Social institution: signs. Examples of social institutions. The concept of a social institution. Elements of a social institution (values, roles, norms)

29.09.2019

A) statuses, roles and social norms

B) higher educational institutions

C) buildings, structures and communications

D) diplomas, certificates and licenses

The latent function of the modern Russian school as a social institution is

A) transfer of knowledge, skills and abilities

B) socialization of the younger generation

C) consolidation of the existing system of social inequality

D) development of the child's personality

The socio-economic group is

A) clergy

B) nobility

C) Cossacks

D) proletariat

28. Social role is...

A) expected behavior due to a person’s status

B) active position related to the goal of improving the life of society

C) spontaneous, unpredictable human behavior

D) a role that implies honor and respect from the whole society

In developed capitalist countries, the middle strata belongs to

A) 20-25% of the population

B) 30-35% of the population

C) 60-70% of the population

D) more than 80% of the population

30. In a secular state, a person changing his religion is an example

A) horizontal mobility

B) downward vertical mobility

C) upward vertical mobility

Studying social mobility, Pitirim Sorokin came to the conclusion that

A) there is a constant trend towards increasing social mobility

B) there is a constant trend towards weakening social mobility

C) there is no consistent trend towards either increasing or decreasing social mobility

F. Tennis considered the two main types of sociality to be

A) “community” and “society”

B) “tribe” and “clan”

C) "nation" and "tribe"

D) "family" and "clan"

The three main components of social inequality in M. Weber’s theory are

A) income, working conditions, leisure

B) wealth, power, prestige

C) power, education, leisure

D) prestige, education, power

34. Social class is...

A) socio-legal group

B) socio-economic group

C) hereditary group

D) interest group

35. In a post-industrial society, the bulk of the economically active population is employed in...

A) government

B) industrial production

C) service sector

D) agriculture

Hierarchically ordered social inequality is called

A) social integration

B) social disintegration

C) social stratification

D) social differentiation

M. Weber identified the following types of social action

A) goal-oriented, value-rational, affective, traditional

B) traditional, innovative, rational, irrational

C) purposeful, random, traditional

D) constructive, destructive, neutral

38. Social action, in the understanding of M. Weber, is an action that has a subjective meaning and is focused on ...

A) the behavior of another person or group of people

B) public good

C) supporting others in an emergency situation

D) joint work

39. Accepting a challenge to a duel, according to M. Weber, is an example

A) value-rational action

B) purposeful action

C) traditional action

D) affective action

The theory that during social interaction there is a perception of oneself through the eyes of another and the interpretation of his intentions, was developed

A) E. Hoffman

B) J. Mead

C) J. Homans

D) M. Weber

An example of delinquent behavior in our country is

A) failure to comply with etiquette standards

B) adultery

C) begging

D) petty theft

According to the theory of E. Durheim, anomie is understood as

A) the process of changing social norms

B) a condition characterized by the weakening or disintegration of social norms

C) construction of social norms

D) a sharp increase in the effect of social norms

43. The basis of R. Merton’s theory of anomie is a person’s attitude towards...

A) other people

B) goals and means of achieving goals

C) law enforcement agencies

D) laws

In modern Russian society there is no stigma

A) a criminal record

B) divorce certificate

C) AIDS diagnosis

D) disability

An example of informal negative sanctions is

B) imprisonment

D) confiscation of property

PAGE 15

Branch of St. Petersburg State Wow

University of Engineering and Economics in Cher e povce

S.V. Boyko

Sociology

Lecture

Cherepovets, 2005

Topic 2.6. Social institutions

The concept of a social institution and its characteristic main features.Institutional features. The process and characteristic stages of institutionalization. Explicit functions of social institutions: consolidation and reproduction of social relations, regulatory, integrative, broadcasting, communicative. Latent functions. Dysfunctions.

Typology of social institutions.Basis for classification the nature of the need being satisfied. Institutes of family, education and upbringing, material and spiritual production, health care, leisure and recreation, management and ensuring the safety of members of society. Institute of State and Law in Russia. Russian problems of civil society and the rule of law.

Lecture questions.

2. Types and functions of social institutions.

* * *

Social institutions are historically established stable forms of organization A tions of joint activities of people.

There is a widespread view among sociologists that “institution” is one of the A sis definitions expressing the very essence of ordered social life. Tr A The tradition of this approach comes from G. Spencer, who believed that the study of institutions is the study of the structure and development of society, the analysis of the emergence, growth, changes, etc. O mov, and therefore, it constitutes the essence of sociology as a science. Institutionalists (per hour T ity, T. Veblen) put forward the study of institutions as main task all common e natural sciences. Developing the concept of an institution, representatives of this A boards interpreted it insubstantivelylike a group of people eating And imbued with any ideas to perform any functions, and in form lized, categorical formas a system of social roles, an organ And forming a system of behavior and social relations.

Like many other basic scientific concepts, “institution” is interpreted broadly and vaguely in the literature. Nevertheless,organization can be noted as a defining feature of institutional interaction, and the most important elements e consider social norms, roles, and expectations as the elements of the institutional structure.The term “social institution” is used in A our various meanings. They talk about the institution of family, the institution of image O education, health care, state institutions, etc. The most commonly used meaning of the term “social institution” is associated with the nature And tics of all kinds of ordering, formalization and standardization of social connections and relationships. And the process of streamlining, formalization and standardization itself is called n institutionalization.

Lecture objectives

Give the concept of a social institution and determine its content.
Determine the elements of a social institution and the stages of its emergence.
Identify the functions and types of social institutions.
Show the reasons for the dysfunction of social institutions and ways to overcome it.

I. The concept of “social institution”. Institutionalization public life

1.1. The concept of “social institution”.

The concept of “social institution” is given a significant place in Russian sociology. Social Institute is defined as the leading component of the social structure of society, integrating and coordinating many individual actions of people, streamlining social relations in certain spheres of public life. In other words, social institutions are large-scale associations of social statuses and roles. An institution, in addition, means a relatively stable and integrated set of symbols, beliefs, values, norms, roles and statuses that governs a specific area of social life: family, religion, education, economics, management.

Sociologist N. Smelser gives a shorter definition:social institution is a set of roles and statuses designed to satisfy a specific need.From this definition it follows:

1. A social institution does not imply any specific social organization, but denotes large groupings of social roles.

2. Unlike social group, in which the interaction of people serves to satisfy various needs, a social institution is aimed at realizing a specific and especially important need for both the individual and society.

3. A change in the structure of needs leads to a change in the typology of social institutions: new institutions appear, old, unnecessary ones die.

But what needs exist in society that social institutions serve? Although each individual has his own, special set of needs, fundamental, enduring needs can be identified. These include needs:

in the reproduction of the human race;

in love and participation;

in safety and social order;

in obtaining a means of subsistence;

in the transmission of culture;

in God, etc.

Institutions such as the institution of family and marriage serve to satisfy these vital needs; economic institution (managing economic activities, production and distribution of material goods); political institution (associated with the conquest and distribution of power represented by the state, political parties, public organizations); Institute of Culture and Socialization (engaged in the creation and dissemination of culture, educating young people); an institution of religion that helps a person find meaning in life 1 .

WITH The development of society multiplies and differentiates the system of social institutions. If we summarize all the many approaches to defining the concept of “social institution,” we can highlight the following meaning of this term. A social institution is:

A set of customs, traditions and rules of behavior;

Formal and informal organization;

A role system, which also includes norms and statuses;

A set of norms and institutions regulating a certain area of public relations;

A separate complex of social actions social procedures.

Thus, institute (from Latin institutum establishment) a concept used in most sociological theories to designate a stable set of formal and informal rules, principles, norms, guidelines that regulate various spheres of human activity and organize them into a system of roles and statuses.

Currently, we most often use the concept of “social institution” when we are considering large groupings of formal roles. Yes, the concept"institute of material production"does not imply a specific social organization of one of the enterprises, but a set of norms implemented in many social organizations and enterprises that produce material products.

1.2. Basic elements and characteristics of a social institution.

You can select basic elements of a social institution u ta.

1. System of values, norms, ideals,as well as patterns of activity and behaviorpeople and other elements of the sociocultural process (social b nal procedures). This system guarantees similar behavior of people who agree s creates and channels their specific aspirations, establishes ways to satisfy their needs, resolves conflicts that arise in the process of everyday life, ensures a state of balance and A mobility within a particular social community and society as a whole.

The mere presence of these sociocultural elements does not provide a functional To rationing of a social institution. They need to be set in motion, personified And to be introduced into the consciousness and behavior of people.

2. Systems of needs and expectations.In order for the institute to work, it is necessary and let me values, norms, ideals,samples of activities and about maintaining people and other elements of the sociocultural process have become important I the inner world of the individual, were internalized by them in the process of O socialization, embodied in the form of social roles and statuses, sociocultural elements. Formation on their basis of a system of mutual liquids And Denmark is the second most important element of institutionalization a tion.

3. Organizational design of a social institution through a constitution A lization of legal norms, rights, responsibilities and sanctions.Externally, a social institution is a collection of persons, institutions, equipped with certain materials b by means and performing a certain social new function.

Thus, an institute of higher education consists of a certain set of persons: e submitters, service personnel, officials who operate within institutions such as universities, ministries, etc., who have about n rare material valuables O ties (knowledge, finances, etc.).

