If you order several products on Aliexpress in one order, the seller...
A social institution in a sociological interpretation is considered as historically established, stable forms of organizing the joint activities of people; in a narrower sense, it is an organized system of social connections and norms designed to satisfy the basic needs of society, social groups and personality.
Social institutions(insitutum - institution) - value-normative complexes(values, rules, norms, attitudes, patterns, standards of behavior in certain situations), as well as bodies and organizations, ensuring their implementation and approval in the life of society.
All elements of society are interconnected public relations- connections that arise between and within social groups in the process of material (economic) and spiritual (political, legal, cultural).
In the process, some connections may die, others may appear. Connections that have proven their benefits to society are streamlined, become generally significant patterns and are subsequently repeated from generation to generation. The more stable these connections that are useful for society are, the more stable the society itself is.
Social institutions (from the Latin institutum - device) are called elements of society that represent stable forms of organization and regulation of social life. Such institutions of society as the state, education, family, etc., organize social relations, regulate the activities of people and their behavior in society.
Main target social institutions - achieving stability during the development of society. In accordance with this purpose, there are functions institutes:
- meeting the needs of society;
- regulation of social processes (during which these needs are usually satisfied).
Needs, which are satisfied by social institutions, are diverse. For example, society’s need for security can be supported by the defense institution, spiritual needs by the church, and the need to understand the world around us by science. Each institution can satisfy several needs (the church is able to satisfy religious, moral, cultural needs), and the same need can be satisfied by different institutions (spiritual needs can be satisfied by art, science, religion, etc.).
The process of satisfying needs (say, the consumption of goods) can be institutionally regulated. For example, there are legal restrictions for the purchase of a number of goods (weapons, alcohol, tobacco). The process of meeting society's needs for education is regulated by institutions of primary, secondary, and higher education.
The structure of a social institution form:
- and designed to satisfy the needs of groups and individuals;
- a set of social values and patterns of behavior that ensure satisfaction of needs;
- a system of symbols regulating relations in the economic sphere of activity (trademark, flag, brand, etc.);
- ideological justifications for the activities of a social institution;
- social resources used in the activities of the institute.
TO signs of a social institution relate:
- a set of institutions, social groups whose purpose is to satisfy certain needs of society;
- a system of cultural patterns, norms, values, symbols;
- a system of behavior in accordance with these norms and patterns;
- material and human resources necessary to solve problems;
- socially recognized mission, goal, ideology.
Let us consider the characteristics of an institute using the example of secondary vocational education. It includes:
- teachers, officials, administration of educational institutions, etc.;
- standards of student behavior, society's attitude towards the system of professional education;
- the established practice of relations between teachers and students;
- buildings, classrooms, teaching aids;
- mission is to meet society's needs for good specialists with secondary vocational education.
In accordance with the spheres of public life, four main groups of institutions can be distinguished:
- economic institutions - division of labor, stock exchange, etc.;
- political institutions- state, army, militia, police, parliamentarism, presidency, monarchy, court, parties, civil society;
- institutions of stratification and kinship - class, estate, caste, gender discrimination, racial segregation, nobility, social security, family, marriage, paternity, maternity, adoption, twinning;
- cultural institutions- school, higher school, secondary vocational education, theaters, museums, clubs, libraries, church, monasticism, confession.
The number of social institutions is not limited to the given list. Institutions are numerous and varied in their forms and manifestations. Large institutions may include lower level institutions. For example, the institute of education includes institutes of primary, vocational and higher education; court - institutions of the legal profession, prosecutor's office, judging; family - institutions of motherhood, adoption, etc.
Since society is a dynamic system, some institutions may disappear (for example, the institution of slavery), while others may appear (the institution of advertising or the institution of civil society). The formation of a social institution is called the process of institutionalization.
Institutionalization- the process of streamlining social relations, forming stable patterns of social interaction based on clear rules, laws, patterns and rituals. For example, the process of institutionalization of science is the transformation of science from the activity of individuals into an ordered system of relations, including a system of titles, academic degrees, research institutes, academies, etc.
Basic social institutions
TO main social institutions traditionally include family, state, education, church, science, law. Below is given a brief description of of these institutions and their main functions are presented.
- the most important social institution of kinship, connecting individuals through a commonality of life and mutual moral responsibility. The family performs a number of functions: economic (housekeeping), reproductive (having children), educational (transferring values, norms, models), etc.
- the main political institution that manages society and ensures its security. The state performs internal functions, including economic (regulating the economy), stabilization (maintaining stability in society), coordination (ensuring public harmony), ensuring the protection of the population (protecting rights, legality, social security) and many others. There are also external functions: defense (in case of war) and international cooperation (to protect the interests of the country in the international arena).
- a social cultural institution that ensures the reproduction and development of society through the organized transfer of social experience in the form of knowledge, skills, and abilities. The main functions of education include adaptation (preparation for life and work in society), professional (training of specialists), civic (training of citizens), general cultural (introduction to cultural values), humanistic (discovery of personal potential), etc.
Church - a religious institution formed on the basis of a single religion. Church members share common norms, dogmas, rules of behavior and are divided into clergy and laity. The Church performs the following functions: ideological (determines views on the world), compensatory (offers consolation and reconciliation), integrating (unites believers), general cultural (introduces cultural values), etc.
- a special sociocultural institution for the production of objective knowledge. The functions of science include cognitive (promotes knowledge of the world), explanatory (interprets knowledge), ideological (determines views on the world), prognostic (makes forecasts), social (changes society) and productive (determines the production process).
- a social institution, a system of generally binding norms and relations protected by the state. The state, with the help of law, regulates the behavior of people and social groups, establishing certain relationships as mandatory. The main functions of law: regulatory (regulates social relations) and protective (protects those relations that are useful for society as a whole).
All the elements of social institutions discussed above are illuminated from the point of view of social institutions, but other approaches to them are also possible. For example, science can be considered not only as a social institution, but also as a special form of cognitive activity or as a system of knowledge; family is not only an institution, but also a small social group.
Types of social institutions
Activity social institution is determined:
- firstly, a set of specific norms and regulations governing relevant types of behavior;
- secondly, the integration of a social institution into the socio-political, ideological and value structures of society;
- thirdly, the availability of material resources and conditions that ensure the successful implementation of regulatory requirements and implementation.
