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

terminological issue

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

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

• Satisfying the demands of society.
• Control of social processes.

A bit of history

Providing functionality

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

• Right. Within the framework of a certain institution, it is necessary to establish its own norms, rules, laws. This sign of a social institution is manifested in the obligatory acquisition of knowledge by children on the example of education. That is, according to the laws of the Institute of Education, parents must send their children to schools from a certain age on a mandatory basis.
• material conditions. That is, in order for children to have a place to study, they need schools, kindergartens, institutes, etc. It is necessary to have the means to help implement the laws.
• Moral component. Public approval plays an important role in the observance of laws. After leaving school, children go to courses or institutes, they continue to study because they understand why education is needed.

Main features

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

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

Structure

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

1. Groups and organizations that meet the needs of an individual or social group.
2. Norms, values, rules, laws, following which an individual or a social group can satisfy their needs.
3. Symbols that regulate relations in the economic sphere of activity (brands, flags, etc.) One can even give an example of a social institution with a very memorable green symbol of a snake wrapped around a goblet. It is often seen in hospitals that provide an individual or group with the need for well-being.
4. ideological foundations.
5. Social variables, ie public opinion.

signs

It is important to determine the signs of a social institution. An example of education can best show this:

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

Examples of social institutions in society

Institutions for their manifestations and factors are completely different. In fact, they can be divided into large and low-level. If we talk about the institute of education, this is a large-scale cooperation. As for its sublevels, these can be elementary, middle and high school institutes. Since society is dynamic, some lower-level institutions may disappear like slavery, and some may appear, such as advertising.

There are five main institutions in society today:

• A family.
• State.
• Education.
• Economy.
• Religion.

General Functions

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

• Establishment and reproduction of relations in society. Each institution is obliged to designate the standard behavior of the individual through the implementation of rules, laws and norms.
• Regulation. Relations in society must be regulated by developing acceptable behavior patterns and imposing sanctions for violation of norms.
• Integration. The activities of each social institution should unite individuals into groups so that they feel mutual responsibility and dependence on each other.
• Socialization. The main purpose of this feature is to convey social experience, norms, roles and values.

With regard to additional functions, they should be considered in the context of the main institutions.

A family

It is considered to be the most important institution of the state. It is in the family that people receive the first basic knowledge about the external, social world and the rules that are established there. The family is the basic cell of society, which is characterized by voluntary marriage, common life, and the desire to raise children. In accordance with this definition, the main functions of the social institution of the family are distinguished. For example, the economic function (general life, housekeeping), reproductive (birth of children), recreational (health), social control (raising children and transferring values).

State

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

• Regulation of the economy.
• Maintaining stability and order in society.
• Ensuring social harmony.
• Protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, education of citizens and the formation of values.

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

Education

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

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

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

Economy

The economic social institution should be responsible for the material sphere interpersonal relationships. A society characterized by poverty and financial instability cannot maintain optimal reproduction of the population, provide an educational basis for the development of the social system. Therefore, no matter how you look at it, all institutions are connected with the economy. For example, an economic social institution ceases to function properly. The country begins to increase the level of poverty and there are more unemployed. Fewer children will be born, the aging of the nation will begin. Therefore, the main functions of this institution are:

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

Religion

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

In second place is the normative function. Individuals who adhere to certain beliefs act according to the canons or commandments. It helps to maintain order in society. The third function is communicative, individuals during rituals have the opportunity to communicate with each other or with a servant. This helps to quickly integrate into society.

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

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 necessary conditions the emergence of social institutions serves 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 Institute higher education provides training work force, 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, 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) Third essential element 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 the 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 that provide joint achievement goals on the basis of their 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 types of activity - 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 ensure the promotion of desired and the suppression of deviant behavior.

Consequently, social institutions perform functions in society 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 normative and value-conditioned roles and statuses designed to meet certain social needs, and on the other hand, a social education created to use society's resources in the form of interaction to meet this need.

social institutions and social organizations are closely related. 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, the army, the court, the bank, can be simultaneously considered both as a social institution and as 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, business 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, 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 a 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.

