Sociology factors determining the activities of social institutions. What is a "social institution"? What functions do social institutions perform?

D.P. Le Havre
Doctor of Sociological Sciences

The concept of “institution” (from Latin institutum - establishment, establishment) was borrowed by sociology from jurisprudence, where it was used to characterize a separate set of legal norms regulating social and legal relations in a certain subject area. Such institutions in legal science were considered, for example, inheritance, marriage, property, etc. In sociology, the concept of “institution” retained this semantic connotation, but acquired a broader interpretation in terms of designating some special type of stable regulation of social connections and various organizational forms of social regulating the behavior of subjects.

The institutional aspect of the functioning of society is a traditional area of interest for sociological science. He was in the field of view of thinkers whose names are associated with its formation (O. Comte, G. Spencer, E. Durkheim, M. Weber, etc.).

O. Comte's institutional approach to the study of social phenomena stemmed from the philosophy of the positive method, when one of the objects of the sociologist's analysis was the mechanism for ensuring solidarity and consent in society. “For new philosophy, order is always a condition for progress and vice versa, progress is a necessary goal of order” (Konte O. Course of positive philosophy. St. Petersburg, 1899. P. 44). O. Comte considered the main social institutions (family, state, religion) from the standpoint of their inclusion in the processes of social integration and the functions they perform. Contrasting the family association and the political organization in terms of functional characteristics and the nature of connections, he acted as a theoretical predecessor of the concepts of dichotomization of social structure by F. Tönnies and E. Durkheim (“mechanical” and “organic” types of solidarity). O. Comte's social statics was based on the position that institutions, beliefs and moral values of society are functionally interconnected, and the explanation of any social phenomenon in this integrity implies finding and describing the patterns of its interaction with other phenomena. O. Comte's method, his appeal to the analysis of the most important social institutions, their functions, and the structure of society had a significant influence on the further development of sociological thought.

The institutional approach to the study of social phenomena was continued in the works of G. Spencer. Strictly speaking, it was he who first used the concept of “social institution” in sociological science. G. Spencer considered the determining factors in the development of social institutions to be the struggle for existence with neighboring societies (war) and with the natural environment. The task of survival of a social organism in its conditions. evolution and complication of structures give rise, according to Spencer, to the need to form a special kind of regulatory institution: “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” (Spencer N. First principles. N.Y., 1898. P. 46).

Accordingly, the social organism consists of three main systems: regulatory, producing means of life and distributive. G. Spencer distinguished between such types of social institutions as kinship institutions (marriage, family), economic (distribution), regulatory (religion, political organizations). At the same time, much of his discussion of institutions is expressed in functional terms: “To understand how an organization arose and develops, one must understand the necessity that manifests itself in the beginning and in the future.” (Spencer N. The principles of ethics. N.Y., 1904. Vol. 1. P. 3). So, every social institution develops as a stable structure of social actions that performs certain functions.

The consideration of social institutions in a functional key was continued by E. Durkheim, who adhered to the idea of the positivity of social institutions, which act as the most important means of human self-realization (see: Durkheim E. Les forms elementaires de la vie religieuse. Le systeme totemique en Australie. P., 1960) .

E. Durkheim spoke in favor of the creation of special institutions for maintaining solidarity in conditions of division of labor - professional corporations. He argued that corporations, unjustifiably considered anachronistic, were actually useful and modern. E. Durkheim calls corporations institutions such as professional organizations, including employers and workers, standing close enough to each other to be for each a school of discipline and a beginning with prestige and power (see: Durkheim E. O division of social labor. Odessa, 1900).

K. Marx paid noticeable attention to the consideration of a number of social institutions, who analyzed the institution of primogeniture, division of labor, institutions of the tribal system, private property, etc. He understood institutions as historically established forms of organization and regulation of social activity, conditioned by social, primarily production, relations.

