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Social Institutions

Muhammad Yaqoob
RN, BScN
Lecturer Nursing
Institute of Nursing
Dow University of Health Sciences
November 29, 2013
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Todays Objectives
At the end of todays session learners will be able to:
1. Clarify the concept of social institution and discuss the
relevant concepts.
2. Discuss in detail the various social institutions including there
structure, functions and importance.
3. Delineate the difference among Social Institutions e.g.
Family-types function, marriage, caste, family relationship,
divorce etc.;
Religious beliefs, superstitious etc.
Political system - autocratic, democratic, dictatorship;
Legal system: Recreation, Educational system.

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Definition of Social Institutions
What is Social Institution?

. Social institutions are those ways of inter-relationship in society
which are eternal and acknowledge by the society. (C.L.Wood)

. Social institution is the name of inter co-ordination of social
relationships. ( Young and Mac )

. Social institutions represent the social structure and machinery
through which human society organizes, directs and executes the
multifarious activities, required to satisfy human needs. ( H.L
Barners )
Social Institutions: Cultural Universals
Family
Religion
Political institutions
Educational institutions
Economic institutions
Legal system
Recreation

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Social Institutions
In sociology an important concept
Considered more important than individuals.
Determine the standard of human character. Although
theoretically social institutions seem to be simple, but
practically they are very complicated.
The functions of almost all social institutions are
more or less universal. e.g. in all societies the
functions of the family are same such as breeding,
raring and caring of the childrens and education etc.
Strengthen the human relationships.


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Social Institutions
social institutions are an abstract which have no visible
structure, it can be understood or viewed by observing
the roles and functions of its members unconsciously.

The main functions of these institutions is to preserve
the activities of human beings.
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Structure of Social institution
By structure of social institution it should be noted the
structure is a consist of those ways of acting and techniques
of the persons according to them they undertake their duties.
The structure of social institutions is based on following
elements.

1) Individuals-: Different members of society perform
different Economic functions on account of which the
society is divided into different stratas such as Teacher,
Manager, Engineer, Former etc. e.g. the family is consist of
childrens and parents similarly religious institution is
consist of followers and clergy.
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( Continue ) Structure of Social institution
2) Material Structure-: The 2
nd
important element of social
institutions is the material structure where by the member perform
their functions. e.g. in economic institutions we include machines,
forms, and stationery etc. for family we include house and furniture
etc. for religious institutions the places where the members worship
are included such as Mosque, Temple, Church.

3) System-: system is aggregation of those ways which organizes the
people and material structure of the particular social institution.
These ways guide the human character under the certain principles.
e.g. in political institutions there are different system such as
democracy, monarchy and socialism etc are adopted. Economic
institutions may adopt capitalism or socialism. In Religious
institutions there are variety of religions available such as Islam,
Christianity, Buddhism etc. in Family there are also systems for
instance single or multi marriages systems.
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Important Social Institutions



Family
Family and kinship
Family:
The family is the most basic unit of all social institutions;
it is the building block of any society.

-A kinship grouping which provides for the rearing of the children and
for certain other human needs.
(Horton and Hunt)

-The family is kin base cooperative unit.
(Broom and Selzink)

Kinship.
Kinship is a relationship which give a sense of common origin. A
common ancestry is the general basis of kinship. Kinship can be
defined as tracing ancestry only in the father's line.
Kinship
Defined as the network in which people are
related to one another through blood, marriage
and other ties. Kinship is a kind of social
relationship that ties people and is universally
found in all societies.
Kinship can be created through three ways:
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1) Through blood: this is the principle of
consanguinity. A consanguine is a person who
is related to another person through blood.
Consanguines include kin, not friends.
Examples of consanguines are the following: a
parent's (father/mother/grand-parent) relation to a
child; relation between siblings (brothers and
sisters); an individuals relation to his/ her uncle,
aunt, niece or nephew; etc.

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(2) Through marriage: this is the principle of
affinity. E.g. kinship ties between husband and
wife; husband and his wife's group; wife and her
husbands group, etc
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(3) Through adoption, fostering, god-parenthood,
etc. This is called the principle of fictitious
kinship. Fictitious kinship is, in other words, a
kind of relationship in which two individuals
create a kind of parent-child relationship without
any blood or marriage ties.