Introduction

Social relations are the main element of social connection, which contributes to the stability and internal unity of groups. Relationships take place as long as the partners fulfill their mutual obligations. Therefore, for the group as a whole, it is important whether all individuals fulfill their duties, how they fulfill them and whether they are stable. In order to guarantee the stability of social relations, on which the existence of a group or society as a whole depends, a peculiar system of institutions has been created that control the behavior of members of groups and society. A particularly important role in these systems of "social control" belongs to social institutions. Thanks to social institutions, especially important for society are consolidated and reproduced. social relations. Social institutions, just like social organizations, are an important form of social interaction and one of the main elements of the social culture of society.

What is a social institution? List social institutions you know

Social institutions are formed on the basis of communities, the social ties of which are determined by associations of organizations. Such social ties are called institutional, and social systems are called social institutions.

Social institution - relatively sustainable form organization of social life, ensuring the stability of ties and relationships within society. A social institution should be distinguished from specific organizations and social groups. Thus, the concept of "Institute of a monogamous family" does not mean a separate family, but a set of norms that is implemented in countless families of a certain type.

The main functions that a social institution performs:

• 1) creates an opportunity for the members of this institution to satisfy their needs and interests;
• 2) regulates the actions of members of society within the framework of social relations;
• 3) provides stability public life;
• 4) ensures the integration of aspirations, actions and interests of individuals;
• 5) exercise social control.

The activity of a social institution is determined by:

• 1) a set of specific social norms that regulate the corresponding types of behavior;
• 2) its integration into the socio-political, ideological, value structures 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 exercise of social control.

Social institutions can be characterized not only from the point of view of their formal structure, but also from the point of view of the analysis of their activities. A social institution is not only a set of persons, institutions equipped with certain material resources, a system of sanctions and performing a specific social function.

The successful functioning of a social institution is associated with the presence within the institution of an integral system of standards of behavior for specific individuals in typical situations. These standards of behavior are normatively regulated: they are enshrined in the rules of law and other social norms. During practice, there are certain types social activity, and the legal and social norms that regulate this activity are concentrated in a certain legitimized and sanctioned system that ensures this type of social activity in the future. Such a system is a social institution.

Depending on the scope and their functions, social institutions are divided into:

• a) relational - determining the role structure of society in the system of relations;
• b) regulatory, defining the permissible framework for independent actions in relation to the norms of society for the sake of personal goals and sanctions punishing for going beyond this framework (this includes all mechanisms of social control);
• c) cultural, associated with ideology, religion, art, etc.;
• d) integrative, associated with social roles responsible for ensuring interests social community as a whole.

The development of a social system is reduced to the evolution of a social institution. 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 social institution ceases to effectively serve the goals and interests of certain social groups. The history of the evolution of social systems is the gradual transformation of a traditional type of social institution into modern social institutions. The traditional social institution is characterized, first of all, by ascriptiveness and particularism, i.e. is based on the rules of behavior strictly prescribed by ritual and customs and on family ties. In the course of its development, however, a social institution becomes more specialized in its functions and less rigorous in terms of the rules and framework of behavior.

Depending on the content and direction of activity, social institutions are divided into political, economic, social, socio-cultural, religious, sports, etc.

Political institutions - the state, parties, trade unions and other public organizations - deal with issues of production, social protection and sanctions. In addition, they regulate the reproduction and preservation of moral, legal, ideological values.

Economic institutions are a system of associations and institutions (organizations). providing relatively stable economic activity. Economic relations people associated with the production, exchange, distribution of goods, with their relationship to property. To the economic mechanisms of economic interaction - institutions of trade and services, unions of entrepreneurs, production and financial corporations, etc.

Socio-cultural institutions are a set of more or less stable and regulated ways of interaction between people regarding the creation and dissemination of cultural values, as well as a system of cultural institutions (theaters, museums, libraries, concert halls, cinemas, etc.), which are focused on socialization of the individual, mastery of the cultural values ​​of society. This also includes creative associations and unions (writers, artists, composers, cinematographers, theatrical figures, etc., as well as organizations and institutions that replicate and distribute, promote certain value-normative patterns of cultural behavior of people.

