1. What is a social institution?
Chapter 10
What is a social institution?
• Social institutionsare a systemof behavioral andrelationshippatternsthatare densely
interwovenandenduring,andfunction acrossanentire society.Theyorderandstructure the
behaviorof individualsbymeansof theirnormative character.
• A social institutionisacomplex,integratedsetof social normsorganizedaroundthe
preservationof abasicsocietal value.
ElementsofSocial Institution
• A Group of People
• Unitedby common interests
• Having material resources
• Having norms
• Fulfill some social need
Characteristics ofSocial Institutions
• Social institutionsare patternsof behaviorgroupedaboutthe central needsof humanbeingsin
society.Inall societies,the institutionof familyplaysacentral role.
• Social institutionsare thereforesocial patternsdirectingthe orderedbehaviorof humanbeings
inthe performance of theirbasicactivities.
• The continuityof institutional practicesisfurtherassuredbythe developmentof rituals.
• The central aspectsof institutionsare the functionstheyperformandthe pattern,establishedto
carry out the functions.
• The claimof institutionsuponthe membersare alsoknownas loyalties.The institutionsof a
societyare connectedina close endinterdependentpattern.Institutionsare connectedthrough
statusand role of the members.
Characteristics ofSocial InstitutionsContinued
• Institutionsare the mostimportantagencies (force,power) inthe formationof personality.
• Social institutionsare the greatconserversandtransmittersof cultural heritage.
• Cultural heritage isthustransmittedthroughsocial interaction.

2. General functionsofSocial Institutions
• 1.InstitutionSatisfy the Basic NeedsofSociety.
• 2. InstitutiondefinesdominantSocial Values.
• 3.Socialization
• 4.InstitutionsEstablish PermanentPatterns of Social Behavior
• 5.Preservationof Social Order.
• 6.InstitutionsSupport Other Institutions.
• 7.InstitutionsProvide Roles for Individuals.
Types ofSocial Institutions
• There are five BasicTypesof Social Institutions.
• 1.Family
• 2.Government
• 3.Economy
• 4.Education
• 5.Religion.
1. Family
• A fundamental social groupinsocietytypicallyconsistingof one ortwoparentsand their
children.
• Two or more people whoshare goalsandvalues,have long-termcommitmentstoone another,
and reside usuallyinthe same dwellingplace.
Functionsof Family
• The control andregulationof discreetinterrelationship behavior.
• To provide fornewmembersof society(children).
• To provide forthe economicandemotional maintenance of individuals.
• To provide forprimarysocializationof children.
• To provide asense of identityorbelongingamongitsmembers.

3. • To transmitculture betweengenerations
Types ofFamily
• Patrilocal or Matrilocal Family
• Nuclearor elementaryFamily
• Consanguine Family
• Conjugal Family
• Patriarchal or Matriarchal Family
Types offamily explained
• Patrilocal: Relatingtoa patternof marriage in whichthe couple settlesinthe husband'shome
or community.
• Matrilocal: Of or denotingacustom inmarriage wherebythe husbandgoestolive withthe
wife'scommunity.
• Nuclearor Elementaryfamily:The nuclear familyor elementary familyisatermused
to define afamily groupconsistingof a pairof adultsandtheirchildren.Or
• The nuclear familyor elementary familyisaterm usedto define afamilygroup consistingof a
pair of adultsand theirchildren.Thisisincontrastto a single-parentfamily,tothe larger
extended family,andtoa familywithmore than twoparents.
• The Consanguine Family:It isthe firststeptoward the family.Here the marriage groupsare
arrangedby generations:all the grand-fathersandgrand-motherswithinacertainfamilyare
mutuallyhusbandsandwives;andequallytheirchildren,the fathersandmothers,whose
childrenforma thirdcycle of mutual mates.
• A consanguine marriage or consanguineousmarriage or unionis a marriage between
twobloodrelativesof the same blood,descendingfromthe same ancestor. Alsoknownas
CousinMarriage.
Conjugal Family
• Relatingtomarriage or the relationshipbetweenamarriedcouple.
• The word conjugalcomesfromthe Latinword, conjux,meaning"husband,wife."You’ve no
doubtheardof the term“conjugalvisits,”todescribe private visitsbetweenaprisoneranda
spouse.Butitcan describe anythingthathappensbetweenmarriedpeople,suchasconjugal