According to the domestic sociologist S.S. Frolov, it is more correct to talk not about the elements included in the structure of the institution, but about institutional features, i.e. common features and properties for all institutions. There are five of them:

1) attitudes and patterns of behavior (for example, affection, loyalty, responsibility and respect in the family, obedience, loyalty and subordination in the state);

2) symbolic cultural signs (wedding ring, flag, coat of arms, cross, icons, etc.);

3) utilitarian cultural traits(family home, public buildings for the state, shops and factories for production, classrooms and libraries for education, temples for religion);

4) oral and written codes (prohibitions, legal guarantees, laws, rules);

5) ideology ( romantic love in the family, democracy in the state, free trade in the economy, academic freedom in education, Orthodoxy or Catholicism in religion).

1.3. Institutionalization of public life z neither.

The process of institutionalization, i.e. 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 spontaneous social interaction carried out by trial and error;

The emergence of procedures related to norms and regulations;

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

Constitutionalization of norms and rules, procedures, i.e. their acceptance practical application;

Creation of a system of statuses and roles covering all members of the institute without exception.

The main stages of the emergence of the institutecan be called sl e blowing:

One of the necessary conditions for the emergence of social institutions is the correspondingsocial need.Institutions are called upon to organize the joint activities of people in order to satisfy certain social needs. Thus, the institution of family satisfies the need for reproduction human race and raising children, realizes relations between the sexes, generations, etc. The Institute of Higher Education provides training for the workforce, gives a person the opportunity to develop his abilities in order to realize them in subsequent activities and ensure his existence, etc.

Social needmay be calleddetermining condition for the emergence of the institution.In the very in a broad sense a need can be characterized as a subject’s need for something, the satisfaction of which requires one or another form of activity, one or another object. This need reflects the connection of the subject with the environment of his existence. It can be said thatthe need is the need to maintain the equilibrium state of the “subject - environment” system.The criteria for identifying needs (the necessary maintenance of a balanced relationship between the subject and the environment of its existence) are the main goals of the subject’s activity, the performance of functions in systems of a higher rank, in which the subject is included as an element or subsystem.

The essential needs of social groups (communities) can only be explained in connection with their positions in the socio-economic structure of society and the development trends of the latter. To perform functions in these positions, people must reproduce themselves in a certain way by consuming food, clothing, knowledge, etc. Different labor functions require different amounts of costs for training workers and their reproduction, that is, different durations of training, different volumes and composition of goods and services. And it follows from this that the socio-economic heterogeneity of labor also leads to heterogeneity of needs.

The size of these needs is limited by the scale of social production, the nature of production relations, the level of culture of the country, and historical traditions. The needs of people, a social group (community) is the objective need for the reproduction of a given community of people in its specifically specific public position. The needs of social groups are characterized by: mass manifestation, stability in time and space, invariance in the specific conditions of life of representatives of a social group. An important property of needs is their interconnectedness. The contiguity of needs is that the emergence and satisfaction of one need entails a whole complex of other needs. Conjugate needs form long chains that transform into one another.

It is advisable to take into account the following most important types of needs, the satisfaction of which ensures normal conditions for the reproduction of social groups (communities):

1) in the production and distribution of goods, services and information required for the survival of members of society;

2) in normal (corresponding to existing social norms) psychophysiological life support;

3) in knowledge and self-development;

4) in communication between members of society;

5) in simple (or expanded) demographic reproduction;

6) in the upbringing and education of children;

7) in monitoring the behavior of members of society;

8) in ensuring their safety in all aspects.

Social needs are not satisfied automatically, but only through the organized efforts of members of society, which are social institutions.

Institutions serve not only organizing joint activities of people to satisfy their social needs, but alsoto regulate the use of resources,that society has. Let's considerfor example, economic institutionsrelated to the production activities of commercial firms, manufacturing enterprises, family farms and other organizations. Economists believe that in order to produce goods and services, all of them must have at their disposal four types of resources:

1) land, or the totality of natural resources and technical knowledge;

2) labor, or the motivation and skills of people;

3) capital, or wealth invested in means of production;

4) organization, or a way of combining and coordinating the first three types of resources.

The activities of other institutions also require resources.Family, for example,cannot exist in the absence of certain necessary conditions: a salary that ensures the satisfaction of material needs, love and a sense of duty between parents and children, as well as the reasonable use of power (by one or both parents) to overcome intra-family conflicts.Educational institutesequipment for physical education classes, teachers with the appropriate level of knowledge and erudition, and at least a minimal desire of students to gain knowledge and socialize are required.

Consequently, institutions are social formations created to use the resources of society in forms of interaction in order to satisfy one or another social need.One of the important functions of institutions is to stabilize people's activities by reducing them to more or less predictable patterns of social roles.

Thus, 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 basissocial connections, interactions and relationships of specific persons, individuals, social groups and other communities.But it, like other social systems, cannot be reduced to the sum of these individuals and their interactions. From this point of view, social institutions can be considered as organizational social systems, characterized by the stability of the structure, the integration of their elements and a certain variability of their functions.

The category “social exchange” is essential in understanding the institution and its functioning.Institutionalizationcan be seen as exchange between different individuals, groups, organizations and spheres within society. Three questions arise here: 1) who exchanges with whom, 2) what is exchanged for what, and 3) what are the patterns, mechanisms and conditions of this exchange(s). Institutional interaction and exchange occurbetween people in different structural positions (cultural, political, economic, family), i.e. possessing a system of statuses and roles, which themselves may be consequences of previous processes of institutional exchange.

The true aspirations and goals of these people largely depend on their structural positions and corresponding priority settings. Likewise, the resources they have (power, money, knowledge, prestige, etc.) depend on their institutional positions and vary according to the specifics of different institutional spheres. These resources serve as means of realizing various individual goals and can themselves be goals or objects for individuals.

Institutionalized exchange has a special character. It is different from individual exchange between people because it is “purified” of the personal moment. Analysis of the mechanism of social exchange shows that the individual acts in a social institution in a specific and limited role of a functionary. For example, for a teacher or doctor, the institutionalized “product” is their professional skill, and their personal attitude towards this or that counterparty (“buyer”) does not matter here.A necessary condition for the activities of the institution is the fulfillment by individuals of their social roles, based on the implementation of expected actions and compliance with patterns (norms) of behavior.Norms are both the conditions for choosing role behavior and a means of “measuring” it. They organize, regulate, and formalize the activities and interactions of individuals within the institution. Each institution is characterized by a certain set of norms, which are most often objectified in symbolic forms (regulatory documents).

3. The third most important stage of institutionalization isorganizational design of a social institutionin various regulations.

As society develops (and becomes more complex), the system of social institutions multiplies and differentiates. We now live in a highly institutionalized society. The institutions of family, education, health care, material and spiritual production, leisure and recreation, ensuring the safety of members of society and many others form a system that determines the functioning of the social organism.

So, each social institution is characterized by the presence of a goal for its activities. O ity, specific functions ensuring the achievement of such a goal, a set of social b positions and roles typical for a given institution And mulberry Based on all of the above, we can give the following definition of a social institution.Social institutions are forms of organized association of people that perform certain social functions. A essential functions that ensure joint achievement of goals based on the O th members of their social roles, specified by social values O ties, norms and patterns of behavior e nia.

2. Dynamics of social institutions

2.1. Types and functions of social institutions.

o b ny institutions as certain types of social system. These functions are very b different. Sociologists of different directions e they tried to somehow classify them. presented in the form of a certain ordered system. The most complete and interesting classification A This was presented by the so-called “institutional school”. Representatives of the institution O national school in sociology (S. Lipset, D. Landberg, etc.) identifiedfour main functions of social institutions from comrade:

Reproduction of members of society. The main institute, performing yu The family that shares this function is the family, but other social institutions are also involved.
Socialization transfer by individuals of the patterns established in a given society h ts of behavior and methods of activity institutions with e world, education, religion, etc.
Production and distribution. Provided by economic, social and n institutions of management and control authorities.
Management and control functions are carried out through the social system And al norms and regulations that implement the corresponding types of behavior, moral and other A new norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. Social institutions control the behavior of the individual through a system of rewards and dignity to tions.

Social institutions differ from each other in their functional qualities and goals:

1) Economic institutions property, exchange, money, banks, economic associations of various types provide the entire range of production and distribution e of social wealth, connecting, at the same time, economic life with other spheres e rami social life

2) Political institutionsstate, parties, trade unions and other types of b public organizations pursuing political goals aimed at establishing e creation and maintenance of a certain form of political power. Their totality is n O lytic system of this community e stva.

3) Sociocultural institutionsdevelopment and subsequent reproduction of cultures b cultural and social values, the inclusion of individuals in a certain subculture, and that To the socialization of individuals through the assimilation of stable sociocultural standards e Denia and finally, the defense of certain values and norms.

4) Regulatory orienting institutions creation and implementation of mechanisms for moral and ethical orientation and regulation of individual behavior. Their goal is to give a e denition and motivation, moral argumentation, ethical basis. These institutions are r imperative commons await in the community e human values, special codes and ethics e Denia.

5) Regulatory and sanctioning institutionspublic and social regulation I tion of behavior based on norms, rules and regulations enshrined in legal and administrative And nistrative acts, which is ensured by the principle at lasting sanction.

6) Ceremonial institutions institutions based more or less on And thorough adoption of norms, their official and unofficial consolidation. These regulations And everyday contacts are ruined by various acts of group and intergroup about th behavior.

In a social institution, economic, political, legal, moral and other relations are intertwined in a very complex way. Thanks to the social institution, continuity in the use of cultural values, transfer of skills and norms is ensured social behavior, socialization of individuals is carried out.

A mature, “established” institution is institutionalized; it is streamlined and organized by a system of management relations. Its external aspect appears in the corresponding systems of institutions. The emerging social institutions are not necessarily institutionalized.