Socio-cultural institutions include: institutions of education, religion, health, family. The classic example of a simple social institution is the institution of the family. A.G. Kharchev defines the family as an association of people based on marriage and consanguinity, bound by common life and mutual responsibility. Marriage is the foundation of family relationships. Marriage is a historically changing social form relations between a woman and a man, through which society regulates and sanctions their sexual life and establishes their marital and family rights and obligations. But the family, as a rule, is a more complex system of relations than marriage, since it can unite not only spouses, but also their children, as well as other relatives. Therefore, the family should be considered not just as a marriage group, but as a social institution, that is, a system of connections, interactions and relationships of individuals that perform the functions of reproduction of the human race and regulate all connections, interactions and relationships on the basis of certain values ​​and norms, subject to extensive social control through The system of positive and negative sanctions includes:

• 1) a set of social values ​​(love, attitude towards children, family life);
• 2) public procedures (concern for the upbringing of children, their physical development, family rules and obligations);
• 3) the interweaving of roles and statuses (statuses and roles of husband, wife, child, teenager, mother-in-law, mother-in-law, brothers, etc.), with the help of which family life is carried out.

Thus, an institution is a peculiar form of human activity based on a clearly developed ideology; system of rules and norms, as well as developed social control over their implementation. Institutions maintain social structures and order in society. Each social institution has specific features and performs a number of functions.

social institution society

Introduction

Social institutions occupy an important place in the life of society. Sociologists consider institutions as a stable set of norms, rules, and symbols that regulate various spheres of human life and organize them into a system of roles and statuses, with the help of which basic life and social needs are satisfied.

The relevance of the study of the topic is due to the need to assess the importance of social institutions and their functions in the life of society.

The object of the study is social institutions, the subject is the main functions, types and features of social institutions.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the essence of social institutions.

When writing the work, the following tasks were set:

1. Give a theoretical idea of ​​a social institution;

2. Reveal the signs of social institutions;

3. Consider the types of social institutions;

4. Describe the functions of social institutions.

1 Basic approaches to understanding the structure of social institutions

1.1 Definition of the concept of a social institution

The term "institution" has many meanings. It came to European languages ​​from Latin: institutum - establishment, device. Over time, it acquired two meanings - a narrow technical one (the name of specialized scientific and educational institutions) and a broad social one: a set of legal norms in a certain circle public relations, for example, the institution of marriage, the institution of inheritance.

Sociologists, who borrowed this concept from jurists, endowed it with new content. However, in scientific literature about institutions, as well as on other fundamental issues of sociology, there is no unity of views. In sociology, there is not one, but many definitions of a social institution.

One of the first to give a detailed idea of ​​social institutions was the prominent American sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929). Although his book The Theory of the Leisure Class appeared in 1899, many of its provisions have not become obsolete to this day. He viewed the evolution of society as a process of natural selection of social institutions, which by their nature do not differ from the usual ways of responding to incentives created by external changes.

There are various concepts of social institutions, the totality of all available interpretations of the concept of "social institution" can be reduced to the following four grounds:

1. A group of persons performing certain social functions that are important for everyone.

2. Specific organized forms of complexes of functions that some members of the group perform on behalf of the entire group.

3. The system of material institutions and forms of action that allow individuals to perform public impersonal functions aimed at meeting the needs or regulating the behavior of members of the community (group).

4. Social roles especially important for a group or community.

The concept of "social institution" in domestic sociology is given a significant place. A social institution is defined as a leading component of the social structure of society, integrating and coordinating many individual actions of people, streamlining social relations in certain areas of public life.

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

Under the system of social relations in this definition is understood the interweaving of roles and statuses through which behavior in group processes is carried out and maintained within certain limits, under public values ​​- shared ideas and goals, and under public procedures - standardized patterns of behavior in group processes. The institution of the family, for example, includes: 1) the interweaving of roles and statuses (statuses and roles of husband, wife, child, grandmother, grandfather, mother-in-law, mother-in-law, sisters, brothers, etc.), through which family life is carried out; 2) a set of social values ​​(love, attitude towards children, family life); 3) public procedures (concern for the upbringing of children, their physical development, family rules and obligations).

