Social institutions have been created by man from social relationships in society to meet such basic needs as reproduction, socialization, division of labour , stability, law and order and clearly defined roles of authority and decision making. Every organisation is dependent upon certain recognised and established set of rules, traditions and usages. These usages and rules may be given the name of institutions. These are the forms of procedure which are recognised and accepted by society and govern the relations between individuals and groups.
Definition of Social Institutions
According to Ginsberg “Institutions may be described as recognized and established usages governing the relations between individuals and groups”.
- MacIver and Page have defined Institutions as the established forms or conditions of procedure characteristic of group activity”.
- According to Kingsley Davis “Institutions can be defined as a set of interwoven folkways, mores and laws built around one or more functions”.
- H.E.Barnes defined “Institutions as the social structure and the machinery through which human society organizes, directs and executes the multifarious activities required to satisfy human needs”.
- According to C. A. Ellwood “Institutions are the habitual ways of living together which have been sanctioned, systematized and established by the authority of communities”.
Characteristics of Institutions
The main characteristics of social institutions may be described here.
- (i) Social in Nature: Institutions come into being due to the collective activities of the people. They are essentially social in nature. After all, institutions are the products of the secular a repetitive forms of social relationships of the individuals.
- (ii) Universality: Social institutions are ubiquitous. They exist in all the societies and existed at all the stages of social development. The basic institutions like family, religion, property and some kind of political institutions are observed even in the tribal or primitive societies.
- (iii) Institutions are Standardized Norms: An institution must be understood as standardized procedures and norms. They prescribe the way of doing things. They also prescribe rules and regulations that are to be followed. Marriage as an institution, for example, governs the relations between the husband and wife. Similarly, the school or college has its own rules and procedures.
- (iv) Institutions as means of satisfying needs: Institutions are established by men themselves. They cater to the satisfaction of some basic and vital needs of man. These basic needs are, (a) the need for self-preservation (b) the need for self-perpetuation, and (c) the need for self-expression.
- (v) Institutions are the controlling mechanisms: Institutions are like religion, morality, state, government, law, legislation etc., control the behaviour of men. These mechanisms preserve the social order and give stability to it. Institutions are like wheels on which human society marches on towards the desired destination.
- (vi) Relatively permanent: Institutions do not undergo sudden or rapid changes. Changes take place slowly and gradually in them. Many institutions are rigid and enduring. They, in course of time, become the conservative elements in society.
- (vii) Abstract in nature: Institutions are not external, visible or tangible things. They are abstract. Thus marriage cannot be kept in a museum; religion cannot be rated or quantified.
- (viii) Oral and written traditions: Institutions may persist in the form of oral and/or written traditions. For the primitive societies they may be largely oral. But in modern complex societies they may be observed in written as well as unwritten forms. There may be written institutional forms like constitutions, sacred text books, syllabus, governmental orders, business contracts, examination system etc., relating to political, religious, educational and economic institutions and so on.
- (ix) Synthesising symbols: Institutions may have their own symbols, material or non-material. For example, the state has flag emblem, national anthem as its symbols, religion may have its own symbols like crucifix, crescent moon, star, swastika; the school may have its own flag or school prayer, marriage may have its own wedding ring or mangala-sutra and so on.
- (x) Institutions are interrelated: Institutions, though diverse, are interrelated. Understanding of one institution requires the understanding of the other related institutions. The religious, moral, educational, political, economic and other types of institutions are essentially interlinked.
Sociologists agree that institutions arise and persist because of a definite felt need of the members of the society.
Sumner and Keller maintained that institutions come into existence to satisfy vital interests of man.
- Ward believed that they arise because of social demand or social necessity.
- Lewis H Morgan ascribed the basis of every institution to what he called a perpetual want.
Primary Social Institutions
Sociologists often reserve the term “institution” to describe normative systems that operate in five basic areas of life, which may be designated as the primary institutions.
(1) In determining Kinship;
(2) in providing for the legitimate use of power;
(3) in regulating the distribution of goods and services;
(4) in transmitting knowledge from one generation to the next; and
(5) in regulating our relation to the supernatural.
Secondary Social Institutions are derived from the primary institutions.
Secondary Institutions of family are Monogamy, Polygamy, Marriage, Divorce
- Secondary Institutions of power are Interest Groups , Party System , Democracy.
- Secondary Institutions of Economics are Property , Trading , Banking , Credit
- Secondary Institutions of Education are School , College , University
- Secondary Institutions of Religion are church , temple , mosque , totem , taboo
Functions of Social Institutions
Institutions have great functional importance. Their main functions are as follows:
- (i) Institutions cater to the satisfaction of needs: Institutions contribute to the fulfillment of the fundamental human needs such as (a) the need for self perpetuation, (b) perpetuation, and (c) selfexpression. They provide and prescribe the ways and means of fulfilling them.
- (ii) Institutions Control Human Behaviour: Institutions organize and regulate the system of social behaviour. Through the institutions the unexpected, spontaneous and irregular behaviour of people is replaced by expected, patterned, systematic, regular and predictable behaviour. Thus the interpersonal
relationships of the individuals are regulated by institutions. They make clear for the members what is allowed and what is not; what is desirable and what is undesirable. This is particularly true of the governmental institutions. - (iii) Institutions simplify actions for the individual: Since the institutions prescribe a particular way of behaviour for the fulfillment of our basic needs, they save much of our energy and also time. They avoid confusion and uncertainties and contribute to a system and order in society.
- (iv) Institutions assign roles and statuses to the individual: Institutionalisation of the social behaviour consists of the establishment of definite norms. These norms assign status positions and role-functions in connection with such behaviour. Institutions such as family, marriage, education, property, division of labour, caste, religion, etc. provide some social standing for the individuals concerned.
- (v) Institutions contribute to unity and uniformity: institutions which regulate the relations between individuals have largely been responsible for unity and uniformity that are found in a society.
- (vi) Manifest functions of Institutions: (Social institutions) Every institution has two types of manifest functions – (a) the pursuit of its objective or interests, and (b) the preservation of its own internal cohesion so that it may survive. For example, the state must serve its citizens and protect its boundaries. At the same time, the state must escape the danger of internal revolution and external conquests.
- (vii) The negative functions of institutions: Institutions may cause harmful effects also. They do not undergo changes easily and quickly even if the circumstances demand change. When they become too conservative they retard progress. They even hamper the growth of personalities of the people.
Religion and caste can be mentioned here as examples to show how they often discourage people to do achievements or adventures.