The concept of a social institution, its elements, features. process of institutionalization. The concept of "social institution". Institutionalization of public life The process of streamlining formalization and standardization

  • 16.04.2020

Social institutions (from the Latin institutum - establishment, institution) are historically established stable forms of organizing the joint activities of people. 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 characteristic 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 necessary conditions the emergence of social institutions serves the corresponding social need. Institutes are called upon to organize joint activities 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 connections, interactions and relationships of specific persons of individuals, social groups and other communities. But he, like others 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 logic of development. 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, it is 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 certain aspirations into the mainstream, establishes ways to satisfy their needs, resolves conflicts,

arising in the process 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. 3) The third most important element of institutionalization is the organizational design of a social institution. Outwardly, a social institution is a collection of persons, institutions, equipped with certain material resources and performing a certain social function. Thus, an institution of higher education consists of a certain set of persons: teachers, attendants, officials who operate within institutions such as universities, the ministry or the State Committee for high school etc., which for their activities have certain material values(buildings, finances, etc.).

So, each social institution is characterized by the presence of the 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.

27. Social institutions as elements of the social structure of society.

The concept of a social institution is one of the main ones in sociology. There are even attempts to define sociology as the science of social institutions. Thanks to the interpretation of this concept in sociology, a special institutional approach has been developed.

The Brief Dictionary of Sociology states that the term "institution" is of Latin origin and in literal translation in relation to the ancient era means establishment, institution. Today, a social institution means historically established, stable forms of organizing joint activities of people and is used in a wide variety of meanings. The social institution is the main component of the social structure, integrating and coordinating many individual actions of people, streamlining social relations in the most important areas. public life.

A social institution is an organized system of connections and social norms that combines significant social values ​​and procedures that satisfy the basic needs of society.

A social institution is a role-playing system, which also includes norms and statuses, a set of customs, traditions and rules of conduct; formal and informal organization; a set of norms and institutions that regulate a certain area of ​​social relations; separate set of social activities.

Thus, the totality of relationships and systems of behavior that is useful to society finds the most complete expression in social institutions. It is known that the most important condition for the existence of mankind is the constant reproduction wealth. It is social institutions that help to implement it purposefully and effectively. Here is the socialization of the younger generation, and the modernization of society, and its protection from external and internal enemies. Therefore, the importance of social institutions can hardly be overestimated. One thing, and perhaps the most important thing, can be unambiguously said - without them, humanity simply cannot exist in a civilized way. Moreover, the presence of social institutions, the degree of their development and efficiency of functioning is an indicator of the level of civilization of the era. Therefore, the concept of "social institution" in sociology occupies one of the central and extremely significant places.

4.2 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.

Institutionalization - the transformation of a phenomenon or movement into an organized institution, an ordered process with a certain structure of relations, a hierarchy of power, discipline, rules of conduct.

Classical institutionalism originated in the early twentieth century in the United States. Thorstein Veblen is considered its founder. Followers of institutionalism sought to expand the scope of economic analysis, involving approaches and methods of related sciences. Representatives of institutionalism were Thorstein Veblen, John Commons, Clarence Ayres, Mitchell, Welsey Clare, John Kennett and others. They believed that the behavior of economic man is formed mainly within and under the influence of social groups and collectives. In the works of institutionalists you will not find enthusiasm for complex formulas and graphs. Their arguments are usually based on experience, logic, statistics. The focus is not on the analysis of prices, supply and demand, but on broader issues. They are concerned not with purely economic problems, but with economic problems in conjunction with social, political, ethical and legal problems. Focusing on the solution of individual, as a rule, significant and urgent problems, the institutionalists did not develop a common methodology, did not create a unified scientific school. This manifested the weakness of the institutional direction, its unwillingness to develop and adopt a general, logically coherent theory.

Behind any social institution there is a history of its institutionalization. Institutionalization can concern any public sphere: economic, political, religious, etc.

