Social Institutions
Social Institutions
Social Institutions
look at some of the social institutions that insiders learn through their
socialization experiences, which affect insider identity.
Political: Every society has an organizational principle, with authority figures,
with defined roles and obligations. There are written or oral laws. Some
societies are tightly knit, while others are very loosely organized. The Luo
people, for instance, traditionally had no chiefs, the society being organized
around families.
Economic: This involves the production of goods and the organization of
labor, the provision of care and similar factors, not just money, buying and
selling. Every society has systems of provision or procurement. Economic
and political institutions are related.
Religious: This entails beliefs about the world, universal order and good,
spiritual beings and powers, as well as rituals and ceremonies. For many
peoples, religion is not separated into a separate sphere of life but is part of
the fabric of society, making "conversion" difficult, because of the "religious"
identity of the society. Concepts of loyalty, identity, faithfulness and
personhood are in this category. Political and religious institutions are often
related. This may involve "religious" ceremonies of cultural identity.
Linguistic: Language usages may involve role and function, affecting social
identity or status, so can be considered "institutions." There are often subtle
but significant meanings in the languages used or choice of words used in
certain situations or topics.
Educational: Even in "primitive" societies, there are highly developed
methods of conveying knowledge and values. These methods will affect
reception of new ideas. The effective communicator learns and uses the
insider formats and channels.
Aesthetic (Art and Architecture): The artistic self-expressions of a people
become part of their cultural identity. These are also communication media.
Think of "gothic architecture," "Dixieland Jazz," "Shakespeare," "Magnum,"
"Snow White."
These significant factors in a society's identity are important for
understanding the society and integration into the society. An outsider
normally has to become aware of these social institutions to gain acceptance
and credibility in the host society.
1.3.4 Social Institutions
Definition: Groups of persons banded together for common purposes having
rights, privilages, liabilities, goals, or objectives distinct and independant
from those of individual members.
will marry and set up a conjugal household. Although the actual options are
many the partners choose what society demands. In fact, they do not
consider the other options as valid (for example, polygamy polyandry or
group marriage). The result is a patterned arrangement that regulates sexual
behavior and attempts to ensure a stable environment for the care of
dependent children. The current demand by state legislatures that gay
partners should not be allowed to marry illustrates the strict institutional
demands of society over individual behavior.
Institutions arise from the uncoordinated actions of multitudes of individuals
over time. These actions, procedures, and rules evolve into a set of
expectations that appear to have a design, because the consequences of
these expectations provide solutions that help maintain social stability. The
design is accidental, however; it is a product of cultural evolution.
All societies face problems in common. Although the variety of solutions is
almost infinite, there is a functional similarity in their consequence, which is
stability and maintenance of the system. Table 2.1 cites a number of
common societal problems and the resulting institutions. This partial list of
institutions shows the type of societal problems for which solutions are
continually sought. All societies, for instance, have some form of the family,
education, polity, economy and religion. The variations on each theme that
are found in societies are almost beyond imagination. These variations, while
most interesting, are beyond the scope of this book. By looking at the
interrelated norms, values, and role expectations that provide pat solutions
to fundamental societal problems we can begin to understand U.S. society.
Institutions are, by definition, conservative. They are the answer of custom
and tradition to questions of survival. Although absolutely necessary for unity
and stability, institutions in contemporary U.S. society are often outmoded,
inefficient, and unresponsive to the incredibly swift changes brought about
by technological advances, population shifts, and increasing worldwide
interdependence.
As we look at the institutions of U.S. society we must not forget that
institutions are made by people and can therefore be changed. We should be
guided by the insight that even though institutions appear to have the
quality of being sacred, they are not. They can be changed, but critical
examination is imperative. Social scientists must look behind the facades.
They must not accept the patterned ways as the only correct ways. This is in
the U.S. heritage-as found in the Declaration of Independence. As Skolnick
and Currie have put it,
Democratic conceptions of society have always held that institutions exist
to serve man, and that, therefore, they must be accountable to men. Where
they fail to meet the tests imposed on them, democratic theory holds that