Social institution: what is it

Social institutions act as historically established and stable forms of organizing the joint activities of people in one community. This term is used by authors and researchers in relation to various fields. This includes education, family, healthcare, the state and many others.

The emergence of social institutions and their coverage of the general population and various spheres of human life is associated with a very complex process of formalization and standardization. This process is called institutionalization.

Remark 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 basic 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 necessary for the organization of joint activities of people. The main goal of such activities is to meet 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. All of them 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 of its activity, as well as certain functions, the implementation of which is necessary to achieve the goal and implement specific tasks. In addition, a member of each social institution has its 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 (father, son, husband, brother, boss, subordinate, etc.).

Types of social institutions

Social institutions have a rather diverse typology. The authors also suggest different approaches to the definition of 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 existing in particular 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 activity constructs 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 purpose is to motivate the moral and ethical basis of a person's personality. The totality of these institutions affirms imperative universal human values in the community, as well as special codes that regulate behavior and its ethics.

Remark 2

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

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

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 has been developed by many authors. For us, the classification of J. Szczepanski is of interest, 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 the individual's life, make it expedient, as well as 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.

Remark 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 Everyday life individuals, reconciliation of the interests of each member of society with the interests of the state (stabilization public relations).

Introduction

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

2. Types of social institutions.

3. Functions and structure of social institutions.

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

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

The process of institutionalization includes a number of points: 1) One of the necessary conditions for the emergence of social institutions is the corresponding social need. Institutions are designed to organize the joint activities of people in order to meet certain social needs. Thus, the institution of the family satisfies the need for the reproduction of the human race and the upbringing of children, implements relations between the sexes, generations, etc. The Institute higher education provides training for the labor 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, 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 development logic. 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 a goal of its activity, specific functions that ensure the achievement of such a goal, a set of social positions and roles typical for this institution. Based on the foregoing, we can give the following definition of a social institution. Social institutions are organized associations of people performing certain socially significant functions, ensuring the joint achievement of goals based on the social roles performed by members, set by social values, norms and patterns of behavior.

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

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

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

Social institutions govern the behavior of community members through a system of sanctions and rewards. In social management and control, institutions play a very important role. Their task is not only to coercion. In every society there are institutions that guarantee freedom in certain 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 undertake to investigate new problems and search for new technical solutions etc. Social institutions can be characterized from the point of view 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, this is a certain system of expediently oriented standards of behavior certain persons in specific situations. So, if there is justice as a social institution, it can outwardly be characterized as a set of persons, institutions and material means administering justice, then from a substantive point of view, it is a set of standardized patterns of behavior of eligible persons providing this social function. These standards of conduct are embodied in certain roles characteristic of the justice system (the role of a judge, prosecutor, lawyer, investigator, etc.).

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

Consequently, social institutions perform 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 met different 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, social education, created to use the resources of society in the form of interaction to meet this need.

Social institutions and social organizations are closely linked. There is no consensus among sociologists about how they relate to each other. Some believe that there is no need to distinguish between these two concepts at all, they use them as synonyms, since many social phenomena, such as the social security system, education, 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 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 practical implementation functions, goals and objectives of one social institution is often formed by several specialized social organizations. 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 different type- provide the entire set of production and distribution of social wealth, at the same time connecting economic life with other areas social life.

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

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, social relations that are especially important for society are consolidated and reproduced. 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.

A social institution is a relatively stable form of organization of social life, which ensures the stability of ties and relationships within society. The social institution must be distinguished from specific organizations and social groups. Thus, the concept of "Institute of a monogamous family" does not mean separate family, but a set of norms that is realized 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 regulating 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 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 that regulate this activity are concentrated into 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 the interests of the 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 rules of conduct 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). Ensuring relatively stable economic activity. Economic relations of 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 people interacting about the creation and dissemination of cultural values, as well as a system of cultural institutions (theaters, museums, libraries, concert halls, cinemas, etc.) that 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. A 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, connected by common life and mutual responsibility. initial basis family relations constitutes marriage. Marriage is a historically changing social form relations between a woman and a man, through which society orders and sanctions them sexual life and establishes their marital and related 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

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 biological organism. This is what 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 of social 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 marriages, 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.

social institution or public institution- a form of organization of joint life activity of people, historically established or created by purposeful efforts, the existence of which is dictated by the need to meet the social, economic, political, cultural or other needs of society as a whole or part of it. Institutions are characterized by their ability to influence people's behavior through established rules.