If we sum up the whole set of approaches, then they can be divided into the following. The 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 ​​public relations;

A separate set of social actions.

Understanding social institutions as a set of norms and mechanisms that regulate a certain area of ​​social relations (family, production, state, education, religion), sociologists have deepened their understanding of them as basic elements on which society rests.

Culture is often understood as the form and result of adaptation to the environment. Kees J. Hamelink defines culture as the sum of all human efforts aimed at mastering environment and the creation of the tangible and intangible means necessary for this. By adapting to the environment, society throughout history develops tools suitable for solving many problems and satisfying the most important needs. These tools are called social institutions. The institutions typical of a given society reflect the cultural makeup of that society. The institutions of different societies are as different from each other as their cultures. For example, the institution of marriage among different nations contains peculiar rituals and ceremonies, based on the norms and rules of behavior accepted in each society. In some countries, the institution of marriage allows, for example, polygamy, which in other countries is strictly prohibited according to their institution of marriage.

Within the totality of social institutions, a subgroup of cultural institutions can be distinguished as a type of private social institutions. For example, when they say that the press, radio and television represent the “fourth power”, they are essentially understood as a cultural institution. Communication institutions are part of cultural institutions. They are the organs through which society, through social structures produces and distributes information expressed in symbols. Communication institutions are the main source of knowledge about the accumulated experience, expressed in symbols.

However one defines a social institution, in any case it is clear that it can be characterized as one of the most fundamental categories of sociology. It is no coincidence that special institutional sociology arose quite a long time ago and took shape well as a whole area that includes a number of branches of sociological knowledge (economic sociology, political sociology, sociology of the family, sociology of science, sociology of education, sociology of religion, etc.).

1.2 The process of institutionalization

Social institutions arise as a kind of response to the needs of society, individual societies. They are associated with guarantees of uninterrupted social life, the protection of citizens, the maintenance of social order, the cohesion of social groups, the implementation of communications between them, the "placement" of people in certain social positions. Of course, the emergence of social institutions is based on the primary needs associated with the production of products, goods and services, their distribution. The process of emergence and formation of social institutions is called institutionalization.

In detail the process of institutionalization, i.e. the formation of a social institution, considered by S.S. Frolov. This process consists of several successive stages:

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

2) formation of common goals;

3) the emergence of social norms and rules in the course of spontaneous social interaction carried out by trial and error;

4) the emergence of procedures related to rules and regulations;

5) institutionalization of norms and rules, procedures, I.e. their adoption, practical application;

6) the establishment of a system of sanctions to maintain norms and rules, the differentiation of their application in individual cases;

7) creation of a system of statuses and roles covering all members of the institute without exception.

People united in social groups to realize their needs, first together look for various ways to achieve it. In the process of social practice, they develop the most acceptable patterns and patterns of behavior, which over time, through repeated repetition and evaluation, turn into standardized habits and customs. After some time, the developed models and patterns of behavior are accepted and supported by public opinion, and eventually legalized, and a certain system of sanctions is developed. The end of the institutionalization process is the creation, in accordance with the norms and rules, of a clear status-role structure, which is socially approved by the majority of participants in this social process.

1.3 Institutional features

Each social institution has both specific features and common features with other institutions.

To perform its functions, a social institution must take into account the abilities of various functionaries, form standards of behavior, loyalty to the basic principles, and develop interaction with other institutions. It is not surprising, therefore, that similar ways and methods of action exist in institutions pursuing quite different aims.

Features common to all institutions are presented in Table. 1. They are grouped into five groups. Although an institution must necessarily possess, for example, utilitarian cultural traits, it also has new specific qualities depending on the needs it satisfies. Some institutions, unlike developed ones, may not have a complete set of features. It only means that the institution is imperfect, has not fully developed, or is in decline. If most institutions are underdeveloped, then the society in which they function is either in decline or in the early stages of cultural development.