During periods of “normal” development of society, institutions remain quite stable and sustainable. Their ineffectiveness, lack of coordination of actions, inability to organize public interests, establish the functioning of social connections, minimize conflicts and prevent disasters are a sign of a crisis in the institutional system, i.e. basic system of any society.

The development of a social system can be said to be reduced to the evolution of institutions. The sources of such evolution are people as agents and cultural influences. The latter is associated with the accumulation of new knowledge by people, as well as with changes in value orientations.

The dynamics of social institutions is also expressed in three interrelated processes:

1) in the life cycle of an institution (from the moment of appearance to disappearance);

2) in the functioning of a mature institution (including obvious and latent functions, overcoming dysfunctions);

3) in the evolution of the institution (changes in form and content, the withering away of old functions and the emergence of new ones).

There are several stages or phases in the life cycle of an institute.

The first phase is the birth of the institution, when a charter appears, tasks and symbols are determined, functions and roles are distributed, leaders are identified and managers are appointed.

The second phase is the maturity phase.

The third phase is the period of formalization, or bureaucratization, of the institution. Rules and norms cease to be a means of social control and become an end in themselves. The dominance of instructions and paperwork ultimately lead to his death. This last phase means the loss of vitality of a social institution, the accumulation of dysfunction. Such a situation foreshadows the liquidation of the institute or its reorganization.

2.2. Dysfunction of social institutions

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

One of the obvious expressions of the dysfunction of a social institution is staff and community his activities. Personalization of a social institution h begins that he has ceased to act in accordance with objective needs O ties and objectively established goals, changing their functions depending O ity from the interests of individuals, their personal qualities and properties.

An unsatisfied social need can give rise to the spontaneous emergence of normatively unregulated activities that seek to compensate for the dysfunction of the institution by violating existing norms and rules, expressed in their extreme forms in illegal (delinquent) activities. Thus, the dysfunction of some economic institutions is the reason for the existence of the so-called “shadow economy”, which results in speculation, bribery, theft, etc. 2

Delinquency and crime.Crime that arises in connection with the dysfunction of social institutions is predominantly instrumental, i.e. aimed at achieving a specific goal, and structured, i.e. internally interconnected character. Its signs are planning of criminal activity, systematicity, elements of organization, i.e. distribution of criminal roles, etc. Such features of structured crime are associated with its function: to satisfy, through illegal means, an objective need that is not adequately provided by normal social institutions. Its functionality is so narrow, i.e. The satisfaction of an individual social need, at the same time, leads to dysfunction of broader social systems.

The problem of crime becomes particularly acute in a situation where society A binds individuals with common symbols of achieving success (wealth, acquisition of material and algo x a character), but the social structure of the same society makes it difficult (or impossible) for certain social groups to take possession of these m by oxen in a legal way. The resulting social tension spills over T into selfish-violent, aggressive crime.

Prevention of this type of offense can be ensured if:

a) the corresponding social need will be adequately reflected in the functioning of existing or newly created social institutions;

b) there will be a change, a transformation of this social need itself;

c) in the public consciousness there will be a change in the assessment of this need.

Disorganization of social communities and personality.The dynamics of social processes (demographic, migration, urbanization, industrialization processes), as an undesirable result, can have a destructive impact on social groups and communities, leading to their partial disorganization.

The phenomena of disorganization are reflected both in the external (formal) structure of social communities and in their internal, functional characteristics. Disorganization of the functions of such communities is expressed in the weakening of values, inconsistency of standards and patterns of behavior, weakening of the normative structure of the group, which, in turn, leads to an increase in deviations in the behavior of members of the relevant communities and social groups.

Among the social causes of personality disorganization, the following should be noted:

1) the participation of an individual in several social groups that impose on him conflicting systems of social values and patterns of behavior;

2) the participation of the individual in disorganized groups, which are characterized by uncertainty of social roles, i.e. social requirements placed on the individual;

3) absence public control, unclear criteria for assessing behavior.

Under these conditions, normal social communities are not always able to fulfill a number of their inherent functions, i.e. provide the individual with a consistent, internally consistent system of standards of behavior, a sense of solidarity and belonging to a community, provide an ordered system of levels of social prestige and recognition, etc.

The degree of unity of people in social groups, their cohesion (collectivity), the unity of their positions is a value inversely proportional to the number of offenses. If the degree of unity (integration) of a social group (class, society) increases, then the number of deviations in the behavior of members of this group decreases and, conversely, an increase in the number of deviations in behavior is an indicator of the weakening of the integration of social groups.

In some cases, the ineffectiveness of influence on an individual from others th neck social group, the weakness of the process of its socialization (inclusion of a person in the system e values and norms of behavior characteristic of society as a whole) can lead to And the influence on him of spontaneously emerging groups in which there are anti- O right views and ideas and antisocial norms apply O management Such groups include some groups of adolescents who follow antisocial norms O management, group of repeat thieves, alcoholics, people's commissar A new, etc. Their influence is often directly proportional to the decrease in the influence of normal social groups in general. e society (families, peer groups, etc.) O professional groups, communities at the place of residence, etc.).

Institutional functions of social groups.Social groups (communities), like social institutions, can also be defined from the standpoint of analyzing their institutional functions. From a functional point of view, such formations are characterized by the orientation of the actions of their members towards achieving group goals. This ensures coordination of appropriate actions, which leads to increased intragroup cohesion. The latter is ensured by the presence of behavioral patterns, norms that define relationships within the group, as well as other institutional mechanisms that guide the behavior of group members within the specified framework.

Various social communities (specific family, work collective, groups of joint leisure activities, village, town, small town, microdistricts major cities etc.) have special meaning, in terms of their influence on behavior,

The family ensures the socialization of young people as children learn the norms of social life, provides family members with a sense of security, satisfies the emotional need for shared experiences, the exchange of feelings and moods, prevents psychological imbalance, protects against feelings of isolation, etc. One of the results of the successful functioning of the family as a social group is the effective prevention of deviations from the requirements of social norms in the vast majority of spheres of public life.

The state of a territorial community also affects the behavior of members of this community in the sphere of informal contacts and joint leisure activities. Professional groups, in the case of successful functioning, in addition to the ability to solve purely professional problems, “supply” its members with a sense of labor solidarity, provide professional prestige and authority, and control the behavior of members of such groups from the standpoint of professional morality and ethics.

Correction of dysfunction can be achieved

a) a change in the social institution itself;

b) the creation of a new social institution that satisfies the given society new need;

c) the formation and implementation of public opinion in the process of formation and n

2.3. Public opinion as an institution of civil society

Civil society is a type of political system where priority is given not to maintaining internal order and external security, but to human rights and freedoms and improving the quality of his life. The main directions for the implementation and development of rights and freedoms in civil society are:

Recognition and affirmation of the natural human right to life, free activity and happiness;

Recognition of the equality of citizens within the framework of uniform laws for all;

Establishment of the rule of law, subordinating its activities to the ideal of social justice;

Flexible relationship between politics and economics according to the formula “more market, less state”

Bridging the gap with the sacralization of power, characteristic of traditional and totalitarian regimes, with its claims to possess the ultimate truth;

Establishment of democratic mechanisms of public governance, focused on ensuring equality of opportunity for subjects;

The establishment of institutions of self-government that check and balance the various parts of society and, if necessary, use the state as a legal arbiter.

The most important direction in the formation of civil society is the development of public opinion (PO) 3 .

Public opinion reveals specific states of social consciousness at a given period of time. At the same time, OM can be recognized as an independent form of social consciousness, differing from others precisely in its comprehensiveness and non-specialization.

Experts identify the following necessary and sufficient conditions for the emergence and functioning of OM.

1. Social significance, vital relevance of the problem(issue, topic, event). OM is inevitably formed only in relation to those social phenomena that affect the social interests of people and, as if by themselves, are at the center of their everyday thoughts and discussions.

2. Discussion of opinions and assessments.There is no debate about the “correctness” or usefulness of the multiplication tables. But about whether it is worth “going to capitalism” or “returning to socialism”, “what to do with Chechnya”, how to reform the agricultural sector, “what to do about corruption”, etc. In our society there is a constant clash of opinions. Thus, in order for a topic or event to become the subject of public consideration and public opinion to be formed regarding it, it must be controversial, naturally involving differences in opinions and assessments on the part of various groups of society.

3. The third mandatory condition is competence.The “competence” of OM is determined not so much by its actual competence as by the vital significance of phenomena, as a result of which no one can stay away from their discussions and not feel sufficiently knowledgeable about them. And the more people are aware of certain problems, the more real public opinion becomes in relation to them.

Most researchers agree with the following three characteristics of OM content.

Mass judgments of people have varying degrees of objectivity (truth). This is explained by the fact that OM is formed both on the basis of reliable information and on the basis of one-sided information or erroneous ideas. If there is a lack of objective information, people compensate for it with rumors, intuition, etc.

OM acts as a specific motivating force that regulates people's behavior. It not only reflects a certain level of people’s awareness, but also records their active attitude towards the object of opinion, forming a kind of alloy of rational, emotional and volitional components. Existing in people's minds and expressed publicly, OM acts as a powerful means of social influence.

OM is a specific product of interaction between people, a kind of synthesis of many statements that form a new quality, irreducible to a simple sum of individual opinions.

German OM researcher E. Noel-Neumann speaks of the presence of two main sources that generate public opinion. First this is direct observation of the environment, approval or censure of certain actions, decisions or statements (spontaneously developing and practically impenetrable to targeted regulation). Second funds mass media, which generate the so-called “spirit of the times”.