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Subtitles

History of the term

Types of social institutions

The need for the reproduction of the genus (the institution of family and marriage).
The need for security and order (the state).
The need to obtain means of subsistence (production).
The need for the transfer of knowledge, the socialization of the younger generation (institutions of public education).
Needs in Solving Spiritual Problems (Institute of Religion).

Basic information

The peculiarities of its word usage are further complicated by the fact that in the English language, traditionally, an institution is understood as any well-established practice of people that has the sign of self-reproducibility. In such a broad, not highly specialized, sense, an institution can be an ordinary human queue or the English language as a centuries-old social practice.

Therefore, in Russian, a social institution is often given a different name - “institution” (from Latin institutio - custom, instruction, instruction, order), understanding by it the totality of social customs, the embodiment of certain habits of behavior, way of thinking and life, passed down from generation to generation, changing depending on the circumstances and serving as an instrument of adaptation to them, and under the "institution" - the consolidation of customs and orders in the form of a law or institution. The term "social institution" has absorbed both "institution" (customs) and the "institution" itself (institutions, laws), as it combines both formal and informal "rules of the game".

A social institution is a mechanism that provides a set of constantly repeating and reproducing social relations and social practices of people (for example: the institution of marriage, the institution of the family). E. Durkheim figuratively called social institutions "factories for the reproduction of social relations." These mechanisms are based both on codified codes of laws and on non-thematized rules (non-formalized “hidden” ones that are revealed when they are violated), social norms, values and ideals that are historically inherent in a particular society. According to the authors of the Russian textbook for universities, “these are the strongest, most powerful ropes that critical predetermine the viability [of the social system]"

Spheres of life of society

There are a number of spheres of the life of society, in each of which specific social institutions and social relations are formed:
− Economic- relations in the production process (production, distribution, exchange, consumption wealth). Institutions related to the economic sphere: private property, material production, market, etc.
− Social- relations between different social and age groups; activities to ensure social guarantees. Institutions related to the social sphere: education, family, health care, social Security, leisure, etc.
− Political- relations between civil society and the state, between the state and political parties, as well as between states. Institutions related to the political sphere: state, law, parliament, government, judiciary, political parties, army, etc.
− Spiritual- relations that arise in the process of the formation of spiritual values, their preservation, distribution, consumption, as well as transmission to the next generations. Institutions related to the spiritual sphere: religion, education, science, art, etc.

− Kinship institution (marriage and family)- associated with the regulation of childbearing, relations between spouses and children, the socialization of young people.

institutionalization

The first, most commonly used meaning of the term "social institution" is associated with the characteristics of any kind of ordering, formalization and standardization of social ties and relations. And the process of streamlining, formalization and standardization is called institutionalization. The process of institutionalization, that is, the formation of a social institution, consists of several successive stages:

the emergence of a need, the satisfaction of which requires joint organized action;
formation of common goals;
the emergence of social norms and rules in the course of spontaneous social interaction carried out by trial and error;
the emergence of procedures related to rules and regulations;
institutionalization of norms and rules, procedures, that is, their adoption, practical application;
the establishment of a system of sanctions to maintain norms and rules, the differentiation of their application in individual cases;
creation of a system of statuses and roles covering all members of the institute without exception;

So, the end of the process of institutionalization can be considered the creation in accordance with the norms and rules of a clear status-role structure, socially approved by the majority of participants in this social process.

The process of institutionalization thus involves a number of points.

