social institutions stabilize people's activities. However, the institutions themselves are diverse and changeable.
The activities of social institutions are carried out through social organizations. The basis for the emergence of the organization is people's awareness of the need to achieve common goals and carry out joint activities.

One of the factors that characterize society as a whole is the totality of social institutions. Their location seems to be on the surface, which makes them especially successful objects for observation and control.

In turn, a complex organized system with its own norms and rules is a social institution. Its signs are different, but classified, and it is they that are to be considered in this article.

The concept of a social institution

A social institution is one of the forms of organization. For the first time this concept was applied. According to the scientist, the whole variety of social institutions creates the so-called framework of society. The division into forms, Spencer said, is produced under the influence of the differentiation of society. He divided the whole society into three main institutions, among which:

reproductive;
distributive;
regulating.

E. Durkheim's opinion

E. Durkheim was convinced that a person as a person can realize himself only with the help of social institutions. They are also called upon to establish responsibility between inter-institutional forms and the needs of society.

Karl Marx

The author of the famous "Capital" evaluated social institutions from the point of view of industrial relations. In his opinion, the social institution, the signs of which are present both in the division of labor and in the phenomenon of private property, was formed precisely under their influence.

Terminology

The term "social institution" comes from the Latin word "institution", which means "organization" or "order". In principle, all the features of a social institution are reduced to this definition.

The definition includes the form of consolidation and the form of implementation of specialized activities. The purpose of social institutions is to ensure the stability of the functioning of communications within society.

The following short definition of the term is also acceptable: an organized and coordinated form of social relations, aimed at meeting the needs that are significant for society.

It is easy to see that all of the definitions provided (including the above opinions of scientists) are based on "three pillars":

society;
organization;
needs.

But these are not yet full-fledged features of a social institution, rather, key points that should be taken into account.

Conditions for institutionalization

The process of institutionalization is a social institution. It occurs under the following conditions:

social need as a factor that will satisfy the future institution;
social ties, that is, the interaction of people and communities, as a result of which social institutions are formed;
expedient and rules;
material and organizational, labor and financial necessary resources.

Stages of institutionalization

The process of establishing a social institution goes through several stages:

the emergence and awareness of the need for an institution;
development of norms of social behavior within the framework of the future institution;
the creation of its own symbols, that is, a system of signs that will indicate the social institution being created;
formation, development and definition of a system of roles and statuses;
creation of the material basis of the institute;
integration of the institution into the existing social system.

Structural features of a social institution

Signs of the concept of "social institution" characterize it in modern society.

Structural features cover:

Scope of activity, as well as social relations.
Institutions that have certain powers in order to organize the activities of people, as well as perform various roles and functions. For example: public, organizational and performing the functions of control and management.
Those specific rules and norms that are designed to regulate the behavior of people in a particular social institution.
Material means to achieve the goals of the Institute.
Ideology, goals and objectives.

Types of social institutions

The classification that systematizes social institutions (table below) divides this concept into four separate types. Each of them includes at least four more specific institutions.

What are the social institutions? The table shows their types and examples.

Spiritual social institutions in some sources are called institutions of culture, and the sphere of the family, in turn, is sometimes called stratification and kinship.

General signs of a social institution

The general, and at the same time the main, signs of a social institution are as follows:

the range of subjects that, in the course of their activities, enter into relationships;
the sustainability of these relationships;
a certain (and this means, to some extent formalized) organization;
behavioral norms and rules;
functions that ensure the integration of the institution into the social system.

It should be understood that these signs are informal, but logically follow from the definition and functioning of various social institutions. With the help of them, among other things, it is convenient to analyze institutionalization.

Social institution: signs on specific examples

Each specific social institution has its own characteristics - signs. They closely overlap with roles, for example: the main roles of the family as a social institution. That is why it is so revealing to consider examples and the signs and roles corresponding to it.

Family as a social institution

A classic example of a social institution is, of course, the family. As can be seen from the above table, it belongs to the fourth type of institutions covering the same area. Therefore, it is the basis and ultimate goal for marriage, fatherhood and motherhood. In addition, the family also unites them.

