INSTITUTION, BASIC INSTITUTION IN COMPLEX SOCITIES

INSTITUTION

Institution is an established way of behaving or established forms of procedure. It consists of all the structural components of a society through which the main concerns and activities are organized and social needs such as those for order, belief and reproduction are met. The term institution was used by Parsons and Spencer in this sense. These sociologists considered institutions as central to the notion of society as an organism or functioning system.

In every society there are certain basic social needs. It is a must for the society to meet these needs for the survival and satisfaction of its members. In each society, therefore, people create social institutions to meet these needs.

What is an Institution?

The sociological concept of the term is different from its common usage:

An institution is a system of norms to achieve some goal or activity that people feel is important, or more formally, an organized cluster of  folkways and mores centered around a major human activity.

BASIC INSTITUTIONS IN COMPLEX SOCIETIES

There are five primary social institutions:-

·                    Family

·                    Economy

·                    Religion

·                    Education

·                    State

Family:           A socially defined set of relationships between at least two people related by birth, marriage, adoption, or, in some definitions, long-standing ties of intimacy. The family is the most basic of all social institutions. It existed among our ancestors long before the human species evolved to its present physical form, and it remains the basic social unit in every society. Though, family is an important social institution and it remained important in the past too but what is the future of this important institution. Several modern sociologist believe that the functions the family performs in the society are very important. With such functions the existence of the family cannot be vanished. There seem little variations in the functions but are sure about the need of the family to the society. But, on the other hand, Tofler, in his book, “The Future Shock”, writes that keeping in view the changing trends in the values and norms of the society, some institutions will be no more required. Particularly, about marriage as an institution, he perceive “Perhaps we are the last married generation”.

Economy:      Sociologists understand the economy as the set of arrangements by which a society produces, distributes, and consumes goods, services, and other resources. Economic activity is very important to sustain life. The principal means of production that a society uses such as hunting and gathering, horticulture, agriculture, or industrialism, strongly influences its culture and social institutions. Changes in the mode of economic production bring changes in all social institutions. Goods and servies are rarely equally distributed in a society, because the more powerful groups are able to secure a disproportionate supply for themselves and to control the political process by which inequalities are maintained.

Religion:        A unified system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural and to norms about the right way to live that is shared by a group of believers. Sociologists treat religion as a social rather than supernatural phenomenon To the sociologists, religion like any other aspect of culture, is a social product created by human beings and not by supernatural forces. It is easy for a believer in any particular faith to apply this perspective to other faith. The sociologist refers all religions as social products and sees religious faith as arising from socialization or re-socialization into a particular set of beliefs. One may be a devout Christian or Jew, but if one had been raised as a Pakistani, one’s religious beliefs might be different. Sociologists focus on the complex inter-relationship between society and religion.

Education:     A formal process in which knowledge, skills, and values are systematically transmitted from one individual or group to another In pre-industrial society, most of people acquired all the knowledge and skills they needed in the world through an informal socialization process. People acquired this socialization through ordinary, everyday contacts with patents and other kin. As industry was established and developed, the need of mass schooling was felt. As a result knowledge expanded rapidly, the pace of social change increased, and many new economic roles were created. Members of a modern industrial society need specialized knowledge and skills if they are to fill their adult roles competently.

State:              The state is a distinct social institution that claims a monopoly of the legitimate use of force within a given territory. The emergence of the state as a separate institution is closely linked to the level of cultural evaluation of a society, and in particular to its means of subsistence. Political institutions are absent in hunting and gathering societies. Each group is autonomous and independent, and decisions are made by group consensus. In pastoral and horticulture societies, where populations are larger and there may be a food surplus, some individuals become more powerful and wealthy than others. They pass their status on to their descendants, and patterns of chieftainship emerge.

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