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Marriage-: Marriage is a relation between man and women
which is acknowledged by society. The state of being united to a
person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual
and contractual relationship recognized by law.
Types of Marriages-:

Monogamy: Marriage of one person to anther person.
Polygamy : Marriage of a man to two or more women.
Polyandry : Marriage of a women to two or more men.
Exogamy : In this type one can marry out of caste, class,
group, or even out of religion.
Endogamy : In this type one is bond to marry within the
caste, class, group, or a religion. Its most
popular and acceptable type.
Types of family
01. Conjugal or Nuclear Family
This family is based upon the marital relationship. It
means a married couple and their unmarried children
living together is called nuclear family.
This family also known as elementary family and
simple family.
In Pakistani society nuclear family is more popular in
urban areas.
02. Consanguine family.
This family is founded upon blood relationship of a
large number of kin relationships. This family is
based on biological relations.
Comprises of a group of brothers and sisters along
with their children living together.
In Pakistani society unmarried brothers and sisters
live together with parents
03. Extended family
After marriage two or more siblings (brothers and
sisters) may live together with their parents.

Patrilineal extended family
It is a extended family composed of the parents,
their sons and the sons wives and children.
This types of family is very popular in Pakistani
society.
Usually all the sons after marriage live with parents
till one or more children born to them.
Parents + theirs sons+ sons wives and their children
living together.
Matrilineal extended family.
It is a extended family composed of the
parents, their daughters and their daughter
husband and their children.

04. Matrilocal family.
This is the nuclear family with mother and her
children, without husband-father.
This is also called the maternal family or simply the
mother child unit.
05. Stem family.
Only one child after marriage continues to live with
his parents.
His sibling (brothers and sisters) must leave the
family after they marry.
This family consist of the parents, a son or
daughter, and his or her spouse and children.
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Functions of the Family
1) Biological Function-: the most important function of family is
increase of human beings along with bringing up the children.
Without this the human generation can not maintain its existence.

2) Love and Affection-: family is the basic source of love and
affection in society. Family gives love and affection to its members
in any case. It also satisfies the sexual needs of a person. Due to
love and affection among husband, wife, and children the family
and the social life is strengthened.

3) Educational Function-: family is the first school of the children.
The family gives basic formation to the children although the
schools are major source of education but first and foremost
education comes from family. The family focuses on social and
religious education.
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( Continue ) Functions of the Family
4) Recreational Function-: the family does take care of
recreational needs of its members. It is the family
which teaches a person about the limits to fulfill the
recreational needs.

5) Religious Function-: family is the first source which
gives religious identity to the children. We are not born
Muslims or Christian it is the family which gives us
religious identity. With the initiation of the
socialization process the religious formation is also
started.
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( Continue ) Functions of the Family
6) Social Protection-: the family provides protection
to its members from every kind of social and
natural problems. It gives psychological as well as
social support to the members.

7) Economic Function-: the parents work hard for the
economic empowerment of their children they bring
them up and send them for formal education so that
they ma be able to earn their lively hood. Incase of
unemployment it is the family which takes care of a
person.
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Religion
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Religious Institution
Religion is an ambition of understanding to un-
understandable and encompassing the unlimited phenomenon
to the Scope of knowledge. ( A.B Taylor )
Religion is instinctive to man. Man is the only religious being.
As reason distinguishes him from animals, he can similarly be
distinguished through religion. Man is finite infinite being.
From the time when he opened his eyes on this planet he has
been desirous of knowing and being acquainted with the
conscious power latent in nature. As and when he was
compelled to face natural hardship and dangers, storms, floods,
lighting, epidemics, famines, deluge, scarcity, dangerous
animals, etc., Man has looked up to some invisible power for
assistance, motivation, strength and help.
( Continue..)
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( Continue..) Religious Institution
Thus, this religious tendency awoke in man when he was
gripped sometimes by fear and at other times by curiosity.
And, man tried to realize this intangible for reasons such as to
obtain salvation from sorrows and transience, death, birth, and
old age. Similarly man, when he got fade up of the worldly
sensual love, conceived God as the object of love in supreme
aesthetic idealistic form.
RELIGION
Religion is a social institution involving beliefs and
practices based upon a conception of the sacred.

The sacred is that which is defined as extraordinary,
inspiring a sense of awe, reverence and even fear. In
distinction, the profane consists of ordinary elements of
everyday life.


Religions involve ritual, formal ceremonial
behavior.
Sociology can investigate the social
consequences of religious activity, but can
never assess the validity of any religious
doctrine because religion involves faith,
anchored in conviction rather than scientific
evidence.
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Functions of the Religion
1) Guidance of Human Character: Religion protect the social
values.

2) Answer of Supernatural concepts and powers: the
Religion reduces the Humans curiosity by giving the answer
of supernatural concepts and powers.

3) Satisfaction of Human Desires: the Religion provides
internal satisfaction to human beings.

4) Education: the Religion facilitates and guides the human
beings in their personal and social life.
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( Continue ) Functions of the Religion
5) The maintenance of Social Organization: the religion
maintains the social organization by promoting the teachings of
moral in this way, it promote the value of good and bad for the
necessary social control.