Features of this social institution:

marriage or consanguinity ties;
overall family budget;
cohabitation in the same dwelling.

The main roles are reduced to the well-known saying that she is a "cell of society". Essentially, that's exactly what it is. Families are particles that together form society. In addition to being a social institution, the family is also called a small social group. And it is no coincidence, because from birth a person develops under its influence and experiences it for himself throughout his life.

Education as a social institution

Education is a social subsystem. It has its own specific structure and features.

Basic elements of education:

social organizations and social communities (educational institutions and division into groups of teachers and students, etc.);
sociocultural activity in the form of an educational process.

The characteristics of a social institution include:

Norms and rules - in the institute of education, examples can be considered: craving for knowledge, attendance, respect for teachers and classmates / classmates.
Symbolism, that is, cultural signs - anthems and coats of arms of educational institutions, the animal symbol of some famous colleges, emblems.
Utilitarian cultural features such as classrooms and classrooms.
Ideology - the principle of equality between students, mutual respect, freedom of speech and the right to vote, as well as the right to one's own opinion.

Signs of social institutions: examples

Let's summarize the information presented here. The characteristics of a social institution include:

a set of social roles (for example, father/mother/daughter/sister in the institution of the family);
sustainable behavior patterns (for example, certain models for the teacher and student at the institute of education);
norms (for example, codes and the Constitution of the state);
symbolism (for example, the institution of marriage or a religious community);
basic values (i.e. morality).

The social institution, the features of which were considered in this article, is designed to guide the behavior of each individual person, being directly a part of his life. At the same time, for example, an ordinary senior student belongs to at least three social institutions: the family, the school, and the state. It is interesting that, depending on each of them, he also has the role (status) that he has and according to which he chooses his behavior model. She, in turn, sets his characteristics in society.

Plan

Introduction

1. Social institution: concept, types, functions

2. Essence, features of the process of institutionalization

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

Social institutions are necessary for the organization of joint activities of people in order to meet their social needs, a reasonable distribution of resources available to society:

The state carries out its appointment through the coordination of heterogeneous interests, through the formation on their basis of the general interest and its implementation with the help of state power;

- Right- it is a set of rules of conduct that regulate the relationship of people in accordance with generally accepted values and ideals;

- Religion is a public institution that realizes the need of people in search of the meaning of life, truth and ideals.

For society, a stable set of formal and informal rules, principles, norms, and attitudes that regulate various spheres of human activity and organize them into a system of roles and statuses is extremely important.

Any social institution, in order to become a stable form of organizing the joint activities of people, has evolved historically, throughout the development of human society. Society is a system of social institutions as a complex set of economic, political, legal, moral and other relations.

Also historically there was a process of institutionalization, i.e. the transformation of any social, political phenomena or movements into organized institutions, formalized, ordered processes with a certain structure of relations, a hierarchy of power at various levels, and other signs of an organization, such as discipline, rules of conduct, etc. The initial forms of institutionalization arose at the level of public self-government and spontaneous processes: mass or group movements, unrest, etc., when orderly, directed actions arose in them, leaders capable of leading them, organizing, and then permanent leadership groups. More developed forms of institutionalization are represented by the established political system of society with established social and political institutions and the institutional structure of power.

Let us consider in more detail such categories of sociology as social institution and institutionalization.

Social institution: concept, types, functions

Social institutions are the most important factor in social life. They are the foundation of society, on which the building itself rises. They are the "pillars on which the entire society rests." Sociology. Under the editorship of Professor V. N. Lavrinenko. M.: UNITI, 2009, p. 217. It is thanks to social institutions that "society survives, functions and evolves." Ibid, p. 217.

The determining condition for the emergence of a social institution is the emergence of social needs.

Social needs are characterized by the following features:

Mass manifestation;

Stability in time and space;

Invariance in relation to the conditions of existence of a social group;

Conjugation (the emergence and satisfaction of one need entails a whole range of other needs).