When solving the problem of the source of public opinion, it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of “subject” and “exponent” of OM. The subjects of OM are social communities and public groups, public organizations and parties, the international community, and the media. Individuals or groups of people can act as spokespersons.

The central issue in the functioning of public opinion is the problem of its effectiveness, the determination of the conditions and factors that allow society to effectively use public opinion as a tool for solving social problems and forming civic culture. There are three main functions of OM: expressive, advisory and directive. 1 .

1. Expressive functionthe widest in scope. Public opinion always takes a certain position in relation to significant facts and events. It is especially biased towards those who are credited with a priority role in deciding the most important life problems state institutions and their leaders, essentially assuming the role of controller over their activities.

2. Advisory function of the OMnot only expresses an attitude towards significant events, but also looks for the best solution to certain problems. Being the scene of clashes different positions and opinions, OM has the ability to detect weak and strengths proposed solutions, hidden threats and dangers rooted in them. Political leadership's attention to public debate allows for more informed decisions to be made.

3. Directive function of OMmanifests itself when the will of the people acquires an imperative character. This situation occurs in elections, referendums and plebiscites. By expressing confidence in certain political forces or leaders, the OM actually gives them a mandate to exercise political leadership.

In authoritarian social systems, OM is either ignored or used by the ruling elite to strengthen their omnipotence. As the political regime democratizes, interest in identifying the true opinions of people and taking them into account in solving pressing problems of public life is growing.

This pattern is clearly demonstrated by the socio-political development of Russia in last decades. The first official body for studying public opinion (the All-Union Center for the Study of Public Opinion VTsIOM) was created in 1987. In 1992, due to the collapse of the USSR, it was transformed into the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion. Currently, there are more than two dozen centers for the study of OM in Russia. The most famous among them, along with VTsIOM, are: the Public Opinion Foundation, Vox populi B. Grushina, Russian Independent Institute of Social and National Problems (RNIS and NP), Agency for Regional Political Research (ARPI), Russian Public Opinion and Market Research (ROMIR), A. Kisselman Center (St. Petersburg), etc.

The importance of OM in any type of political system cannot be absolute.

Firstly, in XX century, it became clear that the absolutization of this attitude was not justified: the most brutal totalitarian regimes enjoyed fairly broad popular support. The same inconsistency of public opinion is found in modern Russia. In this regard, we can refer to the ambiguity of the position of the majority of the population regarding reforms and reformers, the absence of generally recognized political and moral leaders of society, the willingness of a significant part of the population to get carried away by populist slogans, support authoritarian methods and political adventurism.

Secondly, A second danger of absolutizing public opinion as a political instrument was also revealed, related to the possibility of manipulating public consciousness. Even ancient authors noted that out of several options for solving a certain issue, the majority, endowed with the right to decide, as a rule, chooses not the most advantageous option for it, but the best presented one. IN modern conditions the possibilities of manipulating mass consciousness are expanding many times over. For Russia this problem is especially relevant. We have not inherited from the past a strong system of democratic guarantees, either in the form of structures or in the form of traditions. Under these conditions, elites who control access to the media can make public opinion completely controllable. How this is done was clearly demonstrated by the 1999 parliamentary elections.

* * *

Social institutions are forms of organized association of people that perform certain socially significant functions, ensuring the joint achievement of goals based on the members fulfilling their social roles, specified social values, norms and patterns of behavior.

One of the main conditions for the emergence of social institutions is the corresponding social need. Institutions are called upon to organize the joint activities of people in order to satisfy certain social needs.

The main elements of a social institution are values, norms, ideals, as well as patterns of activity and behavior of people shared by the majority of members of the community. b society, which have become the property of the inner world of the individual and constituted into a system of legal norms, rights, I burdens and sanctions.

The process of institutionalization, i.e. the formation of a social institution consists of several successive stages: the emergence of a need requiring joint organized action; formation of common goals; the emergence of social norms and rules in the course of spontaneous social interaction; development of procedures related to norms and regulations; establishing a system of sanctions to maintain norms and rules; constitutionalization of norms, rules and procedures.

Each institution performs its own characteristic social function. WITH O the totality of these social functions adds up to the general social functions of social b ny institutions as certain types of social system.

As society develops and becomes more complex, the system of social institutions multiplies and differentiates. We now live in a highly institutionalized society. The institutions of state and law, family, education, health care, material and spiritual production, leisure and recreation, ensuring the safety of members of society and many others form a system that determines the functioning of the social organism.

Correction of dysfunction can be achieved by either changing the O social institution, or the creation of a new social institution that satisfies yes n new social need, or the formation and implementation of public plurality e tions in the process of formation and n Institute of Civil Society.

Questions for self-control

What is a social institution?
What is the name of the system of a social institution that guarantees similar behavior of people, coordinates and directs their actions in a single direction?
What is the name of the system of a social institution that forms the mutual expectations of people?
What does the system of statuses and roles of a social institution express?
What are the main stages of the process of establishing an institute?
Highlight the main stages of the process of establishing an institute
Define economic, political, sociocultural, normative-orienting, normative-sanctioning and ceremonial institutions.
What are the functions and dysfunctions of social institutions?
What are the manifestations of the dysfunctions of social institutions?
What are the main functions of social institutions?
What corrects the dysfunction of a social institution?
What characterizes the implementation and development of rights and freedoms in civil society?
Define and reveal the content of public opinion.
What is a necessary condition for the emergence and functioning of public opinion?
Expand the content of the advisory, directive and expressive functions of public opinion

1 Konchanin T.L., Podoprigora S.Ya., Yaremenko S.I. Sociology. Rostov n/a: Phoenix, 2001. P.127.

2 See in detail: Sociology. Basics general theory: Textbook. allowance / G.V. Osipov, L.N. Moskvichev, A.V. Kabyshcha and others / Ed. G.V. Osipova, L.N. Moskvichev. M.: Aspect Press, 1996. P.240-248.

3 See in detail: Konchanin T.L., Podoprigora S.Ya., Yaremenko S.I. Sociology. Rostov n/a: Phoenix, 2001. P.132-153.

Social institutions

The concepts of “social institution” and “social organization”.

Types and functions of social institutions.

Family as a social institution.

Education as a social institution.

The concepts of “social institution” and “social organization”

Society as a social system has the property of dynamics. Only constant variability can guarantee his self-preservation in an ever-changing environment. external environment. The development of society is accompanied by a complication of its internal structure, a qualitative and quantitative change in its elements, as well as their connections and relationships.

At the same time, changes in society cannot be absolutely continuous. Moreover, as evidenced by the history of mankind, the priority characteristic of specific social systems is their relative immutability. It is this circumstance that makes it possible for successive generations of people to adapt to this particular social environment and determines the continuity of development of the material, intellectual and spiritual culture of society.

Taking into account the need to preserve those basic social connections and relationships that are guaranteed to ensure its stability, society takes measures to secure them fairly strictly, excluding accidental spontaneous changes. To achieve this, society fixes the most important types of social relations in the form of normative regulations, the implementation of which is mandatory for all members. At the same time, a system of sanctions is developed and, as a rule, legitimized, ensuring the unconditional execution of these regulations.

Social institutions- these are historically established stable forms of organizing and regulating the joint life of people. This is a legally defined system of social connections and relationships. The process and result of such consolidation is denoted by the term "institutionalization". So, for example, we can talk about the institutionalization of marriage, the institutionalization of education systems, etc.

Marriage, family, moral standards, education, private property, market, state, army, court and other similar forms in society - all these are clear examples of institutions already established in it. With their help, connections and relationships between people are streamlined and standardized, and their activities and behavior in society are regulated. This ensures a certain organization and stability of social life.

Structure of social institutions often represents a very complex system, since each institution covers a number of sociocultural elements. These elements can be grouped into five main groups. Let's consider them using the example of such an institution as the family:

1) spiritual and ideological elements, i.e. such feelings, ideals and values as, say, love, mutual fidelity, the desire to create your own cozy family world, the desire to raise worthy children, etc.;

2) material elements- house, apartment, furniture, cottage, car, etc.;

3) behavioral elements- sincerity, mutual respect, tolerance, willingness to compromise, trust, mutual assistance, etc.;

4) cultural and symbolic elements- marriage ritual, wedding rings, wedding anniversary celebrations, etc.;

5) organizational and documentary elements- civil registration system (registry office), marriage and birth certificates, alimony, social security system, etc.

Nobody “invents” social institutions. They grow gradually, as if by themselves, from one or another specific need of people. For example, the need to protect public order at one time arose and established the institution of police (militia). The process of institutionalization consists of streamlining, standardization, organizational design and legislative regulation of those connections and relationships in society that “claim” to become a social institution.

The peculiarity of social institutions is that they, being formed on the basis of social connections, relationships and interactions of specific people and specific social communities, are of an individual and supra-group nature. A social institution is a relatively independent social entity that has its own internal logic of development. From this point of view, a social institution should be considered as an organized social subsystem, characterized by the stability of the structure and the integration of its elements and functions.

The main elements of social institutions are, first of all, systems of values, norms, ideals, as well as patterns of activity and behavior of people in various life situations. Social institutions coordinate and channel the aspirations of individuals, establish ways to satisfy their needs, and contribute to the expansion social conflicts, ensure the stability of the existence of specific social communities and society as a whole.

The existence of a social institution is associated, as a rule, with its organizational design. A social institution is a collection of individuals and institutions that have certain material resources and performing a specific social function. Thus, the institute of education includes managers and employees of state and regional educational authorities, teachers, teachers, students, pupils, service personnel, as well as educational management institutions and educational institutions: universities, institutes, colleges, technical schools, schools, schools and children's gardens.