M. Weber believed that social institutions (state, religion, law, etc.) should “be studied by sociology in the form in which they become significant for individuals, in which the latter actually focus on them in their actions” (History sociology in Western Europe and the USA. M., 1993. P. 180). Thus, discussing the question of the rationality of the society of industrial capitalism, he considered it (rationality) at the institutional level as a product of the separation of the individual from the means of production. The organic institutional element of such a social system is the capitalist enterprise, considered by M. Weber as a guarantor of the individual’s economic opportunities and thereby turning into a structural component of a rationally organized society. A classic example is M. Weber’s analysis of the institution of bureaucracy as a type of legal domination, determined primarily by purposive and rational considerations. The bureaucratic management mechanism appears as a modern type of administration, acting as a social equivalent of industrial forms of labor and “relates to previous forms of administration as machine production relates to tire houses.” (Weber M. Essays on sociology. N.Y., 1964. p. 214).

Representative of psychological evolutionism, American sociologist of the early 20th century. L. Ward viewed social institutions as a product of psychic forces rather than any other forces. “Social forces,” he wrote, “are the same psychic forces operating in the collective condition of man” (Ward L.F. The physical factors of civilization. Boston, 1893. P. 123).

In the school of structural-functional analysis, the concept of “social institution” plays one of the leading roles; T. Parsons builds a conceptual model of society, understanding it as a system of social relations and social institutions. Moreover, the latter are interpreted as specially organized “nodes”, “bundles” of social relations. In the general theory of action, social institutions act both as special value-normative complexes that regulate the behavior of individuals, and as stable configurations that form the status-role structure of society. The institutional structure of society is given the most important role, since it is it that is designed to ensure social order in society, its stability and integration (see: Parsons T. Essays on sociological theory. N.Y., 1964. P. 231-232). It should be emphasized that the normative-role concept of social institutions, which exists in structural-functional analysis, is the most widespread not only in Western, but also in domestic sociological literature.

In institutionalism (institutional sociology), the social behavior of people is studied in close connection with the existing system of social normative acts and institutions, the need for the emergence of which is equated to a natural historical pattern. Representatives of this direction include S. Lipset, J. Landberg, P. Blau, C. Mills and others. Social institutions, from the point of view of institutional sociology, involve “a consciously regulated and organized form of activity of the mass of people, the reproduction of repeating and most stable patterns behavior, habits, traditions passed on from generation to generation. “Each social institution that is part of a certain social structure is organized to fulfill certain socially significant goals and functions (see; Osipov G.V., Kravchenko A.I. Institutional sociology//Modern Western sociology. Dictionary. M., 1990. P. 118).

Structural-functionalist and institutionalist interpretations of the concept of “social institution” do not exhaust the approaches to its definition presented in modern sociology. There are also concepts based on methodological foundations of a phenomenological or behaviorist plan. For example, W. Hamilton writes: “Institutions are a verbal symbol for a better description of a group of social customs. They mean a permanent way of thinking or acting that has become a habit for a group or a custom for a people. The world of customs and habits to which we adapt our lives is a plexus and continuous fabric of social institutions.” (Hamilton W. lnstitution//Encyclopedia of social sciences. Vol. VIII. P. 84).

The psychological tradition in line with behaviorism was continued by J. Homans. He gives the following definition of social institutions: “Social institutions are relatively stable models of social behavior, towards the maintenance of which the actions of many people are aimed” (Homans G.S. The sociological relevance of behaviorism//Behavioral sociology. Ed. R. Burgess, D. Bus-hell. N.Y., 1969. P. 6). Essentially, J. Homans builds his sociological interpretation of the concept of “institution” based on a psychological foundation.