The most important social institutions are:
- state and family;
- economics and politics;
- Media and ;
- law and education.
Social institutions contribute to the consolidation and reproduction those or other especially important for society social relations, and system stability in all main spheres of its life - economic, political, spiritual and social.
Types of social institutions depending on their field of activity:
- relational;
- regulatory.
Relational institutions (for example, insurance, labor, production) determine the role structure of society based on a certain set of characteristics. The objects of these social institutions are role groups (policyholders and insurers, producers and employees, etc.).
Regulatory institutions determine the boundaries of individual independence (separate independent actions) to achieve their own goals. This group includes institutions of the state, government, social protection, business, healthcare.
In the process of development, the social institution of the economy changes its form and can belong to the group of either endogenous or exogenous institutions.
Endogenous(or internal) social institutions characterize the state of obsolescence of an institution, requiring its reorganization or in-depth specialization of activities, for example, institutions of credit, money, which become obsolete over time and require the introduction of new forms of development.
Exogenous institutions reflect the effect on a social institution of external factors, elements of culture or the personality of the head (leader) of an organization, for example, changes occurring in the social institution of taxes under the influence of the level of tax culture of taxpayers, the level of business and professional culture of the leaders of this social institution.
Functions of social institutions
The purpose of social institutions is to to satisfy the most important needs and interests of society.
Economic needs in society are simultaneously satisfied by several social institutions, and each institution, through its activities, satisfies a variety of needs, among which stand out: vital(physiological, material) and social(personal needs for work, self-realization, creative activity and social justice). A special place among social needs is occupied by the individual’s need for achievement - the achievement need. It is based on McLelland's concept, according to which each individual exhibits a desire to express and manifest himself in specific social conditions.
In the course of their activities, social institutions perform both general and individual functions, corresponding to the specifics of the institute.
General features:
- Function of consolidation and reproduction public relations. Any institution consolidates and standardizes the behavior of members of society through its rules and norms of behavior.
- Regulatory function ensures the regulation of relationships between members of society by developing patterns of behavior and regulating their actions.
- Integrative function includes the process of interdependence and mutual responsibility of members of social groups.
- Broadcasting function(socialization). Its content is the transfer of social experience, familiarization with the values, norms, and roles of a given society.
Selected functions:
- The social institution of marriage and family implements the function of reproduction of members of society together with the relevant departments of the state and private enterprises ( antenatal clinics, maternity hospitals, a network of children's medical institutions, family support and strengthening bodies, etc.).
- The Social Institute of Health is responsible for maintaining the health of the population (clinics, hospitals and others medical institutions, as well as state bodies organizing the process of maintaining and promoting health).
- A social institution for the production of means of subsistence, performing the most important creative function.
- Political institutions that are in charge of organizing political life.
- A social institution of law that performs the function of developing legal documents and is in charge of compliance with laws and legal norms.
- A social institution of education and norms with the corresponding function of education, socialization of members of society, familiarization with its values, norms, laws.
- A social institute of religion that helps people solve spiritual problems.
Social institutions realize all their positive qualities only if their legitimacy, i.e. recognition of the expediency of their actions by the majority of the population. Sharp shifts in class consciousness and a revaluation of fundamental values can seriously undermine the population's trust in existing governing and governing bodies and disrupt the mechanism of regulatory influence on people.
In this case, instability in society, the threat of chaos, entropy, the consequences of which can become catastrophic, sharply increases. Thus, it intensified in the second half of the 80s. XX century in the USSR, the erosion of socialist ideals and the reorientation of mass consciousness towards the ideology of individualism seriously undermined the trust of the Soviet people in the old social institutions. The latter were unable to fulfill their stabilizing role and collapsed.
The inability of the leadership of Soviet society to bring the main structures into line with the updated system of values predetermined the collapse of the USSR and subsequent instability Russian society, i.e., the stability of society is ensured only by those structures that enjoy the trust and support of its members.
In the course of development, the main social institutions may new ones separate institutional formations. Thus, at a certain stage, the institution of higher education is separated from the social institution of education. The Constitutional Court was created from the public legal system as an independent institution. Such differentiation is one of the most important signs of the development of society.
Social institutions can be called central components of the structure of society, integrating and coordinating many individual actions of people. The system of social institutions and relations between them is the framework that serves as the basis for the formation of society, with all the ensuing consequences. What are the foundation, the structure, the supporting components of society, such are its strength, fundamentality, solidity, stability.
The process of streamlining, formalizing, standardizing social relations within the old structure and creating new social institutions is called institutionalization. The higher its level, the better the quality of life in society.
Economy as a social institution
IN group fundamental economic social institutions include: property, market, money, exchange, banks, finance, various types of economic associations, which together form a complex system of production relations, connecting economic life with other spheres of social life.
Thanks to the development of social institutions, the entire system of economic relations and society as a whole functions, the individual is socialized in the social and labor sphere, and norms of economic behavior and moral values are transmitted.
Let us highlight four characteristics common to all social institutions in the sphere of economics and finance:
- interaction between participants in social connections and relationships;
- availability of trained professional personnel to ensure the activities of the institutes;
- determination of the rights, responsibilities and functions of each participant in social interaction in economic life;
- regulation and control of the effectiveness of the interaction process in the economy.
The development of the economy as a social institution is subject not only to economic laws, but also to sociological ones. The functioning of this institution and its integrity as a system are ensured by various social institutions and social organizations that monitor the work of social institutions in the field of economics and finance and control the behavior of their members.
The basic institutions with which the economy interacts are politics, education, family, law, etc.
Activities and functions of the economy as a social institution
The main functions of the economy as a social institution are:
- coordination of social interests of business entities, producers and consumers;
- meeting the needs of the individual, social groups, strata and organizations;
- strengthening social ties within the economic system, as well as with external social organizations and institutions;
- maintaining order and preventing uncontrolled competition between business entities in the process of meeting needs.
The main goal of a social institution is achieving stability and maintaining it.
The stability of the economy as a social institution is determined primarily by such objective factors as territorial and climatic conditions, the availability of human resources, the level of development of material production, the state of the real sector of the economy, the social structure of society, legal conditions and the legislative framework for the functioning of the economy.