Table 1 . Signs of the main institutions of society

A family	State	Business	Education	Religion
1. Attitudes and patterns of behavior
Affection Loyalty Respect	Obedience Loyalty Subordination	Productivity Economical Profit production	Knowledge Attendance	Reverence Loyalty Worship
2. Symbolic cultural signs
wedding ring marriage ritual	Flag Seal Coat of arms National anthem	Brand name Patent mark	School emblem School songs	Holy Icon Cross
3. Utilitarian cultural traits
House Apartment	Public Buildings Public Works Forms and Forms	Shop Factory Equipment Blanks and Forms	Classes Libraries Stadiums	Church buildings Church props Literature
4. Oral and written code
Family prohibitions and assumptions	Constitution Laws	Contracts Licenses	Student Rules	Faith Church prohibitions
5. Ideology
Romantic Love Compatibility Individualism	State law Democracy Nationalism	Monopoly Free trade Right to work	Academic freedom Progressive education Equality in learning	Orthodoxy Baptism Protestantism

2 Types and functions of social institutions

2.1 Characteristics of the types of social institutions

For a sociological analysis of social institutions and the peculiarities of their functioning in society, their typology is essential.

G. Spencer was one of the first who drew attention to the problem of the institutionalization of society and stimulated interest in institutions in sociological thought. Within his "organismic theory" of human society, based on the structural analogy between society and the organism, he distinguishes three main types of institutions:

1) continuing the race (marriage and family) (Kinship);

2) distribution (or economic);

3) regulating (religion, political systems).

This classification is based on the allocation of the main functions inherent in all institutions.

R. Mills counted five institutional orders in modern society, implying the main institutions:

1) economic - institutions organizing economic activity;

2) political - institutions of power;

3) family - institutions that regulate sexual relations, the birth and socialization of children;

4) military - institutions that organize legal heritage;

5) religious - institutions that organize the collective worship of the gods.

The classification of social institutions proposed by foreign representatives of institutional analysis is arbitrary and peculiar. Thus, Luther Bernard proposes to distinguish between "mature" and "immature" social institutions, Bronislav Malinovsky - "universal" and "particular", Lloyd Ballard - "regulatory" and "sanctioned or operational", F. Chapin - "specific or nucleative" and "basic or diffuse-symbolic", G. Barnes - "primary", "secondary" and "tertiary".

Foreign representatives functional analysis following G. Spencer, it is traditionally proposed to classify social institutions based on the main social functions. For example, K. Dawson and W. Gettys believe that the whole variety of social institutions can be grouped into four groups: hereditary, instrumental, regulatory and integrative. From the point of view of T. Parsons, three groups of social institutions should be distinguished: relative, regulatory, cultural.

Seeks to classify social institutions depending on the functions they perform in various spheres and branches of public life and J. Shchepansky. Dividing social institutions into "formal" and "informal", he proposes to distinguish the following "main" social institutions: economic, political, educational or cultural, social or public in the narrow sense of the word, and religious. At the same time, the Polish sociologist notes that the classification of social institutions he proposed is "not exhaustive"; in modern societies, one can find social institutions that are not covered by this classification.

Despite the wide variety of existing classifications of social institutions, this is largely due to different division criteria, almost all researchers distinguish two types of institutions as the most important - economic and political. This is due to the fact that a significant part of scientists believe that the institutions of economics and politics have the most significant impact on the nature of changes in society.

It should be noted that a very important, highly necessary, social institution brought to life by enduring needs, in addition to the two above, is the family. This is historically the first social institution of any society, and for most primitive societies it is the only really functioning institution. The family is a social institution of a special, integrative nature, in which all spheres and relations of society are reflected. Other social and cultural institutions are also important in society - education, health care, upbringing, etc.

Due to the fact that the essential functions performed by institutions are different, the analysis of social institutions allows us to distinguish the following groups of institutions:

1. Economic - these are all institutions that ensure the process of production and distribution of material goods and services, regulate money circulation, organize and division of labor, etc. (banks, exchanges, corporations, firms, joint-stock companies, factories, etc.).

