Social Institutions

 Social Institutions are not the same as Social groups or

associations. Let us see ‘how’, by looking at some of the
definitions given by some sociologists.
Ginsberg: Institutions “may be described as recognized and
established usages governing the relationships between individual
and groups”.
MacIver and Page: Institutions may be defined as the
“established forms or conditions of procedure characteristic of
group activity”.
Kingsley Davis: Institution can be defined as “a set of interwoven
folkways, mores, and laws built around one or more functions”.
Characteristics of Institution
1. Social in nature: Institutions come into being due to the collective
activity of the people. They are social in nature.
2. Universality: Institutions are universal, in that, they are found in all
societies and existed at all the stages of social development.
3. Standardized norms: Institutions are the standardized norms and
procedures or rules and regulations that prescribe members to behave
and conduct in certain ways and manners. For instance, marriage as
an institution governs the relationship between husband and wife.
4. As means of satisfying needs: They cater to basic human needs – a)
the need for self-preservation, b) the need for self-perpetuation, and
c) the need for self-expression.
Characteristics of Institution

5. Controlling mechanism: Institutions control and regulate the

behaviour and conduct of men. They are the mechanisms that preserve
social order and provide stability.
6. Relatively permanent: Social institutions are relatively stable and
permanent. Change, if at all, may occur slowly and gradually. Many
institutions are rigid and enduring.
7. Abstract in nature: Institutions are intangible, but abstract in nature.
For example, you cannot keep marriage in a museum, law or war
cannot be weighed.
Characteristics of Institution
8. Oral and Written traditions: Institutions may exist either in oral
(traditional societies) or written form (modern societies).
9. Synthesizing symbol: Institutions may have their own symbols
whether material or non-material. For example, the state has flag and
national anthem as its symbols, religious organizations have symbols
like crucifix, crescent, star, swastika etc.
10. Institutions are interrelated: Social institutions may be diverse and
multiple in number but they are always interrelated and interconnected.
Therefore, understanding of one institution requires the understanding
of other related institutions.
Primary and Secondary Institutions
Institutions may be classified into primary institutions and secondary
institutions. The most basic institutions which are found even in small
and simple societies such as religion, marriage, property, political
system etc. are primary in nature. Whereas institutions such as
education, examination, law, legislation, constitution, etc. which are
relatively recent in origin and found in largescale modern societies are
secondary in nature.
Sumner differentiates between crescive and enacted institutions.
Crescive institutions are those developed naturally, unconsciously or
even spontaneously. Enacted institutions are consciously and
purposefully established. The former is akin to primary institutions and
the latter is similar to secondary institutions.
Functions of Social Institutions
1. Institutions cater to the satisfaction of needs: Institutions contribute to the
fulfillment of the fundamental human needs such as the need for self-
preservation, self-perpetuation and self-expression.
2. Institutions control human behaviour: Institutions organize and regulate the
system of social behaviour.
3. Institutions simplify actions of individual: As institutions prescribe a particular
way of behaviour, they prevent confusion and uncertainties in the conduct of
individual members. This promote system stability and social order.
4. Institutions assign roles and statuses to the individual: Social institutional
norms assign status position and role-functions in connection with such
behaviour. For example, family, marriage, education, property, caste, religion,
division of labour provide social standing to the individuals concerned.
Functions of Social Institutions
5. Institutions contribute to unity and uniformity: By regulating the
relationships between individuals institutions bring about unity and
uniformity in society.
6. Manifest functions of institutions: Every institution has two types of
manifest functions – a) the pursuit of its objectives/interests, and b) the
preservation of its own internal cohesion so that it may survive. For
example, the state must serve the needs of its citizens, while also protect
itself from internal rebellion and external aggression/invasion.
7. Negative functions of institutions: Institutions may have negative impacts.
Some rigid and conservative institutions may hamper social progress and
retard individual growth. For instance, religious and caste institutions
sometimes stand in the way of achieving individual potentiality and rights.
Difference between Association and Institution
In everyday language we often use association and institution interchangeably.
However, sociology as a discipline has its way of differentiating the two. We
belong to associations but not to institutions. Institutions are the established
mode of behaviour or form of procedure of a social group. When associations
are formed, they also create their own rules and regulations for regulating its
members conduct. These established form of procedure (or rather rules and
regulations) are the institutions of the associations. For example, the church
has its mode of worship, rituals, sacraments etc. The family has marriage, that
is, the institution of mating relationship. So we belong to family (association)
and not to marriage (institution). When we consider something as an organized
group it is an association, but when we consider something as a form of
procedure we are referring to institutions. Association denotes membership,
whereas institution denotes a mode or means of service