Thus, in sociological theory there is a significant array of interpretations and definitions of the concept of “social institution”. They differ in their understanding of both the nature and functions of institutions. From the author’s point of view, searching for an answer to the question of which definition is correct and which is false is methodologically futile. Sociology is a multi-paradigm science. Within each paradigm, it is possible to build its own consistent conceptual apparatus, subject to internal logic. And it is up to the researcher working within the framework of the middle-level theory to decide on the choice of paradigm within which he intends to seek answers to the questions posed. The author adheres to approaches and logic that lie in line with systemic-structural constructions, this also determines the concept of a social institution that he takes as a basis,

Analysis of foreign and domestic scientific literature shows that within the framework of the chosen paradigm in understanding a social institution, there is a wide range of versions and approaches. Thus, a large number of authors consider it possible to give the concept of “social institution” an unambiguous definition based on one key word (expression). L. Sedov, for example, defines a social institution as “a stable complex of formal and informal rules, principles, guidelines, regulating various spheres of human activity and organizing them into a system of roles and statuses that form a social system” (quoted from: Modern Western Sociology. P. 117). N. Korzhevskaya writes: “A social institution is community of people fulfilling certain roles based on their objective position (status) and organized through social norms and goals (Korzhevskaya N. Social institution as a social phenomenon (sociological aspect). Sverdlovsk, 1983. P. 11). J. Szczepanski gives the following integral definition: “Social institutions are institutional systems*, in which certain individuals, elected by group members, are empowered to perform public and impersonal functions to satisfy essential individual and social needs and to regulate the behavior of other group members." (Schepansky Ya. Elementary concepts of sociology. M., 1969. S. 96-97).

There are other attempts to give an unambiguous definition, based, for example, on norms and values, roles and statuses, customs and traditions, etc. From our point of view, approaches of this kind are not fruitful, since they narrow the understanding of such a complex phenomenon as social institution, fixing attention only on one side, which seems to one or another author to be its most important.

By social institution, these scientists understand a complex that covers, on the one hand, a set of normative and value-based roles and statuses designed to satisfy certain social needs, and on the other, a social entity created to use the resources of society in the form of interaction to satisfy this need ( cm.: Smelser N. Sociology. M., 1994. S. 79-81; Komarov M. S. On the concept of a social institution // Introduction to sociology. M., 1994. P. 194).

Social institutions are specific formations that ensure the relative stability of connections and relationships within the framework of the social organization of society, some historically determined forms of organization and regulation of social life. Institutions arise in the course of the development of human society, differentiation of activities, division of labor, and the formation of specific types of social relations. Their emergence is due to the objective needs of society in regulating socially significant areas of activity and social relations. In an emerging institution, a certain type of social relations is essentially objectified.

The general characteristics of a social institution include:

Identification of a certain circle of subjects who enter into relationships in the process of activity that become sustainable;

A specific (more or less formalized) organization:

The presence of specific social norms and regulations governing the behavior of people within a social institution;

The presence of socially significant functions of the institution that integrate it into the social system and ensure its participation in the process of integration of the latter.

These signs are not normatively fixed. They rather stem from a generalization of analytical materials about various institutions of modern society. In some of them (formal - army, court, etc.) the signs can be recorded clearly and in full, in others (informal or just emerging) - less clearly. But in general, they are a convenient tool for analyzing the processes of institutionalization of social entities.

The sociological approach pays special attention to the social functions of the institution and its normative structure. M. Komarov writes that the implementation of socially significant functions by an institution “is ensured by the presence within the framework of a social institution of an integral system of standardized patterns of behavior, i.e., a value-normative structure” (Komarov M. S. O concept of a social institution//Introduction to Sociology. P. 195).

The most important functions that social institutions perform in society include:

Regulation of the activities of members of society within the framework of social relations;

Creating opportunities to meet the needs of community members;

Ensuring social integration, sustainability of public life; - socialization of individuals.

The structure of social institutions most often includes a certain set of constituent elements, appearing in a more or less formalized form depending on the type of institution. J. Szczepanski identifies the following structural elements of a social institution: - the purpose and scope of activity of the institute; - functions provided to achieve the goal; - normatively determined social roles and statuses presented in the structure of the institute;

Means and institutions for achieving goals and implementing functions (material, symbolic and ideal), including appropriate sanctions (see: Shchepansky Ya. Decree. Op. P. 98).