One of the necessary conditions for the emergence of social institutions is the corresponding social need. Institutions are designed to organize the joint activities of people in order to meet certain social needs. Thus, the institution of the family satisfies the need for the reproduction of the human race and the upbringing of children, implements relations between the sexes, generations, etc. The institution of higher education provides training for the workforce, enables a person to develop his abilities in order to realize them in subsequent activities and ensure his own existence, etc. The emergence of certain social needs, as well as the conditions for their satisfaction, are the first necessary moments of institutionalization.
A social institution is formed on the basis of social ties, interactions and relationships of specific individuals, social groups and 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 development logic. 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.

First of all, we are talking about a system of values, norms, ideals, as well as patterns of activity and behavior of people and other elements of the sociocultural process. This system guarantees similar behavior of people, coordinates and directs their certain aspirations, establishes ways to satisfy their needs, resolves conflicts that arise in the process of everyday life, provides a state of balance and stability within a particular social community and society as a whole.

In itself, the presence of these socio-cultural elements does not yet ensure the functioning of a social institution. In order for it to work, it is necessary that they become the property inner world personalities, were internalized by them in the process of socialization, embodied in the form of social roles and statuses. The internalization by individuals of all sociocultural elements, the formation on their basis of a system of personality needs, value orientations and expectations is the second most important element of institutionalization.

The third most important element of institutionalization is the organizational design of a social institution. Outwardly, a social institution is a set of organizations, institutions, individuals equipped with certain material resources and performing a certain social function. Thus, the institution of higher education is put into action by the social corps of teachers, service personnel, officials who operate within the framework of institutions such as universities, the ministry or the State Committee for Higher Education, etc., who for their activities have certain material values(buildings, finances, etc.).

Thus social institutions are social mechanisms, stable value-normative complexes that regulate various areas of social life (marriage, family, property, religion), which are not very susceptible to changes in people's personal characteristics. But they are set in motion by people who carry out their activities, "play" by their rules. Thus, the concept of "the institution of a monogamous family" does not mean a separate family, but a set of norms that is realized in an innumerable set of families of a certain type.

Institutionalization, as shown by P. Berger and T. Luckman, is preceded by the process of habitualization, or “accustoming” of everyday actions, leading to the formation of patterns of activity that are later perceived as natural and normal for a given occupation or solving problems typical in these situations. Patterns of action are, in turn, the basis for the formation of social institutions, which are described in the form of objective social facts and are perceived by the observer as a "social reality" (or social structure). These trends are accompanied by signification procedures (the process of creating, using signs and fixing meanings and meanings in them) and form a system social meanings, which, forming into semantic connections, are fixed in natural language. Signification serves the purposes of legitimation (recognition as legitimate, socially recognized, legal) of the social order, that is, justification and justification habitual ways overcoming the chaos of destructive forces that threaten to undermine the stable idealizations of everyday life.

The emergence and existence of social institutions is associated with the formation in each individual of a special set of sociocultural dispositions (habitus), practical schemes actions that have become for the individual his internal "natural" need. Thanks to habitus, individuals are included in the activities of social institutions. Therefore, social institutions are not just mechanisms, but "a kind of" factory of meanings "that set not only patterns of human interactions, but also ways of comprehending, understanding social reality and the people themselves" .

Structure and functions of social institutions

Structure

concept social institution suggests:

the presence of a need in society and its satisfaction by the mechanism of reproduction of social practices and relations;
these mechanisms, being supra-individual formations, act in the form of value-normative complexes that regulate social life as a whole or its separate sphere, but for the benefit of the whole;

Their structure includes:

role models of behavior and statuses (prescriptions for their execution);
their justification (theoretical, ideological, religious, mythological) in the form of a categorical grid that defines a "natural" vision of the world;
means of transmitting social experience (material, ideal and symbolic), as well as measures that stimulate one behavior and repress another, tools to maintain institutional order;
social positions - the institutions themselves represent a social position (“empty” social positions do not exist, so the question of the subjects of social institutions disappears).

In addition, they assume the existence of certain social positions of "professionals" who are able to put this mechanism into action, playing by its rules, including a whole system of their preparation, reproduction and maintenance.

In order not to denote the same concepts by different terms and to avoid terminological confusion, social institutions should be understood not as collective subjects, not social groups and not organizations, but special social mechanisms that ensure the reproduction of certain social practices and social relations. And collective subjects should still be called "social communities", "social groups" and "social organizations".