Economics and politics are most often considered social institutions that have the greatest impact on the development of society and its stability as a social system.
As a social institution, it creates a material basis for the development of social relations, because an unstable and poor society is not able to maintain normal reproduction of the population, the intellectual and educational basis for the development of the system. All social institutions are connected with the institution of economics, are dependent on it, and their condition largely determines the prospects for the development of Russian society, being powerful stimulators of its economic progress and the development of the political system.
As a social institution, it creates laws and implements power functions, which makes it possible to finance the development of priority spheres of society as industries. As the social Russian practice, in the context of the transition to market relations, the influence of such social institutions as culture and education, directly involved in the creation and spiritual capital of the state, increases sharply.
"Basic institutions of society"
social studies 11th grade.
In social science, the basic institutions of society are understood as the unification of people into groups in order to solve their basic problems in the need for vital human needs.
All these subsystems of society can be divided into the following categories:
a) family and marriage institutions; b) economic; c) state; d) spiritual.
Family and marriage institutions include the institution of marriage, family hearth and care for the new generation. Satisfy the needs for the development of man as an individual and the reproduction of the human species. Functions: care, nursing and formation of children. Main social roles: father, mother, child. Physical features: home, hearth. Symbolic features: rings, upbringing, marriage contract.
Economic institutions include the institution of wealth creation, purchase and sale, property, and the banking system. Meet production needs material goods and obtaining a livelihood. Functions are to satisfy the need for food, water, warmth, and shelter. Main social roles: producer, inventor, worker, buyer. Physical features: factory, office building, market. Symbolic features: money, buying and selling, brand name, competition.
Political institutions consist of the institution of the state, civil society and the institution of power. Satisfy the needs for public order and national security. Functions are expressed in maintaining the integrity and indivisibility of society. Main social roles: government representative, subject of legal relations. Physical features: government institutions and preventive measures. Symbolic features: law, by-law, standard.
Spiritual ones include, respectively, the church, education, science, and art. Satisfy the need for knowledge, the formation of the meaning of life, and the transfer of experience. Functions: solving spiritual problems, getting pleasure, learning about the world, socializing individuals, introducing basic values and practices, obtaining new knowledge about the world. Main roles: clergy, believer, teacher, student, master, scientist. Physical features: religious institution, school, university, textbook. Symbolic features: icon, religious ritual, dissertation, record book.
Seminar No. 8.
Social institutions and social organizations.
Main questions:
1. The concept of a social institution and the main sociological approaches to it.
2. Signs of social institutions ( general characteristics). Types of social institutions.
3. Functions and dysfunctions of social institutions.
4. The concept of social organization and its main features.
5. Types and functions social organizations.
Basic Concepts: social institution, social needs, basic social institution, dynamics of social institutions, life cycle of a social institution, systematicity of social institutions, latent functions of social institutions, social organizations, social hierarchy, bureaucracy, civil society.
1) Social institution or public institution- a historically established or created by purposeful efforts form of organization of joint life activities of people, the existence of which is dictated by the need to satisfy the social, economic, political, cultural or other needs of society as a whole or part of it.
2) Social needs- Needs associated with certain aspects of social behavior - for example, the need for friendship, the need for the approval of others, or the desire for power.
Basic social institutions
TO main social institutions traditionally include family, state, education, church, science, law. Below is a brief description of these institutions and their main functions.
Family - the most important social institution of kinship, connecting individuals through a commonality of life and mutual moral responsibility. The family performs a number of functions: economic (housekeeping), reproductive (having children), educational (transferring values, norms, models), etc.
State- the main political institution that manages society and ensures its security. The state performs internal functions, including economic (regulating the economy), stabilization (maintaining stability in society), coordination (ensuring public harmony), ensuring the protection of the population (protecting rights, legality, social security) and many others. There are also external functions: defense (in case of war) and international cooperation (to protect the interests of the country in the international arena).
Education- a social cultural institution that ensures the reproduction and development of society through the organized transfer of social experience in the form of knowledge, skills and abilities. The main functions of education include adaptation (preparation for life and work in society), professional (training of specialists), civic (training of citizens), general cultural (introduction to cultural values), humanistic (discovery of personal potential), etc.
Church - a religious institution formed on the basis of a single religion. Church members share common norms, dogmas, rules of behavior and are divided into clergy and laity. The Church performs the following functions: ideological (determines views on the world), compensatory (offers consolation and reconciliation), integrating (unites believers), general cultural (introduces cultural values), etc.
The science- a special sociocultural institution for the production of objective knowledge. The functions of science include cognitive (promotes knowledge of the world), explanatory (interprets knowledge), ideological (determines views on the world), prognostic (makes forecasts), social (changes society) and productive (determines the production process).
Right- a social institution, a system of generally binding norms and relations protected by the state. The state, with the help of law, regulates the behavior of people and social groups, establishing certain relationships as mandatory. The main functions of law: regulatory (regulates social relations) and protective (protects those relations that are useful for society as a whole).
All the elements of social institutions discussed above are illuminated from the point of view of social institutions, but other approaches to them are also possible. For example, science can be considered not only as a social institution, but also as a special form of cognitive activity or as a system of knowledge; family is not only an institution, but also a small social group.
4) Under dynamics of social institutions understand three interrelated processes:
- Life cycle institution from the moment of its appearance to its disappearance;
- The functioning of a mature institution, i.e. the performance of overt and latent functions, the emergence and continuation of dysfunctions;
- The evolution of an institution is a change in appearance, form and content in historical time, the emergence of new functions and the withering away of old functions.
5) Life cycle of the institute includes four relatively independent stages, which have their own qualitative characteristics:
Phase 1 - the emergence and formation of a social institution;
Phase 2 - the efficiency phase, during this period the institute reaches the peak of maturity, full bloom;
Phase 3 - the period of formalization of norms and principles, marked by bureaucracy, when the rules become an end in themselves;
Phase 4 - disorganization, disadaptation, when the institution loses its dynamism, former flexibility and vitality. The institute is liquidated or transformed into a new one.
6) Latent (hidden) functions of a social institution- the positive consequences of performing explicit functions that arise in the life of a social institution are not determined by the purpose of this institution. (So, the latent function of the family institution is social status, or the transfer of a certain social status from one generation to another within the family ).