Various criteria for classifying social institutions are possible. Of these, we consider it appropriate to focus on two: substantive (substantive) and formalized. Based on the subject criterion, i.e. the nature of the substantive tasks performed by institutions, the following are distinguished: political institutions (state, parties, army); economic institutions (division of labor, property, taxes, etc.): institutions of kinship, marriage and family; institutions operating in the spiritual sphere (education, culture, mass communications, etc.), etc.

Based on the second criterion, i.e. the nature of the organization, institutions are divided into formal and informal. The activities of the former are based on strict, normative and, possibly, legally enforceable regulations, rules, and instructions. This is the state, army, court, etc. In informal institutions, such regulation of social roles, functions, means and methods of activity and sanctions for non-normative behavior is absent. It is being replaced by informal regulation through traditions, customs, social norms, etc. This does not make the informal institution cease to be an institution and to perform the corresponding regulatory functions.

Thus, when considering a social institution, its characteristics, functions, structure, the author relied on an integrated approach, the use of which has a developed tradition within the framework of the systemic-structural paradigm in sociology. It is the complex, but at the same time sociologically operational and methodologically rigorous interpretation of the concept of “social institution” that allows, from the author’s point of view, to analyze the institutional aspects of the existence of a social education.

Let us consider the possible logic of justifying an institutional approach to any social phenomenon.

According to the theory of J. Homans, in sociology there are four types of explanation and justification of social institutions. The first is the psychological type, based on the fact that any social institution is a formation psychological in genesis, a stable product of the exchange of activities. The second type is historical, considering institutions as the final product of the historical development of a certain field of activity. The third type is structural, which proves that “each institution exists as a consequence of its relationships with other institutions in the social system.” The fourth is functional, based on the proposition that institutions exist because they perform certain functions in society, contributing to its integration and the achievement of homeostasis. Homans declares the last two types of explanations for the existence of institutions, which are mainly used in structural-functional analysis, to be unconvincing and even erroneous (see: Homans G.S. The sociological relevance of behaviorism//Behavioral sociology. P. 6).

While not rejecting the psychological explanations of J. Homans, I do not share his pessimism regarding the last two types of argumentation. On the contrary, I consider these approaches to be convincing, working for modern societies, and I intend to use both functional, structural, and historical types of justification for the existence of social institutions when studying the selected social phenomenon.

If it is proven that the functions of any studied phenomenon are socially significant, that their structure and nomenclature are close to the structure and nomenclature of the functions that social institutions perform in society, this will be an important step in justifying its institutional nature. This conclusion is based on the inclusion of a functional feature among the most important features of a social institution and on the understanding that it is social institutions that form the main element of the structural mechanism through which society regulates social homeostasis and, if necessary, carries out social changes.

The next stage of substantiating the institutional interpretation of our chosen hypothetical object is the analysis of ways of its inclusion in various spheres of social life, interaction with other social institutions, proof that it is an integral element of any one sphere of society (economic, political, cultural, etc.), or their combination, and ensures its (their) functioning. It is advisable to carry out this logical operation for the reason that the institutional approach to the analysis of social phenomena is based on the idea that a social institution is a product of the development of the entire social system, but at the same time, the specificity of the basic mechanisms of its functioning depends on the internal patterns of development of the corresponding type of activity.Therefore, consideration of a particular institution is impossible without correlating its activities with the activities of other institutions, as well as systems of a more general order.

The third stage, following the functional and structural justification, is the most important. It is at this stage that the essence of the institution being studied is determined. Here the corresponding definition is formulated, based on an analysis of the main institutional features. the legitimacy of its institutional representation is affected. Then its specificity, type and place in the system of institutions of society are highlighted, and the conditions for the emergence of institutionalization are analyzed.

At the fourth and final stage, the structure of the institution is revealed, the characteristics of its main elements are given, and the patterns of its functioning are indicated.

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 is a set of 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 government);
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 the successful development or decline of a state. Social institutions, especially political ones, must be publicly accessible, but if they are closed, this leads to dysfunction of other social institutions.