6) Social cohesion: Emile Durkheim suggested that because of its
focus on the sacred, religion creates a sense of common purpose
and unity.

7) Social control: this function of religion was emphasized by Karl
Marx when he said that religion is the opium of the people.
Religion is a powerful force in encouraging conformity.
Political Institutions
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Political Institution-: Political institution is one of the
important social institution it keeps the society
organized and united through the organ of government.
To understand the political institution one should try to
understand.

What is Government?

Government-: Government is a group or institution of
people which is responsible for social organization and
administration. It utilizes the force if required to
perform this duty.
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Functions-:
Law and order and Administrative Functions-: To maintain
social organization and administration.
Welfare Function-: To provide welfare services to the masses
without any discrimination of class, color and creed.
Economic Function-: it is the prime responsibility of the
government to maintain economic justice. The government
control over the economic resources and mainly responsible for
there equal distribution.
Mediatory and Judicial Function-: it is also important function
of the government to provide mediatory and judicial services. The
government maintains the balance among all the classes in the
state.
Protection of Resources-: it is the prime function of the
government to protect and preserve the natural and human
resources of the country.
Educational Institutions
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Educational Institutional
Educational institutions are those organized establishments
which mainly provide formal education. It is the education
institution which provide objectivity to a certain society. It is
very much important for individual and social growth and
development. John Dewy in book Democracy and
Education has described the functions of the educational
institutions comprehensively as follow:

Functions:
1) Development of Individuals capacities-: it is the
responsibility of the educational institutions to provide the
students the opportunities and environment where his or her
personal qualities and capacities may develop.
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( Continue ) Educational Institutional
Functions:
2) Awareness of Social and National Objectives: every
society has specific national objectives which are drawn
according to the norms and values of the society. It is the
function of these institutions to infuse these objectives in
the minds of students.

3) Social and Cultural adjustment: it is the main function
of the educational institution to inculcate the students
social and cultural values so that may be able to create
better adjustment in prevailing social and cultural
environment.
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( Continue ) Educational Institutional
Functions:
4) Construction of Human behavior: educational institution
are build to give proper formation to its members it is the
prime responsibility to reconstruct the character and
behavior of the students. The respect for social norms,
values and objective is promoted among the students
through educational institutions.

5) Development of Creative abilities: from educational
institutions it is expected that they will develop creative
senses of the students. The educational institutions provide
an environment and opportunities where the students can
develop their artistic qualities more over students are
equipped with the skills which enable them to earn their
lively hood.
Economic Institutions
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Economic Institution
Economic institution are those which directly or
indirectly related with economic activity of the country.
These institutions deal in production, distribution of
wealth and services of goods. It includes banks,
factories, agricultural and dairy farm etc.

Functions:
1) Providence of Basic needs: through the economic
institutions we can fulfill our economic basic needs. e.g.
we can get food and cloths for our family by paying the
cost.
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( Continue ) Economic Institutional
Functions:
2) Economic Protection: economic institutions work to
provide to protection to the members of the society. e.g. the
institution of pension social security and insurance agencies
etc. run a related program.

3) Encourage of the abilities of the persons: economic
institutions give reward to those who utilize their abilities
for the benefit of the society or certain organizations. e.g. the
people are rewarded of promotion and other benefits upon
showing impressing performance. Similarly the economic
institutions give financial intensives and jobs to the sports
persons and actors etc.
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( Continue ) Economic Institutional
Functions:
4) Political Stability: economic institutions also play a vital
role in maintaining political stability in the country. If the
economic institutions deliver accordingly it brings
satisfaction of the masses over the current political
government. If the economic institutions perform properly
they bring about the cause of political stability.

5) Effects on the Foreign Policy: economic institutions also
effects the foreign policy of the country. If the economy of
the country is durable, the country can have sovereign policy
on contrary economically weak states are not free to
formulate their foreign policies.
Legal Institution
Law:
Is a rule for guidance of human conduct.
(Salmand)
Function of Legal Institution
Social order.
Right and Duties.
Cooperation.
Authority.
Morality.
Recreational institution
Recreation is removal of boredom and
exhaustion by changing roles.
Cultures have different recreation activities in
their societies.
The recreational activities also build
personalities beside physics.
Rural Recreations
Hukka.
Fairs
Games and plays.
Radio and T.V
Newspaper.
Urban Recreations
Commercial recreation.
- games, cinema, circus, theatre and drama.
Formal and informal.
-hockey, cricket, foot ball and kabaddi etc.
- story telling, drum beating, dancing, and
singing etc.
References
Doda. Z.(2005). Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology.
Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative, Ministry of
Education.

Andrews, M. M. (1999). Transcultural concepts in nursing
care (2
nd
ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott.
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Thank you