7) Social organization of society (from late lat. organizio - form, give a slender appearance< lat. organum - tool, tool) - a normative social order established in society, as well as activities aimed at maintaining it or leading to it.
8) Social hierarchy- hierarchical structure of relations of power, income, prestige, and so on.
Social hierarchy reflects inequality of social status.
9) Bureaucracy- this is the social stratum of professional managers included in organizational structure, characterized by a clear hierarchy, “vertical” information flows, formalized methods of decision-making, and a claim to a special status in society.
Bureaucracy is also understood as a closed layer of senior officials, opposing themselves to society, occupying a privileged position in it, specializing in management, monopolizing power functions in society in order to realize their corporate interests
10) Civil society- this is a set of social relations, formal and informal structures that provide the conditions for human political activity, the satisfaction and implementation of various needs and interests of the individual and social groups and associations. A developed civil society is the most important prerequisite for building a rule of law state and its equal partner.
Question No. 1,2.The concept of a social institution and the main sociological approaches to it.
Signs of social institutions (general characteristics). Types of social institutions.
The foundation on which the entire society is built are social institutions. The term comes from the Latin “institutum” - “charter”.
This concept was first introduced into scientific circulation by the American sociologist T. Veblein in his book “The Theory of the Leisure Class” in 1899.
Social institution in in a broad sense words are a system of values, norms and connections that organize people to satisfy their needs.
Externally, a social institution looks like a collection of persons and institutions, equipped with certain material means and performing a specific social function.
Social institutions have historical origins and are in constant change and development. Their formation is called institutionalization.
Institutionalization is the process of defining and consolidating social norms, connections, statuses and roles, bringing them into a system that is capable of acting in the direction of satisfying some social need. This process consists of several stages:
1) the emergence of needs that can only be satisfied as a result of joint activities;
2) the emergence of norms and rules governing interaction to meet emerging needs;
3) adoption and implementation in practice of the emerging norms and rules;
4) creation of a system of statuses and roles covering all members of the institute.
Institutes have their own distinctive features:
1) cultural symbols (flag, coat of arms, anthem);
3) ideology, philosophy (mission).
Social institutions in society perform a significant set of functions:
1) reproductive – consolidation and reproduction of social relations, ensuring order and framework of activity;
2) regulatory – regulation of relationships between members of society by developing patterns of behavior;
3) socialization – transfer of social experience;
4) integrative - cohesion, interconnection and mutual responsibility of group members under the influence of institutional norms, rules, sanctions and a system of roles;
5) communicative – dissemination of information within the institute and to the external environment, maintaining relationships with other institutions;
6) automation – the desire for independence.
The functions performed by an institution can be explicit or latent.
The existence of latent functions of an institution allows us to talk about its ability to bring society great benefit than originally stated. Social institutions perform functions in society social management and social control.
Social institutions guide the behavior of community members through a system of sanctions and rewards.
The formation of a system of sanctions is the main condition for institutionalization. Sanctions provide for punishment for inaccurate, careless and incorrect performance of official duties.
Positive sanctions (gratitude, financial incentive, creation of favorable conditions) are aimed at encouraging and stimulating correct and proactive behavior.
The social institution thus determines the orientation of social activity and social relations through a mutually agreed upon system of purposefully oriented standards of behavior. Their emergence and grouping into a system depend on the content of the tasks being 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 encouragement of desired behavior and the suppression of deviant behavior.
Social institutions always perform socially significant functions and ensure the achievement of relatively stable social connections and relationships within the framework of the social organization of society.
Social needs unsatisfied by the institution give rise to new forces and normatively unregulated activities. In practice, the following ways out of this situation can be implemented:
1) reorientation of old social institutions;
2) creation of new social institutions;
3) reorientation of public consciousness.
In sociology, there is a generally accepted system of classifying social institutions into five types, which is based on the needs realized through institutions:
1) family – reproduction of the clan and socialization of the individual;
2) political institutions - the need for security and public order, with their help political power is established and maintained;
3) economic institutions - production and livelihood, they ensure the process of production and distribution of goods and services;
4) institutions of education and science – the need for obtaining and transferring knowledge and socialization;
5) the institution of religion - solving spiritual problems, searching for the meaning of life.
The concept of “institution” (from Latin institutum - establishment, establishment) was borrowed by sociology from jurisprudence, where it was used to characterize a separate set of legal norms regulating social and legal relations in a certain subject area. Such institutions in legal science were considered, for example, inheritance, marriage, property, etc. In sociology, the concept of “institution” retained this semantic connotation, but acquired a broader interpretation in terms of designating some special type of stable regulation of social connections and various organizational forms of social regulating the behavior of subjects.
The institutional aspect of the functioning of society is a traditional area of interest for sociological science. He was in the field of view of thinkers whose names are associated with its formation (O. Comte, G. Spencer, E. Durkheim, M. Weber, etc.).
O. Comte's institutional approach to the study of social phenomena stemmed from the philosophy of the positive method, when one of the objects of the sociologist's analysis was the mechanism for ensuring solidarity and consent in society. “For new philosophy, order is always a condition for progress and vice versa, progress is a necessary goal of order” (Kont O. Course of positive philosophy. St. Petersburg, 1899. P. 44). O. Comte considered the main social institutions (family, state, religion) from the standpoint of their inclusion in the processes of social integration and the functions they perform. Contrasting the functional characteristics and nature of connections between a family association and a political organization, he acted as a theoretical predecessor to the concepts of dichotomization social structure F. Tönnies and E. Durkheim (“mechanical” and “organic” types of solidarity). O. Comte's social statics was based on the position that institutions, beliefs and moral values of society are functionally interconnected, and the explanation of any social phenomenon in this integrity implies finding and describing the patterns of its interaction with other phenomena. O. Comte's method, his appeal to the analysis of the most important social institutions, their functions, and the structure of society had a significant impact on further development sociological thought.