The most important component of society as a system are social institutions.

The word “institute” comes from the Latin instituto meaning “establishment”. In Russian it is often used to refer to higher educational institutions. In addition, as you know from the basic school course, in the field of law the word “institution” means a set of legal norms governing one social relationship or several relationships related to each other (for example, the institution of marriage).

In sociology, social institutions are historically established stable forms of organizing joint activities, regulated by norms, traditions, customs and aimed at meeting the fundamental needs of society.

We will consider this definition, which it is advisable to return to after reading the entire educational material on this issue, based on the concept of “activity” (see § 1). In the history of society, sustainable types of activities have developed aimed at satisfying the most important needs of life. Sociologists identify five such social needs:

the need for reproduction;
need for security and social order;
need for subsistence;
the need for knowledge acquisition, socialization of the younger generation, personnel training;
the need to solve spiritual problems of the meaning of life.

In accordance with the above-mentioned needs, types of activities have developed in society, which, in turn, required the necessary organization, streamlining, the creation of certain institutions and other structures, and the development of rules to ensure the achievement of the expected result. These conditions for the successful implementation of the main types of activities were met by historically established social institutions:

institution of family and marriage;
political institutions, especially the state;
economic institutions, primarily production;
institutes of education, science and culture;
Institute of Religion.

Each of these institutions brings together large masses of people to satisfy one or another need and achieve a specific goal of a personal, group or social nature.

The emergence of social institutions led to the consolidation of specific types of interaction, making them permanent and mandatory for all members of a given society.

So, social institution- this is, first of all, a set of persons engaged in a certain type of activity and in the process of this activity ensuring the satisfaction of a certain need that is significant for society (for example, all employees of the education system).

Further, the institution is secured by a system of legal and moral norms, traditions and customs regulating the corresponding types of behavior. (Remember, for example, what social norms regulate the behavior of people in the family).

Another characteristic feature of a social institution is the presence of institutions equipped with certain material resources necessary for any type of activity. (Think about what social institutions the school, factory, and police belong to. Give your own examples of institutions and organizations that relate to each of the most important social institutions.)

Any of these institutions is integrated into the socio-political, legal, value structure of society, which makes it possible to legitimize the activities of this institution and exercise control over it.

A social institution stabilizes social relations and brings consistency into the actions of members of society. A social institution is characterized by a clear delineation of the functions of each of the subjects of interaction, consistency of their actions, and a high level of regulation and control. (Think about how these features of a social institution manifest themselves in the education system, particularly in school.)

Let us consider the main features of a social institution using the example of such an important institution of society as the family. First of all, every family is a small group of people based on intimacy and emotional attachment, related by marriage (spouses) and blood relationships (parents and children). The need to create a family is one of the fundamental, i.e. fundamental, human needs. At the same time, the family performs important functions in society: the birth and upbringing of children, economic support for minors and the disabled, and much more. Each family member occupies a special position in it, which presupposes appropriate behavior: parents (or one of them) provide a livelihood, manage household chores, and raise children. The children, in turn, study and help around the house. Such behavior is regulated not only by family rules, but also by social norms: morality and law. Thus, public morality condemns the lack of care of older family members for younger ones. The law establishes the responsibilities and obligations of spouses towards each other, towards children, and adult children towards elderly parents. The creation of a family and the main milestones of family life are accompanied by established traditions and rituals in society. For example, in many countries, marriage rituals include the exchange of wedding rings between spouses.

The presence of social institutions makes people's behavior more predictable and society as a whole more stable.

In addition to the main social institutions, there are also non-main ones. So, if the main political institution is the state, then the non-main ones are the institution of the judiciary or, as in our country, the institution of presidential representatives in the regions, etc.

The presence of social institutions reliably ensures regular, self-renewing satisfaction of vital needs. A social institution makes connections between people not random or chaotic, but constant, reliable, and sustainable. Institutional interaction is a well-established order of social life in the main spheres of people's lives. The more social needs are satisfied by social institutions, the more developed the society is.