The mere fixation of sociocultural values in the form of social institutions does not ensure their effective functioning. In order for them to “work”, it is necessary that these values become the property of a person’s inner world and receive recognition from social communities. The assimilation of sociocultural values by members of society constitutes the content of the process of their socialization, in which a huge role is assigned to the institution of education.

In addition to social institutions in society, there are also social organizations, which act as one of the forms of ordering connections, relationships and interactions of individuals and social groups. Social organizations have a number of characteristic features:

they are created to achieve certain goals;

social organization gives a person the opportunity to satisfy his needs and interests within the limits established by the norms and values accepted in this social organization;

social organization helps to increase the efficiency of the activities of its members, since its emergence and existence is based on the division of labor and its specialization along functional lines.

A characteristic feature of most social organizations is their hierarchical structure, in which the managing and managed subsystems are quite clearly distinguished, which ensures its stability and operational efficiency. As a result of combining various elements of social organization into a single whole, a special organizational or cooperative effect arises. Sociologists call its three main components:

1) the organization combines the efforts of many of its members, i.e. simultaneity of many efforts of everyone;

2) the participants of the organization, joining it, become different: they turn into its specialized elements, each of which performs a very specific function, which significantly increases the effectiveness and effect of their activities;

3) the management subsystem plans, organizes and harmonizes the activities of members of a social organization, and this also serves as a source of increasing the effectiveness of its actions.

The most complex and most significant social organization is the state (public-power social organization), in which the central place is occupied by the state apparatus. In a democratic society, along with the state, there is also such a form of social organization as civil society. We are talking about such social institutions and relationships as voluntary associations of people based on interests, folk art, friendship, the so-called “unregistered marriage”, etc. At the center of civil society is a sovereign person who has the right to life, personal freedom and property. Other important values of civil society are: democratic freedoms, political pluralism, and the rule of law.

Types and functions of social institutions

Among the huge variety of institutional forms we can highlight the following main groups of social institutions.

Each of these groups, as well as each individual institution, performs its own certain functions.

Economic institutions are designed to ensure the organization and management of the economy for the purpose of its effective development. For example, property relations assign material and other values to a specific owner and enable the latter to receive income from these values. Money is intended to serve as a universal equivalent in the exchange of goods, and wages- remuneration to the employee for his work. Economic institutions provide the entire system of production and distribution of social wealth, while at the same time connecting the purely economic sphere of society’s life with its other spheres.

Political institutions establish a certain power and govern society. They are also intended to ensure the protection of the sovereignty of the state and its territorial integrity, state ideological values, and take into account the political interests of various social communities.

Spiritual institutes associated with the development of science, education, art, and the maintenance of moral values in society. Sociocultural institutions aim to preserve and enhance the cultural values of society.

As for the institution of family, it is the primary and key link of the entire social system. People come from family to society. It develops the basic personality traits of a citizen. The family sets the daily tone for all social life. Societies thrive when there is prosperity and peace in the families of its citizens.

The grouping of social institutions is very conditional and does not mean that they exist in isolation from each other. All institutions of society are closely interconnected. For example, the state acts not only in “its” political sphere, but also in all other spheres: it engages in economic activities, promotes the development of spiritual processes, and regulates family relationships. And the institution of the family (as the main unit of society) is literally at the center of the intersection of the lines of all other institutions (property, wages, army, education, etc.).

Having developed over centuries, social institutions do not remain unchanged. They develop and improve along with the movement of society forward. At the same time, it is important that the bodies governing society do not lag behind in the organizational (and especially legislative) formalization of urgent changes in social institutions. Otherwise, the latter perform their functions worse and hinder social progress.

Each social institution has its own social functions, goals of activity, means and methods to ensure its achievement. The functions of social institutions are diverse. However, all their diversity can be reduced to four main:

1) reproduction of members of society (the main social institution performing this function is the family);

2) socialization of members of society and, above all, new generations - the transfer to them of the production, intellectual and spiritual experience accumulated by society in its historical development, established patterns of behavior and interactions (institute of education);

3) production, distribution, exchange and consumption of material goods, intellectual and spiritual values (institution of the state, institute of mass communications, institute of art and culture);

4) management and control over the behavior of members of society and social communities (the institution of social norms and regulations: moral and legal norms, customs, administrative decisions, the institution of sanctions for non-compliance or improper compliance with established norms and rules).

In conditions of intensive social processes and the acceleration of the pace of social change, a situation may arise when changed social needs are not adequately reflected in the structure and functions of the relevant social institutions, resulting in, as they say, their dysfunction. The essence of dysfunction of a social institution lies in the “degeneration” of the goals of his activities and the loss social significance the functions it performs. Outwardly, this is manifested in the decline of his social prestige and authority and in the transformation of his activities into symbolic, “ritual”, not aimed at achieving socially significant goals.

Correcting the dysfunction of a social institution can be achieved by changing it or creating a new social institution, the goals of which and its functions would correspond to the changed social relations, connections and interactions. If this is not done in an acceptable manner and in an appropriate manner, an unsatisfied social need can give rise to the spontaneous emergence of normatively unregulated types of social connections and relationships that can be destructive for society as a whole or for its individual spheres. For example, the partial dysfunction of some economic institutions is the reason for the existence of the so-called “shadow economy” in our country, which results in speculation, bribery, and theft.

Family as a social institution

The initial structural element of society and its most important social institution is the family. From the point of view of sociologists, family is a group of people based on marriage and blood relationship, connected by a common life and mutual responsibility. At the same time, under marriage is understood as the union of a man and a woman, giving rise to their rights and responsibilities towards each other, towards their parents and towards their children.

Marriage can be registered And actual (unregistered). Here we should apparently turn special attention to the fact that any form of marriage, including unregistered marriage, is significantly different from extramarital (disordered) sexual relations. Their fundamental difference from a marriage union is manifested in the desire to avoid conceiving a child, in evading moral and legal responsibility for the occurrence of an unwanted pregnancy, in refusing to support and raise a child in the event of his birth.

Marriage is a historical phenomenon that arose during the era of humanity’s transition from savagery to barbarism and developed in the direction from polygamy (polygamy) to monogamy (monogamy). Main forms polygamous marriage, which took place successively to replace each other and have survived to the present day in a number of “exotic” regions and countries of the world, are group marriage, polyandry ( polyandry) and polygamy ( polygamy).

In a group marriage, there are several men and several women in the marital relationship. Polyandry is characterized by the presence of several husbands for one woman, and polygamy is characterized by several wives for one husband.

Historically, the last and currently most widespread form of marriage, the essence of which is a stable marriage union of one man and one woman. The first form of family based on monogamous marriage was the extended family, also called consanguineous or patriarchal (traditional). This family was built not only on marital relationships, but also on blood relationships. Such a family was characterized by having many children and living in one house or on one farmstead for several generations. In this regard, patriarchal families were quite numerous, and therefore well adapted for relatively independent subsistence agriculture.

The transition of society from subsistence farming to industrial production was accompanied by the destruction of the patriarchal family, which was replaced by the married family. In sociology, such a family is also commonly called nuclear(from Lat. - core). A married family consists of a husband, wife and children, the number of which, especially in urban families, becomes extremely small.

The family as a social institution goes through a number of stages, the main ones being:

1) marriage - 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.

Any family, regardless of what form of marriage underlies it, has been and remains a social institution designed to perform a system of certain and unique social functions. The main ones are: reproductive, educational, economic, status, emotional, protective, as well as the function of social control and regulation. Let's look at the contents of each of them in more detail.

The most important thing for any family is its reproductive function, the basis of which is the instinctive desire of a person (individual) to continue his kind, and of society - to ensure the continuity and continuity of successive generations.

When considering the content of the reproductive function of the family, it should be borne in mind that in this case we are talking about the reproduction of the biological, intellectual and spiritual essence of a person. A child entering this world must be physically strong, physiologically and mentally healthy, which would provide him with the opportunity to perceive the material, intellectual and spiritual culture accumulated by previous generations. It is obvious that, apart from the family, no “social incubator” like the “Orphanage” can solve this problem.

Fulfilling its reproductive mission, the family turns out to be “responsible” not only for the qualitative, but also for the quantitative growth of the population. It is the family that is that unique regulator of fertility, by influencing which one can avoid or initiate a demographic decline or population explosion.

One of the most important functions of the family is educational function. For the normal full development of a child, a family is vital. Psychologists note that if from birth to 3 years a child is deprived of maternal warmth and care, then his development slows down significantly. The family also carries out the primary socialization of the younger generation.

The essence economic function family consists of its members managing a common household and providing economic support to minors, temporarily unemployed, as well as family members disabled due to illness or age. The “outgoing” totalitarian Russia contributed to economic function family. The wage system was structured in such a way that neither a man nor a woman could live separately from each other on wages. And this circumstance served as an additional and very significant incentive for their marriage.

From the moment of his birth, a person receives the citizenship, nationality, social position in society inherent in the family, becomes a city or rural resident, etc. Thereby it is carried out status function family. The social statuses inherited by a person at his birth may change over time, however, they largely determine the “starting” capabilities of a person into his final destiny.

Satisfaction inherent in man the need for family warmth, comfort and intimate communication is the main content emotional function family. It is no secret that in families in which there is an atmosphere of participation, goodwill, sympathy, empathy, people get sick less, and when they get sick, they tolerate illness more easily. They also turn out to be more resistant to the stress that our lives are so generous with.

One of the most significant is protective function. It manifests itself in the physical, material, mental, intellectual and spiritual protection of its members. In a family, violence, the threat of violence or infringement of interests shown towards one of its members causes a reaction of opposition, in which the instinct of its self-preservation is manifested. The most acute form of such a reaction is revenge, including blood revenge, associated with violent actions.