Specific examples of institutionalization can be: the transformation of popular assemblies into parliament; sayings, the creative heritage of a thinker - to a philosophical or religious school; passion for any literary genre, direction in music - into a subcultural organization.

The concept of institutionalism includes two aspects: "institutions" - norms, customs of behavior in society, and "institutions" - fixing norms and customs in the form of laws, organizations, institutions.

The meaning of the institutional approach is not to be limited to the analysis of economic categories and processes in its pure form, but to include institutions in the analysis, taking into account non-economic factors.

The process of institutionalization includes a number of points. According to the famous social researcher G. Lenski, social processes give rise to such processes of institutionalization as:

1) the need for communication (language, education, communication, transport);

2) the need for the production of products and services;

3) the need for the distribution of benefits (and privileges);

4) the need for the safety of citizens, the protection of their lives and well-being;

5) the need to maintain a system of inequality (placement of social groups according to positions, statuses depending on various criteria);

6) the need for social control over the behavior of members of society (religion, morality, law, the penitentiary system).

It follows that 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, one more definition of a social institution can be given. Social institutions are organized associations of people who perform certain socially significant functions that ensure the joint achievement of goals based on the social roles performed by members, set by social values, norms and patterns of behavior.

4.3 Functions of a social institution

Each institution performs its own characteristic social function.

The function (from the Latin - execution, implementation) of a social institution is the benefit that it brings to society, i.e. it is a set of tasks to be solved, goals to be achieved, services to be rendered. The totality of all social functions is formed into the general social functions of social institutions as certain types of social system. These features are very versatile.

Sociologists of various directions strive to classify these functions, to present them in the form of a certain ordered system. Representatives of the institutional school in sociology (S. Lipset, D. Landberg, and others) distinguish several basic functions of social institutions.

The first and most important function of social institutions is to meet the most important vital needs of society, i.e. without which society cannot exist as such. It cannot exist if it is not constantly replenished by new generations of people, acquire means of subsistence, live in peace and order, acquire new knowledge and pass it on to the next generations, deal with spiritual issues.

No less important is the function of socialization of people, carried out by almost all social institutions (the assimilation of cultural norms and the development of social roles). It can be called universal. Also, the universal functions of institutions are: consolidation and reproduction of social relations; regulatory; integrative; broadcasting; communicative.

Along with the universal, there are other functions - specific. These are functions that are inherent in some institutions and are not characteristic of others. For example: establishing, restoring and maintaining order in society (the state); discovery and transfer of new knowledge (science and education); obtaining means of subsistence (production); reproduction of a new generation (the institution of the family); conducting various rituals and worship (religion), etc.

Some institutions perform a stabilization function public order others maintain and develop the culture of society. All universal and specific functions can be represented in the following combination of functions:

1) Reproduction - Reproduction of members of society. The main institution that performs this function is the family, but other social institutions are also involved in it, such as the state, education, and culture.

2) Production and distribution. Provided by economic - social institutions of management and control - authorities.

3) Socialization - the transfer to individuals of the patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given society - the institutions of the family, education, religion, etc.

4) The functions of management and control are carried out through a system of social norms and regulations that implement the appropriate types of behavior: moral and legal norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. Social institutions control the individual's behavior through a system of rewards and sanctions.

5) Regulation of the use of and access to power - political institutions

6) Communication between members of society - cultural, educational.

7) Protection of members of society from physical danger - military, legal, medical institutions.

Each social institution can have a number of sub-functions that this institution performs and other institutions cannot have. For example: the institution of the family has the following subfunctions: reproductive, status, economic satisfaction, protective, etc.

In addition, each institution can perform several functions at the same time, or several social institutions specialize in performing one function. For example: the function of raising children is performed by such institutions as the family, the state, the school, etc. At the same time, the institution of the family performs several functions at once, as noted earlier.