4. obligations,whichare the thingsyoudoto keepa marriage going,or justgeneral conjugal,or
married,life.
Patriarchal or Matriarchal Family
• “A formof social organizationinwhichthe male isthe familyheadandtitle istracedthroughthe
male line"- inotherwordsa familywhere the fatheristhe authorityfigure andeveryone gains
hisapproval or followshisinstructions.
• A matriarchal familyisthe opposite wherethe motherrulesthe roost.
Mates Selection
• Exogamy (the customof marryingoutside acommunity,clan,ortribe).
• Endogamy (the customof marrying onlywithinthe limitsof alocal community,clan,or tribe)
• Polygamy (the practice or customof havingmore thanone wife orhusbandat the same time).
• Monogamy (the practice of marryingor state of beingmarriedtoone personat a time).
• Polyandry (polygamyinwhichawomanhas more than one husband).
• Group Marriage (A formof polyamory) isamarriage-likearrangementbetweenmore thantwo
people.Usuallyconsistingof three tosix adults,all partnerslive together,share finances,
children,andhouseholdresponsibilities).
Economic Institutions
• Economic Institutionsare the setof norms relatedto productionof goods and services.
• Economic Institutionsis an aspect of theoretical and particle.
• Economic Institutionsare very important for almost all Groups.
• Economic growth and developmenthaschangedthe pattern of interactionof people all over
the world.
Functionsof Economic Institutions
• 1. Provide methodsfor the productionof goods and services.
• 2. Provide methodsfor the distributionofgoods and services.
• 3. Enable society’smembersto consume goods and serviceswhichare produced.
• 4. To Control and regulate goods and services.

5. • 5. Divisionoflabour
Political Institutions(Government)
• Setof normspertainingtothe distributionof powerandauthorityconcerningthe management
of control of societytobringorder inlife.
• A sociologistisinterestedinPoliticsbecauseitdealswith political behavior,publicopinions,
publicrelations,pressure groupsetc…
• Structure of Government
• 1. Executive
• 2. Legislative
• 3. Judiciary
Functionsof Government
• The Institutionalizationof norms(Laws).
• The enforcementof laws.
• The adjudication of conflict(Court).
• Provide forthe welfare of membersof society.
• Protectionof Societyfromexternalthreat.
Educational Institutions
• Refertothe setof normscenteredroundthe teachingandlearningaimingatthe adjustmentof
individualstothe environment.
• EducationissynonymouswithSocialization.
• Formal Education
• Informal Education
Educational Institution
• Transmittingculture.
• Preparationforoccupational roles
• Evaluatingandselectingcompetentindividuals
• Transmittingfunctional skillsforfunctioninginsociety.

6. • To minimize the cultural laginsociety
• It increase social mobilityinsociety
ReligiousInstitutions
• ReligiousInstitutionisthe systemof believesandpracticesinfluencinghumaneventswhere
man ishelplesstoexplainthem.
• Supernaturalismandsacrednessare the twomainelementsof ReligiousInstitution.
Functionsof Religion
• 1. Providingsolutionsforunexplainednatural,phenomena.
• 2. Supplyingameansforcontrollingthe natural world.
• 3. Religiontendstosupportthe normative structure of the society.
• 4. Furnishingapsychological diversionfromunwantedlifesituations.
• 5. Sustainingthe existing classstructure.
• 6. Religionservesasaninstrumentof socialization.
• 7. Religionmaybothpromote andretardsocial change.
Amjad khan Afridi