One of the forms of a family’s defensive reaction, which contributes to its self-preservation, is a joint feeling of guilt or shame by the entire family for the illegal, immoral or immoral actions and actions of one or more of its members. A deep awareness of one’s moral responsibility for what happened contributes to the spiritual self-purification and self-improvement of the family, and thereby strengthening its foundations.

The family is the main social institution through which society carries out primary social control over the behavior of people and the regulation of their mutual responsibility and mutual obligations. At the same time, the family is an informal “court” that is given the right to apply moral sanctions to family members for non-compliance or improper compliance with the norms of social and family life. It seems quite obvious that the family as a social institution realizes its functions not in a “soulless space”, but in a well-defined political, economic, social, ideological and cultural environment. At the same time, the most unnatural thing is the existence of a family in a totalitarian society, which seeks to penetrate all pores of civil society and, above all, the family and family relationships.

It is easy to verify the validity of this statement by taking a closer look at the process of post-revolutionary transformation of the Soviet family. The aggressive foreign and repressive domestic policies of the Soviet state, the essentially inhumane economy, the total ideologization of society and, especially, the education system led to the degradation of the family, to its transformation from normal to “Soviet”, with a corresponding deformation of its functions. The state limited its reproductive function to the reproduction of “human material”, assigning to itself the monopoly right of its subsequent spiritual duping. The miserable level of wages gave rise to acute conflicts between parents and children on an economic basis, and formed in both these and others a sense of their own inferiority. In a country in which class antagonism, spy mania and total denunciation were instilled, there could be no talk of any protective function of the family, much less a function of moral satisfaction. And the status role of the family has become completely life-threatening: the fact of belonging to one or another social stratum, to one or another ethnic group was often tantamount to a sentence for a serious crime. The control and regulation of people's social behavior was undertaken by the punitive authorities, the party and party organizations, involving their faithful assistants in this process - the Komsomol, the pioneer organization and even the Octobrists. As a result of this, the control function of the family degenerated into spying and eavesdropping, followed by denunciation to state and party officials, or with public discussion of compromising material at “comradely” courts, at party and Komsomol meetings of the October “stars”

In Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. the patriarchal family prevailed (about 80%), in the 1970s. more than half of Russian families adhered to the principles of equality and mutual respect. The forecasts of N. Smelser and E. Giddens about the post-industrial future of the family are interesting. According to N. Smelser, there will be no return to the traditional family. The modern family will change, partially losing or changing some functions, although the family’s monopoly on regulating intimate relationships, childbirth and caring for young children will remain in the future. At the same time, there will be a partial disintegration of even relatively stable functions. Thus, the reproduction function will be carried out by unmarried women. Child education centers will be more involved in socialization. Friendly disposition and emotional support can be found not only in the family. E. Giddens notes a steady trend of weakening the regulatory function of the family in relation to sexual life, but believes that marriage and family will remain strong institutions.

The family as a socio-biological system is analyzed from the perspective of functionalism and conflict theory. The family, on the one hand, is closely connected with society through its functions, and on the other, all family members are interconnected by consanguinity and social relations. It should be noted that the family is also a bearer of contradictions both with society and between its members. Family life is associated with resolving contradictions between husband, wife and children, relatives, and surrounding people regarding the performance of functions, even if it is based on love and respect.

In a family, as in society, there is not only unity, integrity and harmony, but also a struggle of interests. The nature of conflicts can be understood from the perspective of exchange theory, which implies that all family members should strive for equal exchange in their relationships. Tension and conflict arise because someone does not receive the expected “reward.” The source of the conflict may be the low salary of one of the family members, drunkenness, violence, sexual dissatisfaction, etc. A strong severity of disturbances in metabolic processes leads to family disintegration.

The problems of the modern Russian family generally coincide with global problems. Among them:

an increase in the number of divorces and an increase in single families (mainly with a “single mother”);

a decrease in the number of registered marriages and an increase in the number of civil marriages;

reduction in birth rates;

an increase in the number of children born out of wedlock;

changes in the distribution of family responsibilities due to the growing involvement of women in labor activity requiring joint participation of both parents in raising children and organizing everyday life;

increase in the number of dysfunctional families.

The most pressing problem is dysfunctional families, arising for socio-economic, psychological, pedagogical or biological (for example, disability) reasons. Stand out the following types of dysfunctional families:

Dysfunctional families deform the personalities of children, causing anomalies in both the psyche and behavior, for example, early alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, vagrancy and other forms of deviant behavior.

One more actual problem family is the increase in the number of divorces. In our country, along with freedom of marriage, there is also the right of spouses to divorce. According to statistics, currently 2 out of 3 marriages break up. But this indicator varies depending on the place of residence and age of people. So in big cities there are more divorces than in rural areas. The peak number of divorces falls at the ages of 25-30 and 40-45 years.

As the number of divorces increases, the likelihood that they will be compensated by remarriage becomes less and less. Only 10-15% of women with children remarry. As a result, the number of single-parent families is increasing. So what is divorce? Some say - evil, others - deliverance from evil. In order to find out, you need to analyze big circle questions: how does a divorced person live? Is he happy with the divorce? How have your living conditions and health changed? How was your relationship with your children? Is he thinking about remarrying? It is very important to find out the fate of a divorced woman and man, as well as a child from a broken family. It’s not for nothing that they say that divorce is like an iceberg in the sea: only a small part of the reasons are visible on the surface, but the bulk of them are hidden in the depths of the souls of the divorced.

According to statistics, divorce cases are initiated mainly at the request of women, because... A woman in our time has become independent, she works, can support her family herself and does not want to put up with her husband’s shortcomings. At the same time, the woman does not think that she herself is not ideal and whether she is worthy of a perfect man. Her imagination paints her with such a perfect ideal, which never occurs in real life.

There are no words that a drunken husband is a misfortune for the family, wife, children. Especially when he beats his wife and children, takes money from the family, does not raise children, etc. Divorce in these cases is necessary to protect the family from moral and material devastation. In addition to drunkenness, the reasons why wives file for divorce may be their husband’s infidelity or male selfishness. Sometimes a man simply forces his wife to file for divorce by his behavior. He treats her with disdain, does not tolerate her weaknesses, does not help with household chores, etc. Among the reasons why husbands file for divorce are his wife’s infidelity or his love for another woman. But the main reason for divorce is the unpreparedness of spouses for family life. The young spouses are faced with everyday and financial problems. In the first years of married life, young people get to know each other more, shortcomings that they tried to hide before the wedding are revealed, and the spouses adapt to each other.

Young spouses often unnecessarily hastily resort to divorce as a way to resolve any conflicts, including those that can be overcome at first. This “easy” attitude towards family breakdown is due to the fact that divorce has already become commonplace. At the time of marriage, there is a clear intention to divorce if at least one of the spouses is not satisfied with their life together. The reason for divorce may also be the reluctance of one of the spouses to have a child. These cases are rare, but they do happen. In sociological surveys, more than half of men and women would like to remarry. Only a small part preferred solitude. American sociologists Carter and Glick report that 10 times more unmarried men are hospitalized than married men, the mortality rate of unmarried men is 3 times higher, and the mortality rate of unmarried women is 2 times higher than that of married women. Many men, like many women, easily go for divorce, but then experience its consequences very hard. In divorces, besides the spouses, there are also interested parties - children. They suffer psychological trauma, which parents often do not think about.

In addition to moral disadvantages, divorce also has negative material aspects. When the husband leaves the family, the wife and child experience financial difficulties. There is also a problem with housing. But the possibility of family reunification is quite real for many rashly separated couples. Deep down, each spouse wants to have their own good family. And for this, those who get married need to learn mutual understanding, overcome petty egoism, and improve the culture of relationships in the family. At the state level, in order to prevent divorces, it is necessary to create and expand a system of preparing young people for marriage, as well as a socio-psychological service to help families and single people.

To support the family, the state creates family policy, which includes a set of practical measures that give families with children certain social guarantees for the purpose of family functioning in the interests of society. In all countries of the world, the family is recognized as the most important social institution in which new generations are born and raised, where their socialization takes place. World practice includes a number of social support measures:

provision of family benefits;

payment of maternity leave for women;

medical care for women during pregnancy and childbirth;

monitoring the health of infants and children younger age;

provision of parental leave;

benefits for single-parent families;

tax benefits, low-interest loans (or subsidies) for purchasing or renting housing and some others.

Assistance to families from the state can be different and depends on a number of factors, including the economic well-being of the state. The Russian state provides basically similar forms of assistance to families, but their scale in modern conditions is insufficient.

Russian society faces the need to solve a number of priority problems in the field of family relations, including:

1) overcoming negative trends and stabilizing the financial situation of Russian families; reducing poverty and increasing assistance to disabled family members;

2) strengthening support for the family from the state as a natural environment for children’s livelihoods; ensuring safe motherhood and child health.

To solve these problems, it is necessary to increase spending on social support for families, increase the efficiency of their use, and improve legislation to protect the rights and interests of the family, women, children and youth.

the following elements:

1) a network of educational institutions;

2) social communities (teachers and students);

3) educational process.

Highlight the following types of educational institutions(state and non-state):

1) preschool;

2) general education (primary, basic, secondary);

3) professional (primary, secondary and higher);

4) postgraduate professional education;

5) special (correctional) institutions - for children with developmental disabilities;

6) institutions for orphans.