As new needs and conditions arise in the course of the historical process, new types of activities and corresponding connections appear. Society is interested in giving them order and a normative character, that is, in their institutionalization.

In Russia, as a result of reforms at the end of the 20th century. For example, such a type of activity as an entrepreneur appeared. quality The streamlining of this activity led to the emergence of various types of firms, required the publication of laws regulating business activities, and contributed to the formation of corresponding traditions.

In the political life of our country, the institutions of parliamentarism, a multi-party system, and the institution of the presidency arose. The principles and rules of their functioning are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and relevant laws.

In the same way, the institutionalization of other activities that emerged in recent decades took place.

It happens that the development of society requires the modernization of the activities of social institutions that historically developed in previous periods. Thus, in the changed conditions, it became necessary to solve the problems of introducing the younger generation to the culture in a new way. Hence the steps taken to modernize the institution of education, which may result in the institutionalization of the Unified State Exam and new content of educational programs.

So we can go back to the definition given at the beginning of this part of the paragraph. Think about what characterizes social institutions as highly organized systems. Why is their structure stable? What is the significance of deep integration of their elements? What is the diversity, flexibility, and dynamism of their functions?

a form of organization and regulation of human activity that ensures the sustainability of social life, consisting of institutions and organizations, a set of norms and patterns of behavior, a hierarchy of social roles and statuses. Depending on the spheres of social relations, economic institutions (bank, stock exchange), political (parties, state), legal (court, prosecutor's office, notary, bar, etc.), scientific institutions (academy), educational, etc. are distinguished.

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SOCIAL INSTITUTE

a relatively stable form of organization of social life that ensures the stability of connections and relationships within society. SI. should be distinguished from specific organizations and social groups. Thus, the concept of “monogamous family institution” does not mean a single family, but a set of norms implemented in countless families of a certain type. The main functions that the SI performs: 1) creates the opportunity for members of this institute to satisfy their needs and interests; 2) regulates the actions of members of society within the framework of social relations; 3) ensures the sustainability of public life; 4) ensures the integration of aspirations, actions and interests of individuals; 5) exercises social control. SI activities. determined by: 1) a set of specific social norms regulating relevant types of behavior; 2) its integration into the socio-political, ideological, value structure of society, which makes it possible to legitimize the formal legal basis of activity; 3) the availability of material resources and conditions that ensure the successful implementation of regulatory proposals and the implementation of social control. SI. can be characterized not only from the point of view. their formal structure, but also meaningfully, from the perspective of analyzing their activities. SI. - this is not only a collection of persons, institutions, equipped with certain material means, a system of sanctions and carrying out a specific social function. Successful functioning of S.I. is associated with the presence within the institution of a holistic system of standards for the behavior of specific individuals in typical situations. These standards of behavior are normatively regulated: they are enshrined in the rules of law and other social norms. In the course of practice, certain types of social activity arise, and the legal and social norms regulating this activity are concentrated into a certain legitimized and sanctioned system that subsequently ensures this type of social activity. The SI serves as such a system. Depending on the scope of action and their functions, information is divided into a) relational - determining the role structure of society in the system of relations; b) regulatory, defining the permissible limits of actions independent in relation to the norms of society in the name of personal goals and sanctions that punish for going beyond these limits (this includes all mechanisms of social control); c) cultural, related to ideology, religion, art, etc.; d) integrative, associated with social roles responsible for ensuring the interests of the social community as a whole. The development of a social system comes down to the evolution of SI. The sources of such evolution can be both endogenous, i.e. occurring within the system itself, as well as exogenous factors. Among the exogenous factors, the most important are the impacts on the social system of cultural and personal systems associated with the accumulation of new knowledge, etc. Endogenous changes occur mainly because one or another SI. ceases to effectively serve the goals and interests of certain social groups. The history of the evolution of social systems is a gradual transformation of SI. traditional type into modern SI. Traditional SI. characterized primarily by ascriptivity and particularism, i.e. is based on rules of behavior strictly prescribed by ritual and customs and on family ties. In the course of its development, SI. becomes more specialized in its functions and less rigorized by the rules and framework of behavior.