The institutional approach to the study of social phenomena was continued in the works of G. Spencer. Strictly speaking, it was he who first used the concept of “social institution” in sociological science. G. Spencer considered the determining factors in the development of social institutions to be the struggle for existence with neighboring societies (war) and with the natural environment. The task of survival of a social organism in its conditions. evolution and complication of structures give rise, according to Spencer, to the need to form a special kind of regulatory institution: “In a state, as in a living body, a regulatory system inevitably arises... With the formation of a stronger community, higher centers of regulation and subordinate centers appear” (Spencer N. First principles. N.Y., 1898. P. 46).
Accordingly, the social organism consists of three main systems: regulatory, producing means of life and distributive. G. Spencer distinguished between such types of social institutions as kinship institutions (marriage, family), economic (distribution), regulatory (religion, political organizations). At the same time, much of his discussion of institutions is expressed in functional terms: “To understand how an organization arose and develops, one must understand the necessity that manifests itself in the beginning and in the future.” (Spencer N. The principles of ethics. N.Y., 1904. Vol. 1. P. 3). So, every social institution develops as a stable structure of social actions that performs certain functions.
The consideration of social institutions in a functional key was continued by E. Durkheim, who adhered to the idea of the positivity of social institutions, which act as the most important means of human self-realization (see: Durkheim E. Les forms elementaires de la vie religieuse. Le systeme totemique en Australie. P., 1960) .
E. Durkheim spoke in favor of the creation of special institutions for maintaining solidarity in conditions of division of labor - professional corporations. He argued that corporations, unjustifiably considered anachronistic, were actually useful and modern. E. Durkheim calls corporations institutions such as professional organizations, including employers and workers, standing close enough to each other to be for each a school of discipline and a beginning with prestige and power (see: Durkheim E. O division of social labor. Odessa, 1900).
K. Marx paid noticeable attention to the consideration of a number of social institutions, who analyzed the institution of primogeniture, division of labor, institutions of the tribal system, private property, etc. He understood institutions as historically established forms of organization and regulation of social activity, conditioned by social, primarily production, relations.
M. Weber believed that social institutions (state, religion, law, etc.) should “be studied by sociology in the form in which they become significant for individuals, in which the latter actually focus on them in their actions” (History sociology in Western Europe and the USA. M., 1993. P. 180). Thus, discussing the question of the rationality of the society of industrial capitalism, he considered it (rationality) at the institutional level as a product of the separation of the individual from the means of production. The organic institutional element of such a social system is the capitalist enterprise, considered by M. Weber as a guarantor of the individual’s economic opportunities and thereby turning into structural component rationally organized society. A classic example is M. Weber’s analysis of the institution of bureaucracy as a type of legal domination, determined primarily by purposive and rational considerations. The bureaucratic management mechanism appears as a modern type of administration, acting as a social equivalent of industrial forms of labor and “relates to previous forms of administration as machine production relates to tire houses.” (Weber M. Essays on sociology. N.Y., 1964. p. 214).
Representative of psychological evolutionism, American sociologist of the early 20th century. L. Ward viewed social institutions as a product of psychic forces rather than any other forces. “Social forces,” he wrote, “are the same psychic forces operating in the collective condition of man” (Ward L.F. The physical factors of civilization. Boston, 1893. P. 123).
In the school of structural-functional analysis, the concept of “social institution” plays one of the leading roles; T. Parsons builds a conceptual model of society, understanding it as a system of social relations and social institutions. Moreover, the latter are interpreted as specially organized “nodes”, “bundles” of social relations. In the general theory of action, social institutions act both as special value-normative complexes that regulate the behavior of individuals, and as stable configurations that form the status-role structure of society. The institutional structure of society is given the most important role, since it is it that is designed to ensure social order in society, its stability and integration (see: Parsons T. Essays on sociological theory. N.Y., 1964. P. 231-232). It should be emphasized that the normative-role concept of social institutions, which exists in structural-functional analysis, is the most widespread not only in Western, but also in domestic sociological literature.
In institutionalism (institutional sociology), the social behavior of people is studied in close connection with existing system social normative acts and institutions, the need for the emergence of which is equated to a natural historical pattern. Representatives of this direction include S. Lipset, J. Landberg, P. Blau, C. Mills and others. Social institutions, from the point of view of institutional sociology, involve “a consciously regulated and organized form of activity of the mass of people, the reproduction of repeating and most stable patterns behavior, habits, traditions passed on from generation to generation. “Each social institution that is part of a certain social structure is organized to fulfill certain socially significant goals and functions (see; Osipov G.V., Kravchenko A.I. Institutional sociology//Modern Western sociology. Dictionary. M., 1990. P. 118).
Structural-functionalist and institutionalist interpretations of the concept of “social institution” do not exhaust the approaches to its definition presented in modern sociology. There are also concepts based on methodological foundations of a phenomenological or behaviorist plan. For example, W. Hamilton writes: “Institutions are a verbal symbol for better description groups of social customs. They mean a permanent way of thinking or acting that has become a habit for a group or a custom for a people. The world of customs and habits to which we adapt our lives is a plexus and continuous fabric of social institutions.” (Hamilton W. lnstitution//Encyclopedia of social sciences. Vol. VIII. P. 84).
The psychological tradition in line with behaviorism was continued by J. Homans. He gives the following definition of social institutions: “Social institutions are relatively stable models of social behavior, towards the maintenance of which the actions of many people are aimed” (Homans G.S. The sociological relevance of behaviorism//Behavioral sociology. Ed. R. Burgess, D. Bus-hell. N.Y., 1969. P. 6). Essentially, J. Homans builds his sociological interpretation of the concept of “institution” based on a psychological foundation.