As for preschool education, sociology proceeds from the fact that the foundations of a person’s upbringing, his hard work, many others moral qualities are laid in early childhood. In general, the importance of preschool education is underestimated. Too often it is overlooked that this is an extremely important stage in a person’s life, at which the fundamental foundation of a person’s personal qualities is laid. And the point is not in quantitative indicators of “reaching” children or satisfying the desires of parents. Kindergartens, nurseries, and factories are not just a means of “looking after” children, their mental, moral and physical development takes place here. With the transition to teaching children from the age of 6, kindergartens faced new problems - organizing activities preparatory groups so that children can normally enter the school rhythm of life and have self-care skills.

From the point of view of sociology, the analysis of society’s orientation towards supporting preschool forms of education, the willingness of parents to resort to their help to prepare children for work and the rational organization of their social and personal life is of particular importance. To understand the specifics of this form of education, the position and value orientations of those people who work with children - educators, service personnel - are especially significant, as well as their readiness, understanding and desire to fulfill the responsibilities and hopes assigned to them.

Unlike preschool education and upbringing, which does not cover every child, secondary school is aimed at preparing all the younger generation, without exception, for life. In the conditions of the Soviet period, starting from the 60s, the principle of universality of complete secondary education was implemented in order to provide young people with an equal start when entering an independent working life. There is no such provision in the new Constitution of the Russian Federation. And if in Soviet school Because of the requirement to give every young person a secondary education, percentage mania, postscripts, and artificially inflated academic performance flourished, then in Russian schools the number of school dropouts is growing, which over time will affect the intellectual potential of society.

But even in this situation, the sociology of education is still aimed at studying the values of general education, the guidelines of parents and children, their reaction to the introduction of new forms of education, because for a young person, graduating from a comprehensive school is also the moment of choosing a future life path, profession, occupation. By choosing one of the options, a school graduate thereby gives preference to one or another type of vocational education. But what motivates him to choose the trajectory of his future life path, what influences this choice and how it changes throughout his life is one of the most important problems of sociology.

A special place is occupied by the study of professional education - vocational, secondary special and higher. Vocational and technical education is most directly related to the needs of production, with an operational and relatively fast form of integrating young people into life. It is directly carried out within large production organizations or the state education system. Having emerged in 1940 as factory apprenticeship (FZU), vocational education has gone through a complex and tortuous path of development. And despite various costs (attempts to transfer the entire system to a combination of complete and special education in training the necessary professions, poor consideration of regional and national characteristics), vocational training remains the most important channel for obtaining a profession. For the sociology of education, knowledge of the motives of students, the effectiveness of teaching, and its role in improving the skills of real participation in solving national economic problems are important.

At the same time, sociological studies continue to record the relatively low (and in a number of professions, low) prestige of this type of education, because the orientation of school graduates towards obtaining specialized secondary and higher education continues to prevail.

As for secondary specialized and higher education, it is important for sociology to identify the social status of these types of education for young people, assess the opportunities and roles in future adult life, the correspondence of subjective aspirations and objective needs of society, the quality and effectiveness of training.

Particularly pressing is the issue of the professionalism of future specialists, ensuring that the quality and level of their modern training meets the realities of today. However, sociological research shows that many problems have accumulated in this regard. The stability of professional interests of young people continues to remain low. According to research by sociologists, up to 60% of university graduates change their profession.

In addition to those already mentioned, before Russian education are also worth following problems:

the problem of optimizing the interaction between the individual and society as finding a balance between social-normative pressure and the individual’s desire for socio-psychological autonomy, overcoming the inconsistency of the “needs” of the social order and the interests of the individual (student, teacher, parent);

the problem of overcoming the disintegration of the content of school education in the process of creating and implementing a new socio-educational paradigm that can become the starting point in the formation of a holistic picture of the world in the student;

problems of coordination and integration of pedagogical technologies;

formation of the development of problem thinking in students through a gradual shift from monologue to dialogical communication in the classroom;

the problem of overcoming the irreducibility of learning outcomes in various types of educational institutions through the development and introduction of uniform educational standards based on a comprehensive systematic analysis of the educational process.

In this regard, modern Russian education faces next tasks.

Implemented in the Russian Federation two types educational programs :

1) general education (basic and additional) - aimed at developing general culture personality and its adaptation to life in society;

2) professional (basic and additional) - aimed at training specialists of appropriate qualifications.

Law of the Russian Federation “On Education” guarantees:

1) general availability and free of charge of primary general (4 classes), basic general (9 classes), secondary (complete) general (11 classes) and primary vocational education;

2) on a competitive basis, free secondary and higher professional and postgraduate education (postgraduate studies) in state and municipal educational institutions, if a person is receiving education for the first time.

Education performs in society essential functions:

1) humanistic- identification and development of the intellectual, moral and physical potential of the individual;

2) professional and economic- training of qualified specialists;

3) socio-political- acquisition of a certain social status;

4) cultural - the individual’s assimilation of the culture of society, the development of his creative abilities;

5) adaptation - preparing the individual for life and work in society.

The current education system in Russia is still poorly shaped by high spiritual needs and aesthetic tastes, strong immunity to lack of spirituality, “mass culture”. The role of social science disciplines, literature, and art lessons remains insignificant. Study of the historical past, truthful coverage of complex and controversial stages national history poorly combined with an independent search for one’s own answers to the questions that life poses. Global sociocultural changes in the world, the so-called civilizational shifts, are increasingly revealing the discrepancy between the existing education system and emerging social needs on the eve of a new anthropogenic reality. This discrepancy causes attempts to reform the educational system in our country from time to time.

Security questions

Describe the concept of “social institution”.

What is the main difference between a social organization and a social institution?

What elements does a social institution consist of?

What types of social institutions do you know?

Name the functions of social institutions.

List the functions of the family.

What types of family can you name?

What are the main problems of the modern family?

Describe education as a social institution.

What problems are facing Russian education at present?

7. Integral sociology p. Sorokin.

8. Development of sociological thought in modern Russia.

9. The concept of social realism (E. Durkheim)

10. Understanding sociology (m. Weber)

11. Structural-functional analysis (Parsons, Merton)

12. Conflictological direction in sociology (Dahrendorf)

13. Symbolic interactionism (Mead, Homans)

14. Observation, types of observations, document analysis, scientific experiment in applied sociology.

15.Interview, focus group, questionnaire, types of questionnaires.

16. Sampling, types and methods of sampling.

17. Signs of social action. The structure of social action: actor, motive, goal of action, result.

18.Social interactions. Types of social interactions according to Weber.

19. Cooperation, competition, conflict.

20. Concept and functions of social control. Basic elements of social control.

21.Formal and informal control. The concept of agents of social control. Conformity.

22. Concept and social signs of deviation. Theories of deviation. Forms of deviation.

23.Mass consciousness. Mass actions, forms of mass behavior (riot, hysteria, rumors, panic); features of behavior in a crowd.

24. Concept and characteristics of society. Societies as a system. Subsystems of society, their functions and relationships.

25. Main types of societies: traditional, industrial, post-industrial. Formational and civilizational approaches to the development of society.

28. The concept of family, its main characteristics. Family functions. Family classification by: composition, distribution of power, place of residence.

30.International division of labor, transnational corporations.

31. The concept of globalization. Factors in the globalization process, electronic means of communication, technology development, formation of global ideologies.

32.Social consequences of globalization. Global problems of our time: “North-South”, “War-Peace”, environmental, demographic.

33. Russia’s place in the modern world. The role of Russia in the processes of globalization.

34. Social group and its varieties (primary, secondary, internal, external, referent).

35. Concept and characteristics of a small group. Dyad and triad. The structure of a small social group and leadership relationships. Team.

36.The concept of social community. Demographic, territorial, ethnic communities.

37. Concept and types of social norms. Concept and types of sanctions. Types of sanctions.

38. Social stratification, social inequality and social differentiation.

39.Historical types of stratification. Slavery, caste system, class system, class system.

40. Criteria for stratification in modern society: income and property, power, prestige, education.

41. System of stratification of modern Western society: upper, middle and lower classes.

42. System of stratification of modern Russian society. Features of the formation of the upper, middle and lower classes. Basic social layer.

43. The concept of social status, types of statuses (prescribed, achieved, mixed). Status personality set. Status incompatibility.

44. The concept of mobility. Types of mobility: individual, group, intergenerational, intragenerational, vertical, horizontal. Channels of mobility: income, education, marriage, army, church.

45. Progress, regression, evolution, revolution, reform: concept, essence.

46.Definition of culture. Components of culture: norms, values, symbols, language. Definitions and characteristics of folk, elite and mass culture.

47.Subculture and counterculture. Functions of culture: cognitive, communicative, identification, adaptive, regulating.

48. Man, individual, personality, individuality. Normative personality, modal personality, ideal personality.

49. Personality theories of Z. Freud, J. Mead.

51. Need, motive, interest. Social role, role behavior, role conflict.

52.Public opinion and civil society. Structural elements of public opinion and factors influencing its formation. The role of public opinion in the formation of civil society.

26. Social institution. Elements of a social institution (values, roles, norms)

A social institution is a social invention of man. Human safety, education, health, economic activity, recreation, etc. - all these phenomena make up the everyday and everyday meaning of our life. These phenomena moved into a social institution, became institutionalized, i.e. acquired a guaranteed, stable and organized character. The institutional is opposed to the chaotic, random and unstable.

A social institution is a long-term social practice that is supported and sanctioned through social norms, and also exists through the implementation of its functions through which it satisfies the needs and interests of society and its social elements.