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Social institution: what is it

Social institutions act as historically established and stable forms of organizing the joint activities of people in one community. Authors and researchers use this term in relation to various areas. This includes education, family, healthcare, government and many others.

The emergence of social institutions and their coverage of wide sections of the population and various spheres of human activity is associated with a very complex process of formalization and standardization. This process is called “institutionalization”.

Note 1

Institutionalization is very multifactorial and structured, and includes a number of key points that cannot be ignored when studying social institutions, their typology and main functions. One of the key conditions that precedes the emergence of a social institution is the social need on the part of the population. This is due to the fact that social institutions are necessary for organizing the joint activities of people. The main goal of such activities is to satisfy the basic social, economic, political and spiritual needs of the population.

The diversity of social institutions has been the object of study by many sociologists. They all tried to find similarities and differences in the functionality of social institutions and their purpose in society. Thus, they came to the conclusion that each social institution is characterized by the presence of a specific goal for its activities, as well as certain functions, the implementation of which is necessary to achieve the set goal and implement specific tasks. In addition, a participant in each social institution has his own social status and role, which is also important, since in this way a person in one period of his life can have several social statuses and roles at once (father, son, husband, brother, boss, subordinate, etc.) .

Types of social institutions

Social institutions have a fairly diverse typology. The authors also propose various approaches to determining the specific and typological features of institutions.

Depending on the functional qualities, social institutions can be of the following types:

Socio-economic institutions. These include property, exchange, the process of production and consumption, money, banks and various economic associations. Social institutions of this type provide the entire set of production, distribution, exchange and consumption of social and economic resources;
. Their activities are aimed at establishing and further supporting certain forms of political power. This includes the state, political parties and trade unions that provide political activity, as well as a number of public organizations that pursue political goals. In fact, the totality of these elements constitutes the entire political system that exists in specific societies. ensure the reproduction, as well as the preservation of ideological values, stabilize the social and class structures of society, their interaction with each other;
Socio-cultural and educational institutions. Their activities construct the principles of assimilation and further reproduction of cultural and social values. They are also necessary for individuals to join and be included in a certain subculture. Sociocultural and educational institutions influence the socialization of the individual, and this applies to both primary and secondary socialization. Socialization occurs through the assimilation of basic social and cultural norms and standards, as well as the protection of specific norms and values, their further transmission from the older generation to the younger;
Normative-orienting institutions. Their goal is to motivate the moral and ethical basis of a person’s personality. The entire set of these institutions affirms in the community imperative universal human values, as well as special codes that regulate behavior and its ethics.

Note 2

In addition to the above, there are also normative-sanctioning (law) and ceremonial-symbolic institutions (otherwise they are called situational-conventional). They determine and regulate daily contacts, as well as acts of group and intergroup behavior.

The typology of social institutions is also determined by the scope of action. Among them the following stand out:

Regulatory social institutions;
Regulatory social institutions;
Cultural social institutions;
Integrative social institutions.

Functions of a social institution

The functions of social institutions and their structure have been developed by many authors. The classification of J. Szczepanski is of interest to us, since it is the most standard and relevant in modern society:

Social institutions satisfy the basic needs of the population in general and the individual in particular;
Social institutions regulate relations between social groups;
Social institutions ensure the continuous process of an individual’s life, making it expedient and also socially significant;
Social institutions connect the actions and relationships of individuals, that is, they contribute to the emergence of social cohesion, which prevents crisis and conflict situations.

Note 3

Other functions of social institutions include improving and simplifying adaptation processes, fulfilling important strategic tasks of society, regulating the use of significant resources, ensuring public order and structuring the everyday life of individuals, coordinating the interests of each member of society with the interests of the state (stabilization of social relations).