2. Political - these are the institutions that establish, execute and maintain power. In a concentrated form, they express the political interests and relations existing in a given society. The totality of political institutions makes it possible to determine the political system of society (the state with its central and local authorities, political parties, police or police, justice, the army, and also various public organizations, movements, associations, funds and clubs pursuing political goals). The forms of institutionalized activity in this case are strictly defined: elections, rallies, demonstrations, election campaigns.

3. Reproduction and kinship are institutions that maintain the biological continuity of society, satisfy sexual needs and parental aspirations, regulate relations between the sexes and generations, etc. (institute of family and marriage).

4. Socio-cultural and educational - these are institutions, the main objective which is to create, develop, strengthen culture for the socialization of the younger generation and transfer to it the accumulated cultural values ​​of the whole society as a whole (family as an educational institution, education, science, cultural, educational and artistic institutions, etc.).

5. Socio-ceremonial - these are institutions that regulate everyday human contacts, facilitating mutual understanding. Although these social institutions are complex systems and most often informal, they determine and regulate the ways of greetings and congratulations, the organization of solemn weddings, holding meetings, etc., which we ourselves usually do not think about. These are institutions organized by a voluntary association (public organizations, comradely associations, clubs, etc., not pursuing political goals).

6. Religious - institutions that organize a person's connection with transcendental forces. The other world for believers really exists and in a certain way affects their behavior and social relations. The institution of religion plays a prominent role in many societies and has a strong influence on numerous human relationships.

In the above classification, only the so-called "main institutions" are considered, the most important, in the highest degree necessary institutions, brought to life by enduring needs, which regulate basic social functions and are characteristic of all types of civilization.

Depending on the severity and methods of regulation of their activities, social institutions are divided into formal and informal.

Formal social institutions, with all their significant differences, are united by one common feature: interaction between subjects in a given association is carried out on the basis of formally agreed regulations, rules, norms, regulations, etc. The regularity of activity and self-renewal of such institutions (state, army, church, education system, etc.) is ensured by strict regulation social statuses, roles, functions, rights and obligations, the distribution of responsibility between the participants in social interaction, as well as the impersonal requirements for those who are included in the activities of a social institution. The fulfillment of a certain range of duties is associated with the division of labor and the professionalization of the functions performed. In order to perform its functions, a formal social institution has institutions within which (for example, a school, university, technical school, lyceum, etc.) a well-defined professionally oriented activity of people is organized; management of social actions, control over their implementation, as well as the resources and means necessary for all this.

Although informal social institutions are regulated in their activities by certain norms and rules, they do not have strict regulation, and the normative-value relationships in them are not clearly formalized in the form of prescriptions, regulations, charters, etc. Friendship is an example of an informal social institution. It has many features of a social institution, such as, say, the presence of certain norms, rules, requirements, resources (trust, sympathy, devotion, loyalty, etc.), but the regulation of friendly relations is not formal, and social control is carried out with the help of informal sanctions - moral norms, traditions, customs, etc.

2.2 Functions of social institutions

The American sociologist R. Merton, who has done a lot for the development of the structural-functional approach, is the first to propose a distinction between "explicit" and "hidden (latent)" functions of social institutions. This difference in functions was introduced by him to explain certain social phenomena, when it is necessary to take into account not only the expected and observable consequences, but uncertain, side, secondary ones. The terms "manifest" and "latent" he borrowed from Freud, who used them in a completely different context. R. Merton writes: “The distinction between explicit and latent functions is based on the following: the former refer to those objective and intended consequences of social action that contribute to the adaptation or adaptation of some specific social unit (individual, subgroup, social or cultural system); the latter refer to unintended and unconscious consequences of the same order.

The explicit functions of social institutions are deliberate and understood by people. Usually they are formally declared, written down in statutes or declared, enshrined in a system of statuses and roles (for example, the adoption of special laws or sets of rules: on education, health care, social security, etc.), therefore, they are more controlled by society.