The main purpose of social institutions is to ensure the satisfaction of important vital needs. Social institutions (from the Latin Institutum - establishment, establishment, device) are "historically established stable forms of organizing joint activities and relations between people that perform socially significant functions." Radugin A.A., Radugin K.A. Sociology. M.: Publishing House "Library", 2004, p. 150. I.e. a social institution is defined as an organized system of social ties and social norms that combines generally valid values and procedures that satisfy certain social needs.

The following definition is also given: a social institution is:

- “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 that regulate a certain area of social relations. Kravchenko A.I. Sociology. M.: Prospekt, 2009, p. 186.

The final definition of social institutions: these are specific entities that perform socially significant functions and ensure the achievement of goals, the relative stability of social ties and relations within the framework of the social organization of society. Social institutions are historically established stable forms of organization of joint activities of people.

Characteristic features of social institutions:

Constant and strong interaction between the participants of communications and relations;

A clear definition of the functions, rights and obligations of each of the participants in the communication and relationship;

Regulation and control of these interactions;

Availability of specially trained personnel to ensure the functioning of social institutions.

Basic social institutions(depending on the scope of action, institutions are relational - defining the role structure of society according to various criteria, and regulatory - defining the boundaries of an individual's independent actions to achieve personal goals):

The institution of the family, which performs the function of the reproduction of society;

Institute of Public Health;

Institute of Social Protection;

State Institute;

Church, business, media, etc.

In addition, an institution is understood as a relatively stable and integrated set of symbols that governs a specific area of social life: religion, education, economics, government, power, morality, law, trade, etc. That is, if we summarize the entire list of elements of social institutions, then they will appear “as a global social system that has existed for a historically long time, satisfies the urgent needs of society, has legitimate power and moral authority and is regulated by a set of social norms and rules.” Sociology. Under the editorship of Professor V.N. Lavrinenko. M.: UNITI, 2009, p. 220.

Social institutions have institutional features, i.e. features and properties that are inherent in all organically and express their inner content:

Standards and patterns of behavior (loyalty, responsibility, respect, obedience, subordination, diligence, etc.);

Symbols and signs (state coat of arms, flag, cross, wedding ring, icons, etc.);

Codes and statutes (prohibitions, laws, rules, habits);

Physical facilities and structures (home for the family, public buildings for government, factories and factories for production, classrooms and auditoriums, libraries for education, temples for religious worship);

Values and ideas (love for the family, democracy in a society of freedom, Orthodoxy and Catholicism in Christianity, etc.). From: Kravchenko A.I. Sociology. M.: TK Velby, Prospekt, 2004, p. 187.

The listed properties of social institutions are internal. But there are also external properties of social institutions that are somehow perceived by people.

These properties include the following:

Objectivity, when people perceive the institutions of the state, property, production, education and religion as certain objects that exist independently of our will and consciousness;

Coercion, since institutions impose on people (while not depending on the will and desires of people) such behavior, thoughts and actions that people would not want for themselves;

Moral authority, legitimacy of social institutions. For example, the state is the only institution that has the right to use force on its territory on the basis of adopted laws. Religion has its authority on the basis of tradition and the people's moral trust in the church;

Historicity of social institutions. There is even no need to prove this, because behind each of the institutions lies a centuries-old history: from the moment of its inception (emergence) to the present.

Social institutions are characterized by a clear delineation of the functions and powers of each of the subjects of interaction; coherence, coherence of their actions; rather high and rigid level of regulation and control over this interaction.

Social institutions help solve vital problems for a large number of people who turn to them. A person falls ill - he goes to the health institute (clinic, hospital, polyclinic). For procreation, there is the institution of seven and marriage, etc.

At the same time, institutions act as instruments of social control, because, thanks to their normative order, they stimulate people to obey and be disciplined. Therefore, the institution is understood as a set of norms and patterns of behavior.

The role of social institutions in society is similar to the functions of biological instincts in nature. Man in the process of development of society has lost almost all his instincts. And the world is dangerous, the environment is constantly changing, and he must survive in these conditions. How? Social institutions come to the rescue and play the role of instincts in human society. They help the individual and the entire society to survive.

