Theories
Because social institutions are one of the major components of the social structure, they have been studied extensively by Sociologists. As you learned earlier in this course, different Sociologists ascribe to different theoretical perspectives. Two of the perspectives used to study social institutions are the Functionalist Theory and the Conflict Theory.
The functionalist theory emphasizes that social institutions exist because they perform five essential tasks:
1. Replacing members
2. Teaching new members
3. Producing, distributing, and consuming goods and services
4. Preserving order
5. Providing and maintaining a sense of purpose
Task #1 - Replacing members
Societies and groups must have socially approved ways of replacing members who move away or die. The social institution of the family provides the structure for legitimated sexual activity--and thus procreation--between adults.
Task #2 - Teaching new members
People who are born into a society or move into it must learn the group's values and customs. The family is essential in teaching new members, but other social institutions, like religion and education, educate new members as well. This is the primary function of the social institution of education. In many societies, schools have been developed in order to educate the members of the society.
Task #3 - Producing, distributing, and consuming goods and services
All societies must provide and distribute goods and services for their members. The economy is the primary social institution fulfilling this need; the government is often involved in the regulation of economic activity.
Task #4 - Preserving order
Every group or society must preserve order within its boundaries and protect itself from attack by outsiders. The government legitimates the creation of law enforcement agencies to preserve internal order and some form of military for external defense.
Task #5 - Providing and maintaining a sense of purpose
In order to motivate people to cooperate with one another, a sense of purpose is needed. Many social institutions provide people with a sense of purpose, like family, sports and religion. This is the main function for the social institution of voluntary associations.
A voluntary association is a group or organization that people may join or leave freely; it is free of external control, and its purpose, goals, and methods are up to the members to determine.
Sociologically, voluntary associations are often seen as crucial to the functioning of democracy, especially by providing a way for individuals to become involved in public life beyond the privacy of home and family.
Although this list of functional prerequisites is shared by all societies, the institutions in each society perform these tasks in somewhat different ways depending on their specific cultural values and norms. For example, when traveling to another country, you can expect their government, economy, and public officers to function different from the way ours do in the United States.
Conflict theorists agree with functionalists that social institutions are originally organized to meet basic social needs. However, they do not believe that social institutions work for the common good of everyone in society. For example, the homeless lack the power and resources to promote their own interests when they are opposed by dominant social groups. From the conflict perspective, social institutions such as the government maintain the privileges of the wealthy and powerful while contributing to the powerlessness of others.
Another example can be seen by examining U.S. government policies in urban areas. These policies have benefited some people but exacerbated the problems of others. Urban renewal and transportation projects have caused the destruction of low-cost housing and put large numbers of people "on the street."
Similarly, the shift in governmental policies toward the mentally ill and welfare recipients has resulted in more people struggling--and often failing--to find affordable housing. Meanwhile, many wealthy and privileged bankers, investors, developers, and builders have benefited at the expense of the low-income casualties of those policies.