Thus, in sociological theory there is a significant array of interpretations and definitions of the concept of “social institution”. They differ in their understanding of both the nature and functions of institutions. From the author’s point of view, searching for an answer to the question of which definition is correct and which is false is methodologically unpromising. Sociology is a multi-paradigm science. Within the framework of each paradigm, it is possible to build its own consistent conceptual apparatus, subject to internal logic. And it is up to the researcher working within the framework of the middle-level theory to decide on the choice of paradigm within which he intends to seek answers to the questions posed. The author adheres to approaches and logic that lie in line with systemic-structural constructions, this also determines the concept of a social institution that he takes as a basis,
An analysis of foreign and domestic scientific literature shows that within the framework of the chosen paradigm in understanding a social institution, there is a wide range of versions and approaches. Thus, a large number of authors consider it possible to give the concept of “social institution” an unambiguous definition based on one keyword(expression). L. Sedov, for example, defines a social institution as “a stable complex of formal and informal rules, principles, guidelines, regulating various areas human activity and organizing them into a system of roles and statuses that form a social system” (quoted from: Modern Western Sociology. P. 117). N. Korzhevskaya writes: “A social institution is community of people fulfilling certain roles based on their objective position (status) and organized through social norms and goals (Korzhevskaya N. Social institution as a social phenomenon (sociological aspect). Sverdlovsk, 1983. P. 11). J. Szczepanski gives the following integral definition: “Social institutions are institutional systems*, in which certain individuals, elected by group members, are empowered to perform public and impersonal functions to satisfy essential individual and social needs and to regulate the behavior of other group members." (Schepansky Ya. Elementary concepts of sociology. M., 1969. P. 96-97).
There are other attempts to give an unambiguous definition, based, for example, on norms and values, roles and statuses, customs and traditions, etc. From our point of view, approaches of this kind are not fruitful, since they narrow the understanding of such a complex phenomenon as social institution, fixing attention only on one side, which seems to one or another author to be its most important.
By social institution, these scientists understand a complex that covers, on the one hand, a set of normative and value-based roles and statuses designed to satisfy certain social needs, and on the other, a social entity created to use the resources of society in the form of interaction to satisfy this need ( cm.: Smelser N. Sociology. M., 1994. S. 79-81; Komarov M. S. On the concept of a social institution // Introduction to sociology. M., 1994. P. 194).
Social institutions are specific formations that ensure the relative stability of connections and relationships within the framework of the social organization of society, some historically determined forms of organization and regulation of social life. Institutions arise in the course of the development of human society, differentiation of activities, division of labor, and the formation of specific types of social relations. Their emergence is due to the objective needs of society in regulating socially significant areas of activity and social relations. In an emerging institution, a certain type of social relations is essentially objectified.
The general characteristics of a social institution include:
Identification of a certain circle of subjects who enter into relationships in the process of activity that become sustainable;
A specific (more or less formalized) organization:
The presence of specific social norms and regulations governing the behavior of people within a social institution;
The presence of socially significant functions of the institution that integrate it into the social system and ensure its participation in the process of integration of the latter.
These signs are not normatively fixed. They rather stem from a generalization of analytical materials about various institutions modern society. In some of them (formal - army, court, etc.) the signs can be recorded clearly and in full, in others (informal or just emerging) - less clearly. But in general, they are a convenient tool for analyzing the processes of institutionalization of social entities.
The sociological approach pays special attention to the social functions of the institution and its normative structure. M. Komarov writes that the implementation of socially significant functions by an institution “is ensured by the presence within the framework of a social institution of an integral system of standardized patterns of behavior, i.e., a value-normative structure” (Komarov M.S. O concept of a social institution//Introduction to Sociology. P. 195).
The most important functions that social institutions perform in society include:
Regulation of the activities of members of society within the framework of social relations;
Creating opportunities to meet the needs of community members;
Ensuring social integration, sustainability of public life; - socialization of individuals.
The structure of social institutions most often includes a certain set of constituent elements, appearing in a more or less formalized form depending on the type of institution. J. Szczepanski identifies the following structural elements of a social institution: - the purpose and scope of activity of the institute; - functions provided to achieve the goal; - normatively determined social roles and statuses presented in the structure of the institute;
Means and institutions for achieving goals and implementing functions (material, symbolic and ideal), including appropriate sanctions (see: Shchepansky Ya. Decree. op. P. 98).
Various criteria for classifying social institutions are possible. Of these, we consider it appropriate to focus on two: substantive (substantive) and formalized. Based on the subject criterion, i.e. the nature of the substantive tasks performed by institutions, the following are distinguished: political institutions (state, parties, army); economic institutions (division of labor, property, taxes, etc.): institutions of kinship, marriage and family; institutions operating in the spiritual sphere (education, culture, mass communications, etc.), etc.
Based on the second criterion, i.e. the nature of the organization, institutions are divided into formal and informal. The activities of the former are based on strict, normative and, possibly, legally enforceable regulations, rules, and instructions. This is the state, army, court, etc. In informal institutions, such regulation of social roles, functions, means and methods of activity and sanctions for non-normative behavior is absent. It is being replaced by informal regulation through traditions, customs, social norms, etc. From this informal institution does not cease to be an institution and perform relevant regulatory functions.
Thus, when considering a social institution, its characteristics, functions, structure, the author relied on an integrated approach, the use of which has a developed tradition within the framework of the systemic-structural paradigm in sociology. It is the complex, but at the same time sociologically operational and methodologically rigorous interpretation of the concept of “social institution” that allows, from the author’s point of view, to analyze the institutional aspects of the existence of a social education.
Let us consider the possible logic of justifying an institutional approach to any social phenomenon.
According to the theory of J. Homans, in sociology there are four types of explanation and justification of social institutions. The first is the psychological type, based on the fact that any social institution is a formation psychological in genesis, a stable product of the exchange of activities. The second type is historical, considering institutions as the final product of the historical development of a certain field of activity. The third type is structural, which proves that “each institution exists as a consequence of its relationships with other institutions in the social system.” The fourth is functional, based on the proposition that institutions exist because they fulfill certain functions in society, promoting its integration and achieving homeostasis. Homans declares the last two types of explanations for the existence of institutions, which are mainly used in structural-functional analysis, to be unconvincing and even erroneous (see: Homans G.S. The sociological relevance of behaviorism//Behavioral sociology. P. 6).
While not rejecting the psychological explanations of J. Homans, I do not share his pessimism regarding the last two types of argumentation. On the contrary, I consider these approaches to be convincing, working for modern societies, and I intend to use both functional, structural, and historical types of justification for the existence of social institutions when studying the selected social phenomenon.
If it is proven that the functions of any studied phenomenon are socially significant, that their structure and nomenclature are close to the structure and nomenclature of the functions that social institutions perform in society, this will be an important step in justifying its institutional nature. This conclusion is based on the inclusion of a functional feature among the most important features of a social institution and on the understanding that it is social institutions that form the main element of the structural mechanism through which society regulates social homeostasis and, if necessary, carries out social changes.
