Major types and functions of social institutions

There are many principles around which is organized setting. The five social institutions in the fundamental meaning:

Each institution conducts two types of social functions.

These are:

 (a) primary function, which is also called public, express or direct function; and

 (b) a second function, which also indirectly called hidden or latent function. With these functions, social institutions fulfill important social needs. The main functions of the five most important social institutions are as follows.

1. The Family

The family is the most important social unit in society. It is the building block of society. The family performs two main functions. These are reproduction and socialization. Society reproduces or recreates itself by families. Children born to join the family for society. Parents play the role of nurturing, caring for, teaching and training children; children are expected to play the role of a good and informative trainees. The way parents feed, train and care for their children varies toe forms of family organization. Nuclear family is a dominant form of family organization in modern, industrialized and urban society. It usually consists of husband wife and dependent children. Traditional, agrarian and rural communities, family extruded dominating form. It consists of husband, wife / husband, their children and other .

2. Economic Institutions                        

Every society needs effective use of scarce resources. Goods and services should be made to meet the basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and other economic institutions are responsible for addressing the organization of production, exchange, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

3. Religious institutions

This antisocial institution is responsible for meeting (providing) the spiritual needs of members of society. With puzzling questions about the meaning of human life, human destiny, the universe, and other questions. Religion and related institutions like the magic explanation for this puzzling paradox of life and gives meaning and purpose of life. It helps people to cope with purposelessness, meaninglessness and the feeling of alienation and frustration. These institutions also help to meet the members of society in social values ​​and norms, and play their expected social roles appropriately. They also provide a sense of social solidarity among the members of society.

4. political institutions (Government and Law)

The social institutions responsible for the protection of society from internal disorder, crime and disorder; as well as from external threats and aggression. you are responsible for maintaining peace and order in the micro and macro levels of them; maintenance of social control; and maintaining the prosperity and well-being of society.

5. Educational

The social institutions are responsible for providing training for members of society. It serves as a center of knowledge production, exchange and distribution. In general, schools are responsible for the vertical and horizontal transfer of tangible and intangible culture. Vertical transmission means the time from one generation to another generation; where the number of horizontal transfer means over geographic space, or from one company to another. Educational role of preparing members of society for the status and role to play again associate good citizens and workers, with different jobs.

Before the end of this section, it is important to note that while the previous way of presenting the nature and function of social institutions are often common in some of the standard textbooks on introductory sociology, also we need them in a critical and conflict theory approach. From such perspectives, social setting for their functional and dysfunctional (meaning positive damaging and dangerous) to other individuals and groups in society. This is partly because they often exist and operate within the framework of classification and stratification, unequal access to power and resources. From this point of view, social institutions are not functional all members of society equally. They exist to promote the interests and rights of some of society .