Functions performed by one institution change over time and can be transferred to other institutions or distributed among several. So, for example, the function of education, together with the family, was previously carried out by the church, and now schools, the state and other social institutions. In addition, in the days of gatherers and hunters, the family was still engaged in the function of obtaining means of subsistence, but at present this function is performed by the institution of production and industry.

In addition to the above functions, there are explicit and latent functions of social institutions. These functions are not only characteristics of the social structure of society, but also indicators of its overall stability.

The explicit functions of social institutions are written down in statutes, formally declared, accepted by the community of people involved, declared. Since the explicit functions are always announced and in every society this is accompanied by a rather strict tradition or procedure (from anointing to the king or the presidential oath to constitutional records and the adoption of special sets of rules or laws: on education, health, prosecutors, social security etc.), they turn out to be necessary, more formalized and controlled by society.

The latent functions of institutions are those that are hidden, not announced. Sometimes they are quite identical to the application functions, but usually there is a discrepancy between the formal and real activities of institutions.

From this we can conclude that the explicit functions testify to what people wanted to achieve within the framework of this or that institution, and the latent ones indicate what came of it.

The activity of an institution is considered functional if it contributes to the preservation of society. If any institution causes harm to society by its activities, there is a dysfunction of the institution.


Need. Functions and dysfunctions of social institutions The function of a social institution can be defined as a set of tasks it solves, goals achieved, services provided. The first and most important function of social institutions is to satisfy the most important vital needs of society, that is, without which society cannot exist as such. It cannot exist unless...

1994 social institutions. Another type of social systems is 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. The latter act on behalf of society as a whole. Institutional ties can also be called normative, since their nature and ...

... "[v]. However, the separation of information law from the general system of law is not associated only with the satisfaction of a social and state task or need. The process of formation of information law is also associated with the presence of the following constructions in this industry: 1. an independent subject legal regulation; 2. methods of information law; 3. a conceptual apparatus inherent only in this ...

It is not public at all, but only the desires of the “powerful ones of this world”. But this problem deserves more serious study. (See Ch. II. P 2.5.) Chapter II. Sociology of public opinion. 2.1. Public opinion as a social institution. Before proceeding to the study of public opinion as a social institution, it is necessary to define ...

1. The concept of "social institution".

institutionalization of public life.

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

What are these systems? What are their main elements? First of all, it is 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 certain aspirations into the mainstream, establishes ways to satisfy their needs, resolves conflicts,

arising 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 of the inner world of the individual, be 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. 3) The third most important element of institutionalization is the organizational design of a social institution. Outwardly, a social institution is a collection of persons, institutions, equipped with certain material resources and performing a certain social function. Thus, an institution of higher education consists of a certain set of persons: teachers, attendants, 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 assets (buildings , finance, etc.).

So, each social institution is characterized by the presence of the 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.

2 Types and functions of social institutions.

Each institution performs its own characteristic social function. The totality of these social functions is formed into the general social functions of social institutions as certain types of social system. These features are very versatile. Sociologists of different trends 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 (Slipset; D. Landberg and others) identified four main functions of social institutions:

1) 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.

2) Socialization - the transfer to individuals of the patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given society - the institutions of the family, education, religion, etc.

3) Production and distribution. Provided by the economic and social institutions of management and control - the authorities.

4) The functions of management and control are carried out through a system of social norms and regulations that implement the appropriate types of behavior: moral and legal norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. Social institutions control the individual's behavior through a system of rewards and sanctions.

Social institutions differ from each other in their functional qualities:

1) Economic and social institutions - property, exchange, money, banks, economic associations of various types - provide the entire set of production and distribution of social wealth, at the same time connecting economic life with other areas of 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 establish imperative universal human values, special codes and ethics of behavior in the community.

5) Normative-sanctioning - public and social regulation of behavior on the basis of norms, rules and regulations enshrined in legal and administrative acts. The obligatory force 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.