“Social institutions are organizations and groups in which the life activity of community members takes place and which, at the same time, perform the functions of organizing and managing this life activity” [Ilyasov F. N. Dictionary social studies http://www.jsr.su/dic/S.html].

Functions

Each social institution has a main function that determines its "face", associated with its main social role in the consolidation and reproduction of certain social practices and relations. If this is an army, then its role is to ensure the military-political security of the country by participating in hostilities and demonstrating its military power. In addition to it, there are other explicit functions, to some extent characteristic of all social institutions, ensuring the implementation of the main one.

Along with explicit, there are also implicit - latent (hidden) functions. So, Soviet army at one time, it performed a number of hidden state tasks unusual for it - national economic, penitentiary, fraternal assistance to "third countries", pacification and suppression of riots, popular discontent and counter-revolutionary putsches both within the country and in the countries of the socialist camp. Explicit functions of institutions are necessary. They are formed and declared in codes and fixed in the system of statuses and roles. Latent functions are expressed in unforeseen results of the activities of institutions or persons representing them. Thus, the democratic state that was established in Russia in the early 1990s, through the parliament, the government and the president, sought to improve the life of the people, create civilized relations in society and inspire citizens with respect for the law. Those were the clear goals and objectives. In fact, the crime rate has increased in the country, and the standard of living of the population has fallen. These are the results of the latent functions of the institutions of power. Explicit functions testify to what people wanted to achieve within the framework of this or that institution, and latent ones indicate what came of it.

The identification of the latent functions of social institutions allows not only to create an objective picture of social life, but also makes it possible to minimize their negative and enhance their positive impact in order to control and manage the processes taking place in it.

Social institutions in public life perform following features or tasks:

The totality of these social functions is formed into general social functions social institutions as certain types of social system. These features are very versatile. Sociologists of different directions tried to somehow classify them, to present them in the form of a certain ordered system. The most complete and interesting classification was presented by the so-called. "institutional school". Representatives of the institutional school in sociology (S. Lipset, D. Landberg and others) identified four main functions of social institutions:

Reproduction of members of society. The main institution that performs this function is the family, but other social institutions, such as the state, are also involved in it.
Socialization is the transfer to individuals of patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given society - the institutions of the family, education, religion, etc.
Production and distribution. Provided by the economic and social institutions of management and control - the authorities.
The functions of management and control are carried out through a system of social norms and regulations that implement the corresponding types of behavior: moral and legal norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. Social institutions control the individual's behavior through a system of sanctions.

In addition to solving its specific tasks, each social institution performs universal functions inherent in all of them. The functions common to all social institutions include the following:

The function of fixing and reproducing social relations. Each institution has a set of norms and rules of conduct, fixed, standardizing the behavior of its members and making this behavior predictable. 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 structure of society. The Code of the Institute of the Family assumes that members of society are divided into stable small groups - families. Social control provides a state of stability for each family, limits the possibility of its collapse.
Regulatory function. It ensures the regulation of relationships between members of society by developing patterns and patterns of behavior. All human life takes place with the participation of various social institutions, but each social institution regulates activities. Consequently, a person, with the help of social institutions, demonstrates predictability and standard behavior, fulfills role requirements and expectations.
Integrative function. This function ensures cohesion, interdependence and mutual responsibility of the members. This happens under the influence of institutionalized norms, values, rules, a system of roles and sanctions. It streamlines the system of interactions, which leads to an increase in the stability and integrity of the elements of the social structure.
Broadcasting function. Society cannot develop without the transfer of social experience. Each institution for its normal functioning needs the arrival of new people who have learned its rules. This happens by changing the social boundaries of the institution and changing generations. Consequently, each institution provides a mechanism for socialization to its values, norms, roles.
Communication functions. The information produced by the institution should be disseminated both within the institution (for the purpose of managing and monitoring compliance with social norms) and in interaction between institutions. This function has its own specifics - formal connections. At the Institute of Funds mass media is the main function. Scientific institutions actively perceive information. The communicative capabilities of institutions are not the same: some have them to a greater extent, others to a lesser extent.