If social institutions function normally in a society, then this is good for it. If not, they become a colossal evil. Institutions are constantly evolving, and each of them performs its main functions. For example, the institution of family and marriage relations performs the functions of caring, nursing and raising children. Economic institutions perform the functions of obtaining food, clothing, housing. Educational ones perform the functions of socializing people, familiarizing them with the basic values of human society and the practice of real life. Etc. But there are a number of functions that are performed by all social institutions.

These functions are common to social institutions:

1. Satisfying a specific social need;

2. Functions of consolidation and reproduction of social relations. This function is realized in the stabilization of social interaction by reducing them to predictable patterns of social roles.

3. regulative function. With her help. social institutions develop standards of behavior to create predictability in human interaction. Through social control, any institution ensures the stability of the social structure. Such regulation is necessary for joint activities and is carried out on the basis of the fulfillment by each of the role requirements - expectations and the rational distribution of resources available in society.

4. integrative function. It promotes cohesion, interconnection and interdependence of members of social groups through a system of rules, norms, sanctions and roles. The most important social institution in the implementation of the function of integrating society is politics. It coordinates the heterogeneous interests of social groups and individuals; forms generally accepted goals on their basis and ensures their implementation by directing the necessary resources for their implementation.

5. The function of translation is to transfer the accumulated experience to new generations. Each social institution seeks to ensure the successful socialization of the individual, passing on cultural experience and values for the full performance of various social roles.

6. The communication function involves the distribution of information both within the institution for the purpose of managing and monitoring compliance with the norms, and for interaction between institutions. A special role in the implementation of this function is played by the mass media (media), which are called the "fourth power" after the legislative, executive and judicial.

7. The function of protecting members of society from physical danger, ensuring the personal safety of citizens is performed by legal and military institutions.

8. The function of regulating power relations. This function is carried out by political institutions. They ensure the reproduction and sustainable preservation of democratic values, as well as the stabilization of the existing social structure in society.

9. The function of controlling the behavior of members of society. It is carried out by political and legal institutions. The action of social control is reduced, on the one hand, to the application of sanctions against behavior that violates social norms, on the other hand, to the approval of behavior desirable for society.

These are the functions of social institutions.

As we can see, each function of a social institution lies in the benefit that it brings to society. For a social institution to function means to benefit society. If a social institution harms society, then these actions are called dysfunction. For example, at present in Russia there is a crisis of the institution of the family: the country has come out on top in terms of the number of divorces. Why did it happen? One of the reasons is the incorrect distribution of roles between husband and wife. Another reason is the inefficient socialization of children. There are millions of homeless children abandoned by their parents in the country. The consequences for society can be easily imagined. Here there is a dysfunction of a social institution - the institution of family and marriage.

Not everything is going smoothly with the institution of private property in Russia either. The institution of property in general is new for Russia, since it has been lost since 1917, generations were born and grew up who did not know what private property was. Respect for private property has yet to be instilled in people.

Social ties (statuses and roles within which people carry out their behavior), social norms and procedures (standards, patterns of behavior in group processes), social values (generally recognized ideals and goals) are elements of a social institution. Society must have a system of ideas that forms the meanings, goals and standards of behavior of people united for joint activities to satisfy a certain social need - an ideology. Ideology explains to each member of society the need for the existence of this institution, compliance with social norms in order to achieve the goals.

In order for social institutions to develop, there must be objectively specified conditions in society that are necessary for the development of social institutions:

Some kind of social need must appear and spread in society, which many members of society are sure to realize. Since it is conscious, it should become the main prerequisite for the formation of a new institution;

The society must have operational means to satisfy this need, i.e. the established system of procedures, operations, clear actions aimed at realizing a new need;

To really fulfill their role, social institutions need resources - material, financial, labor, organizational, which society must constantly replenish;

To ensure the self-formation and self-development of any social institution, a special cultural environment is needed - a certain set of rules of behavior, social actions that distinguish people belonging to this institution (organizational, corporate, etc. culture).

If there are no such conditions, the emergence, formation and development of a particular social institution is impossible.