The next stage of substantiating the institutional interpretation of our chosen hypothetical object is the analysis of ways of its inclusion in various spheres of social life, interaction with other social institutions, proof that it is an integral element of any one sphere of society (economic, political, cultural, etc.), or their combination, and ensures its (their) functioning. This logical operation is advisable for the reason that the institutional approach to the analysis of social phenomena is based on the idea that a social institution is a product of the development of the entire social system. system, but at the same time, the specificity of the basic mechanisms of its functioning depends on the internal patterns of development of the corresponding type of activity. Therefore, consideration of a particular institution is impossible without correlating its activities with the activities of other institutions, as well as systems of a more general order.
The third stage, following the functional and structural justification, is the most important. It is at this stage that the essence of the institution being studied is determined. Here the corresponding definition is formulated, based on an analysis of the main institutional features. the legitimacy of its institutional representation is affected. Then its specificity, type and place in the system of institutions of society are highlighted, and the conditions for the emergence of institutionalization are analyzed.
On the fourth, final stage the structure of the institution is revealed, the characteristics of its main elements are given, and the patterns of its functioning are indicated.
Concept, signs, types, functions of social institutions
English philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer was the first to introduce the concept of a social institution into sociology and define it as a stable structure of social actions. He identified six types of social institutions : industrial, trade union, political, ritual, church, home. He considered the main purpose of social institutions to provide for the needs of members of society.
Consolidation and organization of relationships that develop in the process of meeting the needs of both society and the individual are carried out by creating a system of standard samples based on a generally shared system of values - a common language, common ideals, values, beliefs, moral standards etc. They establish the rules of behavior of individuals in the process of their interaction, embodied in social roles. According to this, the American sociologist Neil Smelser calls a social institution “a set of roles and statuses designed to satisfy a specific social need”
23. Basic social institutions and their functions
Social institutions are the main structural units of society. They arise and function when corresponding social needs exist, ensuring their implementation. When such needs disappear, the social institution ceases to function and collapses.
Social institutions ensure the integration of society, social groups and individuals. From here we can define a social institution as a certain set of individuals, groups, material resources, organizational structures that form social connections and relationships, ensure their sustainability and contribute to the stable functioning of society.
At the same time, the definition of a social institution can be approached from the position of considering them as regulators of social life, through social norms and values. Consequently, a social institution can be defined as a set of patterns of behavior, statuses and social roles, the purpose of which is to satisfy the needs of society and establish order and well-being.
There are other approaches to defining a social institution, for example, a social institution can be considered as a social organization - organized, coordinated and orderly activity of people, subject to general interaction, strictly focused on achieving a goal.
All social institutions function in close interrelation with each other. The types of social institutions and their composition are very diverse. Social institutions are typologized according to different principles: spheres of social life, functional qualities, time of existence, conditions, etc.
R. Mills stands out in society 5 main social institutions:
economic - institutions that organize economic activities
political - institutions of power
family institution - institutions regulating sexual relations, birth and socialization of children
military - institutions that organize legal heritage
religious - institutions that organize collective veneration of gods
Most sociologists agree with Mills that there are only five main (basic, fundamental) institutions in human society. Their purpose− satisfy the most important vital needs of the team or society as a whole. Everyone is endowed with them in abundance, and besides, everyone has an individual combination of needs. But there are not so many fundamental ones that are important for everyone. There are only five of them, but there are exactly five main social institutions:
the need for reproduction of the family (the institution of family and marriage);
the need for security and social order (political institutions, state);
need for means of subsistence (economic institutions, production);
the need for knowledge acquisition, socialization of the younger generation, personnel training (educational institutions in the broad sense, i.e. including science and culture);
the need to solve spiritual problems, the meaning of life (institute of religion).
Along with these social institutions, we can also distinguish communication social institutions, institutions of social control, educational social institutions and others.
Functions of social institutions:
integration,
regulatory,
communicative,
socialization function,
reproduction,
control and protective functions,
also the function of forming and consolidating social relations, etc.
|
Functions |
Types of institutions |
|
Reproduction (reproduction of society as a whole and its individual members, as well as their labor force) |
Marriage and family Cultural Educational |
|
Production and distribution of material goods (goods and services) and resources |
Economic |
|
Monitoring the behavior of members of society (in order to create conditions for constructive activity and resolve emerging conflicts) |
Political Legal Cultural |
|
Regulating the use of and access to power |
Political |
|
Communication between members of society |
Cultural Educational |
|
Protecting members of society from physical danger |
Legal Medical |
The functions of social institutions can change over time. All social institutions have common features and differences.
If the activity of a social institution is aimed at stabilization, integration and prosperity of society, then it is functional, but if the activity of a social institution causes harm to society, then it can be regarded as dysfunctional.
The intensification of the dysfunctionality of social institutions can lead to the disorganization of society up to its destruction.
Major crises and upheavals in society (revolutions, wars, crises) can lead to disruptions in the activities of social institutions.
Explicit functions of social institutions. If we consider in the most general form the activities of any social institution, we can assume that its main function is to satisfy social needs, for which it was created and exists. However, to carry out this function, each institution performs functions in relation to its participants that ensure the joint activities of people striving to satisfy needs. These are, first of all, the following functions.
The function of consolidating and reproducing social relations.
Each institution has a system of rules and norms of behavior that reinforce and standardize the behavior of its members and make this behavior predictable. Appropriate social control provides order and framework within which the activities of each member of the institution should take place. Thus, the institution ensures the stability of the social structure of society. Indeed, the code of the family institution, for example, implies that members of society should be divided into fairly stable small groups - families. With the help of social control, the institution of family strives to ensure the state of stability of each individual family and limits the possibilities of its disintegration. The destruction of the family institution is, first of all, the emergence of chaos and uncertainty, the collapse of many groups, the violation of traditions, the impossibility of ensuring a normal sexual life and quality education of the younger generation. Regulatory function
is that the functioning of social institutions ensures the regulation of relationships between members of society through the development of behavior patterns. The entire cultural life of a person takes place with his participation in various institutions. Whatever type of activity an individual is engaged in, he always encounters an institution that regulates his behavior in this area. Even if an activity is not ordered or 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 role requirements and 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 role systems. The integration of people at the institute is accompanied by streamlining of the system of interactions, an increase in the volume and frequency of contacts.