The main, general function of any social institution is to meet the social needs for which it was created and exists. To perform this function, each institution has to perform a number of functions that ensure the joint activities of people striving to meet needs. These are the following features; the function of consolidation and reproduction of social relations; regulatory function; integrative function; broadcasting function; communicative function.

The function of fixing and reproducing social relations

Each institution has a system of rules and norms of behavior that fixes, standardizes the behavior of its members and makes this behavior predictable. Appropriate social control provides the order and framework in which the activities of each member of the institution must proceed. Thus, the institution ensures the stability of the social structure of society. Indeed, the code of the institution of the family, for example, implies that members of society should be divided into sufficiently stable small groups - families. With the help of social control, the institution of the family seeks to ensure the stability of each individual family, and limits the possibility of its disintegration. The destruction of the family institution is, first of all, the appearance of chaos and uncertainty, the collapse of many groups, the violation of traditions, the impossibility of ensuring a normal sexual life and high-quality education of the younger generation.

The regulatory function is that the functioning of social institutions ensures the regulation of relationships between members of society by developing patterns of behavior. The whole cultural life of a person proceeds with his participation in various institutions. Whatever type of activity an individual engages in, he always encounters an institution that regulates his behavior in this area. Even if some kind of activity is not ordered and regulated, people immediately begin to institutionalize it. Thus, with the help of institutions, a person exhibits predictable and standardized behavior in social life. He fulfills the role requirements-expectations and knows what to expect from the people around him. Such regulation is necessary for joint activities.

Integrative function. This function includes the processes of cohesion, interdependence and mutual responsibility of members of social groups, occurring under the influence of institutionalized norms, rules, sanctions and systems of roles. The integration of people in the institute is accompanied by the streamlining of the system of interactions, an increase in the volume and frequency of contacts. All this leads to an increase in the stability and integrity of the elements of the social structure, especially social organizations.

Any integration in an institution consists of three main elements, or necessary requirements: 1) consolidation or combination of efforts; 2) mobilization, when each member of the group invests its resources in achieving goals; 3) the conformity of the personal goals of individuals with the goals of others or the goals of the group. Integrative processes carried out with the help of institutions are necessary for the coordinated activities of people, the exercise of power, and the creation of complex organizations. Integration is one of the conditions for the survival of organizations, as well as one of the ways to correlate the goals of its participants.

Translating function. Society could not develop if it were not possible to transfer social experience. Each institution for its normal functioning needs the arrival of new people. This can happen either by expanding social boundaries institution, and through generational change. In this regard, each institution provides a mechanism that allows individuals to socialize to its values, norms and roles. For example, a family, raising a child, seeks to orient him to the values ​​of family life that his parents adhere to. State institutions seek to influence citizens in order to instill in them the norms of obedience and loyalty, and the church tries to accustom as many new members as possible to the faith.

Communicative function. Information produced at the institute should be disseminated both within the institute for the purpose of managing and monitoring compliance with the norms, and in interactions between institutions. Moreover, the nature of the institute's communicative links has its own specifics - these are formal links carried out in a system of institutionalized roles. As the researchers note, the communicative capabilities of institutions are not the same: some are specially designed to transmit information (means mass media), others have very limited ability to do so; some actively perceive information (scientific institutions), others passively (publishing houses).

Latent functions. Along with the direct results of the actions of social institutions, there are other results that are outside the immediate goals of a person, not planned in advance. These results can be of great importance to society. Thus, the church seeks to consolidate its influence to the greatest extent through ideology, the introduction of faith, and often achieves success in this. However, regardless of the goals of the church, there are people who leave for the sake of religion. production activities. Fanatics begin to persecute non-believers, and there may be the possibility of major social conflicts on religious grounds. The family seeks to socialize the child to the accepted norms of family life, but it often happens that family education leads to a conflict between the individual and the cultural group and serves to protect the interests of certain social strata.