Thus, social institutions are characterized as organized social systems with stable structures, integrated elements and a certain variability of their functions. Their activity is considered positively functional if it contributes to maintaining the stability of society. If not, then their activity is dysfunctional. The normal functioning of any social institution is a necessary condition for the development of society.

If there is a so-called “failure” in the functioning of social institutions, then this will instantly cause tension in the social system as a whole.

Each institution performs its own characteristic social function. The totality of these social functions has developed into the general social functions of social institutions, which are mentioned above. Each institution represents a certain kind of social system. The functions are diverse, but a certain ordered system - the classification of social institutions - exists.

Social institutions differ from each other in their functional qualities:

1. Economic and social institutions. Their categories are property, exchange, money, banks, business associations of various types. They provide the totality of the production and distribution of social wealth, interacting with other areas of social life;

2. political institutions. Here: the state, parties, trade unions and other public organizations that pursue political goals and are aimed at establishing and maintaining any political power. Political institutions "ensure the reproduction and sustainable preservation of ideological values, stabilize the dominant social class structures in society." Radugin A.A., Radugin K.A. Sociology. M.: Biblionics, 2004, p. 152;

3. Sociocultural and educational institutions. Their goal is the development and subsequent reproduction of cultural and social values, the inclusion of a person in a certain subculture and the socialization of people through the assimilation of sustainable socio-cultural standards of behavior, as well as the protection of values and norms.

4. Normative-orienting social institutions. They are mechanisms of moral and ethical regulation of people's behavior. Their goal is to give behavior and motivation a moral argument, an ethical basis. It is these institutions that establish imperative universal human values, special codes and ethics of behavior in society;

5. Normative-sanctioning social institutions. They are engaged in public regulation of the behavior of members of society on the basis of norms, rules and regulations that are legally enshrined, i.e. laws or administrative acts. These norms are obligatory, they are enforced;

6. Ceremonial-symbolic and situational-conventional institutions. These institutions are based on treaty norms and their formal and informal consolidation. These norms govern the daily contacts and interaction of people, various acts of group and intergroup behavior, regulate the methods of transmission and exchange of information, greetings, addresses, etc. rules of meetings, meetings, activities of any associations.

These are the types of social institutions. Obviously, social organizations are the form of social institutions, i.e. such a way of joint activity in which it takes the form of an orderly, regulated, coordinated and aimed at achieving a common goal of interaction. Social organizations are always purposeful, hierarchical and subordinated, functionally specialized and have a certain organizational structure, as well as their own mechanisms, means of regulation and control over the activities of various elements.

A social institution in the sociological interpretation is considered as historically established, stable forms of organizing the joint activities of people; in a narrower sense, it is an organized system of social ties and norms designed to satisfy the basic needs of society, social groups and individuals.

Social institutions (insitutum - institution) - value-normative complexes (values, rules, norms, attitudes, models, standards of behavior in certain situations), as well as bodies and organizations that ensure their implementation and approval in the life of society.

All elements of society are interconnected by social relations - connections that arise between social groups and within them in the process of material (economic) and spiritual (political, legal, cultural) activities.

In the process of the development of society, some ties may die off, others may appear. Relationships that have proven to be beneficial to society are streamlined, become universally valid patterns, and are then repeated from generation to generation. The more stable these ties that are useful for society, the more stable the society itself.

Social institutions (from lat. institutum - device) are called elements of society, representing stable forms of organization and regulation of social life. Such institutions of society as the state, education, family, etc., streamline social relations, regulate the activities of people and their behavior in 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.

Family- the most important social institution of kinship, connecting individuals with a common life and mutual moral responsibility. The family performs a number of functions: economic (housekeeping), reproductive (childbirth), educational (transfer of values, norms, samples), etc.

State- the main political institution that manages society and ensures its security. The state performs internal functions, including economic (regulation of the economy), stabilization (maintaining stability in society), coordination (ensuring public harmony), ensuring the protection of the population (protection of rights, legality, social security) and many others. There are also external functions: defense (in case of war) and international cooperation (to protect the country's interests in the international arena).