Violation of the normative interaction with the social environment, which is the society or community, is called the 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 established goals, changing its functions depending on the interests of 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 cost of violating existing norms and rules. In its extreme forms, activity of this kind can be expressed in illegal activities. So, the dysfunction of some economic institutions is the reason for the existence of the so-called "shadow economy", results in speculation, bribery, theft, etc. Correction of dysfunction can be achieved by changing the social institution itself or by creating a new social institution that satisfies a given social need.

Researchers distinguish two forms of the existence of social institutions: simple and complex. Simple social institutions are organized associations of people who perform certain socially significant functions that ensure the joint achievement of goals based on the members of the institution fulfilling their social roles, determined by social values, ideals, and norms. At this level control system not stand out as a separate system. Social values, ideals, norms themselves ensure the sustainability of the existence and functioning of a social institution.

3. Family as the most important social institution.

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 regulates and sanctions their sexual life and establishes their marital and family rights and obligations. But the family tends to represent more complex system relationships 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 system of positive and negative sanctions.

The family as a social institution goes through a series of stages, the sequence of which develops into a family cycle or life cycle families. Researchers distinguish a different number of phases of this cycle, but the main ones are the following: 1) entering into a first marriage - the formation of a family; 2) the beginning of childbearing - the birth of the first child; 3) the end of childbearing - the birth of the last child; 4) "empty nest" - marriage and separation of the last child from the family; 5) termination of the existence of the family - the death of one of the spouses. At each stage, the family has specific social and economic characteristics.

In the sociology of the family, such general principles identification of types of family organization. Depending on the form of marriage, monogamous and polygamous families are distinguished. A monogamous family provides for the existence of a married couple - husband and wife, polygamous - as a rule, flies have the right to have several wives. Depending on the structure of family ties, a simple, nuclear, or complex, extended type of family is distinguished. A nuclear family is a married couple with unmarried children. If some of the children in the family are married, then an extended, or complex, family is formed, including two or more generations.

The family as a social institution arose with the formation of society. The process of formation and functioning of the family is determined by value-normative regulators. Such, for example, as courtship, the choice of a marriage partner, sexual standards of behavior, the norms that guide the wife and husband, parents and children, etc., as well as sanctions for their non-compliance. These values, norms and sanctions are the historically changing form of relations between a man and a woman accepted in a given society, through which they streamline and sanction their sexual life and establish their marital, parental and other related rights and obligations.

At the first stages of the development of society, relations between a man and a woman, older and younger generations were regulated by tribal and tribal customs, which were syncretic norms and patterns of behavior based on religious and moral ideas. With the advent of the state, regulation family life acquired a legal character. Legal registration marriage imposed certain obligations not only on the spouses, but also on the state that sanctioned their union. From now on, social control and sanctions were carried out not only public opinion but also government agencies.

The main, first function of the family, as follows from the definition of A.G. Kharchev, is reproductive, that is, the biological reproduction of the population in social terms and the satisfaction of the need for children - in personal terms. Along with this main function, the family performs a number of other important social functions:

a) educational - socialization of the younger generation, maintaining the cultural reproduction of society;

b) household - maintaining the physical health of members of society, caring for children and elderly family members;

c) economic - obtaining material resources of some family members for others, economic support for minors and disabled members of society;

d) the scope of primary social control - the moral regulation of the behavior of family members in various spheres of life, as well as the regulation of responsibility and obligations in relations between spouses, parents and children, representatives of the older and middle generations;

e) spiritual communication - personal development of family members, spiritual mutual enrichment;

f) social status - granting a certain social status to family members, reproduction of the social structure;

g) leisure - organization of rational leisure, mutual enrichment of interests;

h) emotional - obtaining psychological protection, emotional support, emotional stabilization of individuals and their psychological therapy.