3) 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 activity 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.
Broadcasting function. Society could not develop if it were not for the possibility of transmitting social experience. Every institution needs new people to function properly. This can happen both by expanding the social boundaries of the institution and by changing generations. In this regard, every institution has a mechanism that allows individuals to be socialized into its values, norms and roles. For example, a family, raising a child, strives to orient him towards those values family life , which his parents adhere to. Government agencies
strive to influence citizens to instill in them norms of obedience and loyalty, and the church tries to introduce as many new members to the faith as possible. Communication function
.
Information produced within an institution must be disseminated both within the institution for the purpose of managing and monitoring compliance with regulations, and in interactions between institutions. Moreover, the nature of the communicative connections of the institution has its own specifics - these are formal connections carried out in a system of institutionalized roles. As researchers note, the communicative capabilities of institutions are not the same: some are specifically designed to transmit information (mass media), others have very limited capabilities for this;- a historically established or created by purposeful efforts form of organization of joint life activities of people, the existence of which is dictated by the need to satisfy 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.
It is believed that Giambattista Vico (1668–1744), an Italian philosopher and historian, the predecessor of modern sociology, was the first to use the term “institution” in the social sciences. In 1693 he wrote several works on civil institutions. In sociological literature, the concept of “institution” began to be used since the formation of sociology as a science, and the institutional approach traces its pedigree to the founders of sociology - Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer. Representing society as a social organism in social statics, O. Comte names such as family, cooperation, church, law, and state as its most important organs. The institutional approach to the study of social phenomena was continued in the works of G. Spencer. In his work “Fundamentals” (1860-1863), he especially emphasizes that “in a state, as in a living body, a regulatory system inevitably arises... With the formation of a more durable community, higher centers of regulation and subordinate centers appear.”
In modern society there are dozens of social institutions, among which we can highlight key: inheritance, power, property, family.
- The need for reproduction of the family (family institution)
- Need for security and order (state)
- The need for subsistence (production)
- The need for the transfer of knowledge, socialization of the younger generation (institutes of public education)
- Needs for solving spiritual problems (institute of religion)
Spheres of life of society
There are a number of spheres of society, in each of which specific social institutions and social relations are formed:
− Economic- relations in the production process (production, distribution, consumption of material goods). Institutions related to the economic sphere: private property, material production, market, etc.
− Social- relations between different social and age groups; activities to ensure social security. Institutions related to social sphere: education, family, healthcare, 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 political sphere: state, law, parliament, government, judicial system, political parties, army, etc.
− Spiritual- relationships that arise in the process of forming spiritual values, their preservation, distribution, consumption, and transmission to next generations. Institutions related to the spiritual sphere: religion, education, science, art, etc.
− Institute of kinship (marriage and family)- are associated with the regulation of childbirth, relations between spouses and children, and the socialization of youth.
Goals and functions of social institutions
Each social institution is characterized by the presence activity goals and specific functions, ensuring its achievement.
|
Functions |
Key institutions |
Spheres of society |
Main roles |
Physical Traits |
Symbolic features |
Other institutions in this sphere of society |
|
Caring, raising children |
Family, Inheritance |
Social (family and marriage relations) |
|
Situation |
Engagement Contract |
Marriage, blood feud, motherhood, paternity, etc. |
|
Getting food, clothing, shelter |
Own |
Economic sphere |
|
Money Trade |
Money, exchange, economic relations, etc. |
|
|
Maintaining laws, regulations and standards |
Power State |
Political sphere |
|
Public buildings and places |
Power, state, separation of powers, parliamentarism, local government, etc. |
|
|
Promoting conciliar relations and attitudes, deepening faith |
Religion |
Spiritual realm |
|
|||
|
Socialization of people, familiarization with basic values and practices |
Education |
Spiritual realm |
|
Public opinion, media, etc. |
Within the fundamental social institutions there are very distinct divisions into small institutions. For example, economic institutions, along with the basic institution of property, include many stable systems of relations - financial, production, marketing, organizational and management institutions. In the system of political institutions of modern society, along with the key institution of power, the institutions of political representation, presidency, separation of powers, local government, parliamentarism, etc.
Social institutions in public life perform the following functions or tasks:
- provide the opportunity to satisfy individuals, social communities and groups have different needs;
- regulate the actions of individuals within social relations, stimulating desirable and repressing undesirable behavior;
- determine and maintain the general social order by a system of their social regulators and carry out the reproduction of impersonal social functions (that is, those functions that are always performed in the same way, regardless of the personal traits and interests of humanity);
- They integrate the aspirations, actions and relationships of individuals and ensure the internal cohesion of the community.
The totality of these social functions adds up to the general social functions of social institutions as certain types of social system. These functions are very diverse. Sociologists of different directions sought to somehow classify them, 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, etc.) identified four main functions of social institutions:
- Reproduction of members of society. The main institution performing this function is the family, but other social institutions, such as the state, are also involved.
- Socialization is the transfer to individuals of patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given society - institutions of family, education, religion, etc.
- Production and distribution. Provided by economic and social institutions of management and control - 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 manage the behavior of the individual through a system of sanctions.
In addition to solving its specific problems, each social institution performs universal functions inherent to all of them. The functions common to all social institutions include the following:
- The function of consolidating and reproducing social relations. Each institution has a set of norms and rules of behavior, fixed, standardizing the behavior of its participants and making this behavior predictable. Social control provides the order and framework within which the activities of each member of the institution should take place. Thus, the institution ensures the stability of the structure of society. The Code of the Family Institute assumes that members of society are divided into stable small groups - families. Social control ensures a state of stability for each family and limits the possibility of its disintegration.
- Regulatory function. It ensures the regulation of relationships between members of society through the development of patterns and patterns of behavior. A person’s entire 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 members. This occurs under the influence of institutionalized norms, values, rules, a system of roles and sanctions. It streamlines the system of interactions, which leads to increased 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 mastered 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, and roles.
- Communication functions. Information produced by an 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. This is the main function of the media institute. Scientific institutions actively absorb information. The commutative capabilities of institutions are not the same: some have them to a greater extent, others to a lesser extent.