Education is a social institution of culture 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), civil (training of a citizen), general cultural (introduction to cultural values), humanistic (disclosure of personal potential), etc.

The Church is a religious institution formed on the basis of a single religion. Church members share common norms, dogmas, rules of conduct and are divided into priesthood and laity. The Church performs the following functions: ideological (defines views on the world), compensatory (offers consolation and reconciliation), integrating (unites believers), general cultural (attaches to cultural values), and so on.

TYPES OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The activity of a social institution is determined by:

 firstly, a set of specific norms and regulations governing the relevant types of behavior;

 secondly, the integration of a social institution into the socio-political, ideological and value structures of society;

 thirdly, the availability of material resources and conditions that ensure the successful implementation of regulatory requirements and the exercise of social control.

The most important social institutions are:

 state and family;

 economics and politics;

 production;

 culture and science;

 education;

 Mass media and public opinion;

 law and education.

Social institutions contribute to the consolidation and reproduction of certain social relations that are especially important for society, as well as the stability of the system in all the main spheres of its life - economic, political, spiritual and social.

Types of social institutions depending on their field of activity:

 relational;

 Regulatory.

Relational institutions (for example, insurance, labor, production) determine the role structure of society based on a certain set of features. The objects of these social institutions are role groups (insurers and insurers, manufacturers and employees, etc.).

Regulatory institutions define the boundaries of the independence of the individual (se independent actions) to achieve their own goals. This group includes institutions of the state, government, social protection, business, health care.

In the process of development, the social institution of the economy changes its form and can belong to the group of either endogenous or exogenous institutions.

Endogenous (or internal) social institutions characterize the state of moral obsolescence of an institution, requiring its reorganization or in-depth specialization of activities, for example, institutions of credit, money, which become obsolete over time and need to introduce new forms of development.

Exogenous institutions reflect the impact on the social institution of external factors, elements of culture or the nature of the personality of the head (leader) of the organization, for example, changes occurring in the social institution of taxes under the influence of the level of tax culture of taxpayers, the level of business and professional culture of the leaders of this social institution.

FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The purpose of social institutions is to satisfy the most important needs and interests of society.

Economic needs in society are simultaneously satisfied by several social institutions, and each institution, through its activities, satisfies a variety of needs, among which are vital (physiological, material) and social (personal needs for work, self-realization, creative activity and social justice). A special place among social needs is occupied by the need of the individual to achieve - an attainable need. It is based on McLelland's concept, according to which each individual shows a desire to express, to manifest himself in specific social conditions.

In the course of their activities, social institutions perform both general and individual functions that correspond to the specifics of the institution.

General Features:

 The function of consolidation and reproduction of social relations. Any institution consolidates, standardizes the behavior of members of society through its rules, norms of behavior.

 Regulatory function ensures the regulation of relationships between members of society by developing patterns of behavior, regulation of their actions.

 The integrative function includes the process of interdependence and mutual responsibility of members of social groups.

 Broadcasting function (socialization). Its content is the transfer of social experience, familiarization with the values, norms, roles of this society.

Individual functions:

 The social institution of marriage and the family implements the function of reproducing members of society together with the relevant departments of the state and private enterprises (antenatal clinics, maternity hospitals, a network of children's medical institutions, family support and strengthening agencies, etc.).

 The Social Institute of Health is responsible for maintaining the health of the population (polyclinics, hospitals and other medical institutions, as well as state bodies organizing the process of maintaining and strengthening health).

 Social institution for the production of means of subsistence, which performs the most important creative function.

 Political institutions in charge of organizing political life.

 The social institution of law, which performs the function of developing legal documents and is in charge of the observance of laws and legal norms.

 Social institution of education and norms with the corresponding function of education, socialization of members of society, familiarization with its values, norms, laws.

 Social institution of religion, helping people in solving spiritual problems.

Social institutions realize all their positive qualities only under the condition of their legitimacy, i.e., recognition of the expediency of their actions by the majority of the population. Sharp shifts in class consciousness, reassessment of fundamental values can seriously undermine the population's trust in the existing governing and managing bodies, disrupt the mechanism of regulatory influence on people.