To understand the family as a social institution, the analysis of role relations in the family is of great importance. The family role is one of the types of social roles of a person in society. Family roles are determined by the place and functions of the individual in the family group and are subdivided primarily into marital (wife, husband), parental (mother, father), children (son, daughter, brother, sister), intergenerational and intragenerational (grandfather, grandmother, elder , junior), etc. The fulfillment of a family role depends on the fulfillment of a number of conditions, primarily on the correct formation of a role image. An individual must clearly understand what it means to be a husband or wife, the eldest or the youngest in the family, what behavior is expected from him, what rules, norms this or that behavior dictates to him. In order to formulate the image of his behavior, the individual must accurately determine his place and the place of others in the role structure of the family. For example, can he play the role of head of the family, in general

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Social institutions (from the Latin institutum - establishment, institution) are historically established stable forms of organizing the joint activities of people. 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 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. 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 logic of development. 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, it is 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 certain aspirations into the mainstream, establishes ways to satisfy their needs, resolves conflicts,

arising 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 of the inner world of the individual, be 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. 3) The third most important element of institutionalization is the organizational design of a social institution. Outwardly, a social institution is a collection of persons, institutions, equipped with certain material resources and performing a certain social function. Thus, an institution of higher education consists of a certain set of persons: teachers, attendants, 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 assets (buildings , finance, etc.).

So, each social institution is characterized by the presence of the 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.

27. Social institutions as elements of the social structure of society.

The concept of a social institution is one of the main ones in sociology. There are even attempts to define sociology as the science of social institutions. Thanks to the interpretation of this concept in sociology, a special institutional approach has been developed.

The Brief Dictionary of Sociology states that the term "institution" is of Latin origin and in literal translation in relation to the ancient era means establishment, institution. Today, a social institution means historically established, stable forms of organizing joint activities of people and is used in a wide variety of meanings. The social institution is the main component of the social structure, integrating and coordinating many individual actions of people, streamlining social relations in the most important areas of public life.

A social institution is an organized system of connections and social norms that combines significant social values ​​and procedures that satisfy the basic needs of society.

A social institution is a role-playing system, which also includes norms and statuses, a set of customs, traditions and rules of conduct; formal and informal organization; a set of norms and institutions that regulate a certain area of ​​social relations; separate set of social activities.

Thus, the totality of relationships and systems of behavior that is useful to society finds the most complete expression in social institutions. It is known that the most important condition for the existence of mankind is the constant reproduction of material goods. It is social institutions that help to implement it purposefully and effectively. Here is the socialization of the younger generation, and the modernization of society, and its protection from external and internal enemies. Therefore, the importance of social institutions can hardly be overestimated. One thing, and perhaps the most important thing, can be unambiguously said - without them, humanity simply cannot exist in a civilized way. Moreover, the presence of social institutions, the degree of their development and efficiency of functioning is an indicator of the level of civilization of the era. Therefore, the concept of "social institution" in sociology occupies one of the central and extremely significant places.

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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 actions;

formation of common goals;

The emergence of social norms and rules in the course of natural social interaction carried out by trial and error;

the emergence of procedures related to norms and rules;

institutionalization of norms and rules, procedures, that is, their adoption, practical use;

Establishment of a system of sanctions to maintain norms and rules, differentiation of their application in individual cases;

· creation of a system of statuses and roles covering all members of the institute without exception;

· Thus, 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 logic of development. 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 of the inner world of the individual, be 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, persons provided with certain material resources and performing a certain social function. Thus, the institute of higher education is put into action by the social corps of teachers, service personnel, officials who operate within the framework of such institutions as universities, the ministry or the State Committee for Higher Education, etc., who for their activities have certain material values ​​(buildings, finance, 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 change. personal characteristics of people. 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 countless families of a certain kind.

Institutionalization, as shown by P. Berger and T. Lukman, 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 typical problems in these situations. Action patterns, in turn, serve as 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 tendencies are accompanied by signification procedures (the process of creating, using signs and fixing meanings and meanings in them) and form a system of social meanings, which, developing 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 substantiation of the usual ways of 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 of action 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."