Functional qualities

Social institutions differ from each other in their functional qualities:

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.
Sociocultural and educational institutions aim at the development and subsequent reproduction of cultural and social values, the inclusion of individuals in a particular subculture, as well as the socialization of individuals through the assimilation of sustainable sociocultural standards of behavior and, finally, the protection of certain values and norms.
Normative-orienting - mechanisms of moral and ethical orientation and regulation of the behavior of individuals. Their goal is to give behavior and motivation a moral argument, an ethical basis. These institutions assert imperative universal human values, special codes and ethics of behavior in the community.
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.
Ceremonial-symbolic and situational-conventional institutions. These institutions are based on the more or less long-term adoption of conventional (by agreement) norms, their official and unofficial consolidation. These norms regulate everyday contacts, various acts of group and intergroup behavior. They determine the order and method of mutual behavior, regulate the methods of transmission and exchange of information, greetings, addresses, etc., the rules of meetings, sessions, and the activities of associations.

Dysfunction of a social institution

Violation of normative interaction with the social environment, which is a society or community, is called a dysfunction of a social institution. As noted earlier, the basis for the formation and functioning of a particular social institution is the satisfaction of a particular social need. Under the conditions of intensive social processes, the acceleration of the pace of social change, a situation may arise when the changed social needs are not adequately reflected in the structure and functions of the relevant social institutions. As a result, dysfunction may occur in their activities. From a substantive point of view, dysfunction is expressed in the ambiguity of the goals of the institution, the uncertainty of functions, in the fall of its social prestige and authority, the degeneration of its individual functions into “symbolic”, ritual activity, that is, activity not aimed at achieving a rational goal.

One of the clear expressions of the dysfunction of a social institution is the personalization of its activities. A social institution, as you know, functions according to its own, objectively operating mechanisms, where each person, on the basis of norms and patterns of behavior, in accordance with his status, plays certain roles. The personalization of a social institution means that it ceases to act in accordance with objective needs and objectively set goals, changing its functions depending on interests. individuals, their personal qualities and properties.

An unsatisfied social need can bring to life the spontaneous emergence of normatively unregulated activities that seek to make up for the dysfunction of the institution, but at the expense of existing norms and rules. In its extreme forms, activity of this kind can be expressed in illegal activities. Thus, the dysfunction of some economic institutions is the reason for the existence of the so-called "shadow economy", resulting in speculation, bribery, theft, etc. The correction of dysfunction can be achieved by changing the social institution itself or by creating a new social institution that satisfies this social need.

Formal and informal social institutions

Social institutions, as well as the social relations they reproduce and regulate, can be formal and informal.

Classification of social institutions

In addition to the division into formal and informal social institutions, modern researchers distinguish conventions (or “strategies”), norms and rules. The convention is a generally accepted prescription: for example, “in the event of a telephone break, the one who called back calls back.” Conventions Support Reproduction social behavior. A norm implies a prohibition, requirement or permission. The rule provides for sanctions for violations, therefore, the presence in society of monitoring and control over behavior. The development of institutions is connected with the transition of a rule into a convention, i.e. with the expansion of the use of the institution and the gradual rejection in society of coercion to its execution.

Role in the development of society

According to American researchers Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (English) Russian it is the nature of the public institutions that exist in a particular country that determines the success or failure of the development of this country, their book Why Nations Fail, published in 2012, is devoted to proving this statement.

After examining the examples of many countries of the world, scientists came to the conclusion that the defining and necessary condition for the development of any country is the presence of public institutions, which they called public (Eng. Inclusive institutions). Examples of such countries are all developed democratic countries of the world. Conversely, countries where public institutions are closed are doomed to fall behind and decline. Public institutions in such countries, according to researchers, serve only to enrich the elites that control access to these institutions - this is the so-called. "extractive institutions" (eng. extractive institutions). According to the authors, economic development society is impossible without a leading political development, that is, without becoming public political institutions. .