Volkov Yu.G. noted that sociologists view institutions as a stable set of norms, rules, symbols that regulate various spheres of human life and organize them into a system of roles and statuses, with the help of which basic life and social needs are satisfied. Each institution is built around a standard solution to a specific set of problems. The Institute of Family pays main attention to the reproduction, socialization and material support of children; economic institutions - production and sale of goods and services; political institutions - protecting citizens from each other and from external enemies; religious institutions - strengthening social solidarity and harmony; educational institutions - transfer of cultural heritage from generation to generation. Of course, this classification is too simplified. One institution may be multifunctional, while several institutions may be involved in the same function.

According to the typical definition of sociologists, an institution includes both the concept of cultural models (patterns) and the concept of social structure.

Thus, institutions are, firstly, more or less standard solutions (cultural models) that serve as a guide for people in solving problems of social life and, secondly, relatively stable systems of relations that characterize people when they actually implement these decisions. In this sense, a set of cultural models (a set of rules, values and symbols) establishes the behavior expected of us as a specific person (for example, a student) in relation to other persons (teacher, dean, assistant). This set of cultural models determines the individual’s place in the system of relationships. The concept of a social institution, then, means that we are united within systems of relationships (groups) in which we interact with each other (play a role) based on mutual understanding (cultural patterns) that determine the behavior expected of us as of this type people (status).

Signs of a social institution:

1) a clear distribution of functions, rights and responsibilities of participants in institutional interaction, each must properly perform their function, therefore the behavior of an individual within a social institution has a high degree of predictability;

2) division of labor and professionalization of functions;

3) a special type of regulation of the actions of individuals included in a social institution;

4) a certain mechanism for regulating the behavior of individuals due to social norms and social control;

5) the presence of institutions within which the activities of the social institution are organized. Institute of Health – hospitals, clinics, etc.

6) each institution must have its own funds and resources necessary to carry out its activities.

Any social institution arises and functions, fulfilling a certain social need. If such a need becomes insignificant or disappears completely, then the existence of a social institution becomes meaningless, inhibiting social life. His activities gradually cease. With the emergence of new social needs that become stable and permanent, new social institutions emerge. The process of establishing institutions is called institutionalization.

Volkov Yu.G. noted that institutionalization is a process when a certain social need begins to be recognized as general social, and not private, and for its implementation in society, special norms of behavior are established, personnel are trained, and resources are allocated.

The famous sociologist G. Lenski identified a number of key social needs that give rise to processes of institutionalization: the need for communication (language, education, communications, transport); the need for the production of products and services; the need for the distribution of benefits (and privileges); the need for the safety of citizens, the protection of their lives and well-being; the need to maintain a system of inequality (placement of social groups according to positions, statuses depending on different criteria); the need for social control over the behavior of members of society (religion, morality, law, penitentiary system).

Stages of institutionalization:

1) the emergence of social needs, the implementation of which requires joint organized actions;

2) the emergence of constantly recurring social actions and norms that regulate them;

3) acceptance of these norms;

4) establishing sanctions to maintain norms and rules, creating a system of statuses and roles for individuals included in a social institution.

An institutional crisis is a reverse process that characterizes a decline in the authority of a given institution, for example a family, and a decrease in trust in it. The cause of the crisis is the inability of this institution to effectively perform its main functions, for example, education - to teach children, medicine - to treat people, families - to strengthen marriage bonds and raise children. At the same time, institutional norms exist, they are proclaimed, but are not respected by society. The consequence of such a crisis is the redistribution of functions. For example, in the mid-80s in Russia there was a crisis in secondary schools, which could no longer cope with preparing graduates for university, and tutors immediately appeared - an institution of intermediaries. Crises occur constantly; they represent the natural state of the institution. The crisis of political institutions is manifested in a decrease in public confidence in them. It is known that in transforming societies there is a growing mass distrust of citizens towards political parties, as to civil institutions in general. More than 2/3 of Russians surveyed in December 1998 did not trust virtually any institution. A crisis reveals problems that have arisen in the functioning mechanism of an institution and helps to get rid of them, and as a result, better adapt to a changing reality. Without crises there can be no development of the institution.

The activities of social institutions are functional if they contribute to maintaining stability and fully satisfy the needs of society and its social elements. The activities of social institutions are dysfunctional if they do not satisfy the needs of society and cause harm to it.

Types of social institutions according to the degree of their formalization:

1) informal – activities are carried out on the basis of informal relations and norms. For example, the institution of friendship - the regulation of behavior is not formalized in laws, administrative regulations, etc., although there are certain sanctions and control.

2) formal - activities are carried out on the basis of formally agreed rules, laws, regulations and regulations. Their functioning is quite often regulated and controlled by the state, because they determine the strength of society.

Types of social institutions according to the functions they perform:

1) economic - the most stable, subject to strict regulation, carrying out the production and distribution of goods and services, division of labor, regulation of money circulation. (Institutes of industry, agriculture, finance, trade, etc.)

2) political – implementation and control, distribution of power, activities of political parties, distribution of power, activities of parties. Ensures the reproduction of ideological values (state, army, parties).

3) sociocultural and educational - reproduction, distribution of cultural and spiritual values, socialization of the younger generation, transfer of scientific knowledge and professional skills to them (education, science, art).

4) the institution of family - reproduction and education of new generations, ensuring the reproduction of the social structure of society.

5) normative-sanctioning - regulate social behavior on the basis of norms, rules and regulations enshrined in legal and regulatory acts (police, court).

Society is an integral system of interconnected institutions. The interdependence of social institutions is expressed in the fact that the same person is included in different social institutions. In the institution of family - is a father, mother, son, sister, etc. In a political institution - a voter, in an economic institution - an employee of an enterprise. At the same time, each social institution has autonomy. It is expressed in relative independence, because each of them solves specialized problems. External autonomy is expressed in the presence of separate professions and institutions that are not inherent in other social institutions. Internal autonomy - the norms regulating the activities of a social institution have significant originality and specificity. For example, the norms that govern relationships at work differ significantly from the norms in the family.

Changes in social institutions:

1) changes arise as a result of the emergence of new needs in society and its social elements;

2) changes cannot affect only part of a social institution, because disorganization of one of the structures of a social institution leads to a change in the entire social institution. The domino effect.

3) changes in a social institution carry the risk of its discord.

4) for a systematic change in a social institution, it is necessary to interest people in this so that they recognize the need for these changes.

5) changes must be legitimate.

6) in changes that are not legitimate in nature, the action can be performed by the government, which is capable of imposing new norms and rules of behavior, redistributing rights, responsibilities and privileges

An important structure-forming element of society is social institutions. The term “institute” itself (from Lat. institutum- establishment, establishment) was borrowed from jurisprudence, where it was used to characterize a certain set of legal norms. This concept was first introduced into sociological science by G. Spencer. He believed that every social institution develops as a stable structure of “social actions.”

In modern sociology there are different definitions of this concept. Thus, the Russian sociologist Yu. Levada defines a “social institution” as “something similar to an organ in a living organism: it is a unit of human activity that remains stable over a certain period of time and ensures the stability of the entire social system.” In Western sociology, a social institution is most often understood as a stable set of formal and informal rules, principles, norms, guidelines that regulate various spheres of human activity and organize them into a system of roles and statuses.

Despite all the differences in such definitions, the following can serve as a generalization: social institutions- these are historically established stable forms of organizing joint activities of people, designed to ensure the reproduction of social relations. reliability and regularity of meeting the basic needs of society. Thanks to social institutions, stability and order are achieved in society, and predictability of people's behavior becomes possible.

There are many social institutions that appear in society as products of social life. The process of forming a social institution, which involves defining and consolidating social norms, rules, statuses and roles and bringing them into a system capable of satisfying socially significant needs, is called institutionalization.

This process includes several successive steps:

the emergence of a need, the satisfaction of which requires joint organized action;

formation of common goals;

the emergence of social norms and rules in the course of spontaneous social interaction, implemented by trial and error;

the emergence of procedures related to norms and regulations;

formalization of norms, rules, procedures, i.e. their acceptance and practical application;

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

creation of a system of corresponding statuses and roles;

organizational design of the emerging institutional structure.

Structure of a social institution

The result of institutionalization is the creation, in accordance with the norms and rules, of a clear status and role structure, socially approved by the majority of participants in this process. If we talk about structure of social institutions, then they most often have a certain set of constituent elements, depending on the type of institution. Jan Szczepanski identified the following structural elements of a social institution:

the purpose and scope of the institute;

functions necessary 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, including appropriate sanctions.

Common and fundamental for all social institutions function is meeting social needs, for the sake of which it is created and exists. But to carry out this function, each institution performs other functions in relation to its participants, including: 1) consolidating and reproducing social relations; 2) regulatory; 3) integrative: 4) broadcasting; 5) communicative.

The activities of any social institution are considered functional if they benefit society and contribute to its stability and integration. If a social institution does not fulfill its main functions, then they talk about it dysfunction. It can be expressed in a decline in social prestige, the authority of a social institution and, as a consequence, lead to its degeneration.

The functions and dysfunctions of social institutions can be obvious, if they are obvious and understood by everyone, and implicit (latent) in cases where they are hidden. For sociology, it is important to identify hidden functions, since they can lead not only to increased tension in society, but also to disorganization of the social system as a whole.

Depending on the goals and objectives, as well as the functions performed in society, the entire variety of social institutions is usually divided into basic And non-main (private). Among the first to satisfy the fundamental needs of society are:

institutions of family and marriage - the need for the reproduction of the human race;

political institutions - in safety and social order;

economic institutions - in ensuring livelihoods;

institutes of science, education, culture - in obtaining and transmitting knowledge, socialization;

institutions of religion, social integration- in solving spiritual problems, searching for the meaning of life.