The existence of the latent functions of institutions was most conspicuously shown by T. Veblen, who wrote that it would be naive to say that people eat black caviar because they want to satisfy their hunger and buy a luxurious Cadillac because they want to buy a good car. Obviously, these things are not acquired for the sake of satisfying obvious urgent needs. T. Veblen concludes from this that the production of consumer goods performs a hidden, latent function - it satisfies the needs of people to increase their own prestige. Such an understanding of the actions of the institute for the production of consumer goods radically changes the opinion about its activities, tasks and conditions of functioning.

Thus, it is obvious that only by studying the latent functions of institutions can sociologists determine the true picture of social life. For example, very often sociologists are faced with a phenomenon that is incomprehensible at first glance, when an institution continues to successfully exist, even if it not only does not fulfill its functions, but also interferes with their implementation. Such an institution obviously has hidden functions by which it satisfies the needs of certain social groups. A similar phenomenon can be observed especially often among political institutions, in which latent functions are developed to the greatest extent.

Latent functions, therefore, are the subject that should primarily interest the student of social structures. The difficulty in recognizing them is compensated by the creation of a reliable picture of social connections and features of social objects, as well as the ability to control their development and to manage the social processes taking place in them.

Conclusion

Based on the work done, I can conclude that I managed to achieve my goal - to summarize the main theoretical aspects social institutions.

The paper describes the concept, structure and functions of social institutions in as much detail and as versatile as possible. In the process of revealing the meaning of these concepts, I used the opinions and arguments of various authors who used different methodology from each other, which made it possible to more deeply reveal the essence of social institutions.

In general, it can be summarized that social institutions in society play an important role, the study of social institutions and their functions allows sociologists to create a picture of social life, makes it possible to control the development of social ties and social objects, as well as manage the processes taking place in them.

List of sources used

1 Babosov E.M. General sociology: Proc. allowance for universities. - 2nd ed., Rev. and additional - Minsk: TetraSystems, 2004. 640 p.

2 Glotov M.B. Social institution: definitions, structure, classification /Socis. No. 10 2003. S. 17-18

3 Dobrenkov V.I., Kravchenko A.I. Sociology: Textbook for universities. – M.: INFRA-M, 2001. 624 S.

4 Z Borovsky G.E. General Sociology: A Textbook for High Schools of Higher Education. – M.: Gardariki, 2004. 592 S.

5 Novikova S.S. Sociology: history, foundations, institutionalization in Russia - M .: Moscow Institute of Psychology and Socialism, 2000. 464 p.

6 Frolov S.S. Sociology. M.: Nauka, 1994. 249 S.

7 Encyclopedic Sociological Dictionary / Ed. ed. G.V. Osipov. M.: 1995.

It implies the Spencer approach and the Veblen approach.

Spencer 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 a biological organism. He wrote: “in the state, as in a living body, a regulatory system inevitably arises ... When a more stable community is formed, higher centers of regulation and subordinate centers appear.” So, according to Spencer, social institution - it is an organized type of human behavior and activity in society. Simply put, this is a special form public organization, in the study of which it is necessary to focus on functional elements.

Veblenian approach.

Veblen's approach (named after Thorstein Veblen) to the concept of a 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, transmitted from generation to generation and changing depending on the circumstances. "To put it simply, he was not interested in functional elements, but in the activity itself, the purpose of which is to satisfy 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- not having internal division (family);
• complex- consisting of several simple ones (for example, a school with 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 health care, and the army is security. Sociologists of different schools have singled out many different functions in an effort to streamline and classify them. Lipset and Landberg were able to generalize these classifications and identified four main ones:

• reproduction 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 the state);
• control and management- regulation of relations between members of society by developing norms, rights, obligations, as well as a system of sanctions, that is, fines and punishments (state, government, judicial system, public order bodies).

By type of activity, functions can be:

• explicit- officially registered, accepted by society and the state (educational institutions, social institutions, registered marriage relations, etc.);
• hidden- activities hidden or unintentional (criminal structures).

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

The value 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 success or decline of a state. Social institutions, especially political ones, should be publicly accessible, but if they are closed, then this leads to dysfunction of other social institutions.