The concept of the social institution. Elements of the Social Institute (Value, Roles, Norms)

The concept of the social institution. Elements of the Social Institute (Value, Roles, Norms)

Structural elements of the Company's main institutions

table 2

Institutions

Basic roles

Physical traits

Symbolism. Damn

cHILDRATION AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

family-marriage

situation

obtain

contract

food, clothes, housing

economic

employer

worker

buyer

seller

trade

maintain laws, rules and standards

political

legislator

subject of law

public buildings and places

promoting Cathedral Relations, Deeperation of Faith

religious

a priest

parishioner

socialization, admission to basic values \u200b\u200band practitioners

education

Source: A.I. Kravchenko. Sociology. - Ekaterinburg, 1998. - with. 338.

Functions and features of social institutions

Since social forces and interests are complex, contradictory and interrelated, it is not always possible to foresee the consequences of any separate action. Therefore, in the activities of any institution, it is allocated as obvious functions that are defined as recognized objectives of the institute, and latent functions that are carried out in indefinance and may be unrecognized, or, if they are recognized, are considered a by-product.

For the exercise of the goal for which it was created, each institute performs a function with respect to its participants to ensure the joint activities of people seeking to meet the needs. This is, first of all, the following explicit functions:

  • 1. Function of consolidation and reproduction of social relations. Each institute has a system of rules and norms of behavior of its members supported by social control. Thus, the institute ensures the sustainability of social relations and the social structure of society.
  • 2. Regulatory function - ensures regulation of relationships between members of society by developing behavioral patterns. With the help of institutions, a person exhibits predictable and standardized behavior in social life. He performs role-playing or expectations and knows what to expect from the people around.
  • 3. Integrative function - includes the processes of cohesion, interdependence and intercrevious. All this leads to an increase in the stability and integrity of the elements of the social structure.

Integration involves three main elements:

consolidation or combination of efforts;

mobilization, when each member of the group invests its resources in achieving goals;

conformity of personal objectives of individuals with the objectives of others or the objectives of the group.

  • 4. The translating function of society and its institutions could not develop if there was no possibility to transfer social experience. In this regard, each institute provides for a mechanism that allows individualizes to socialize to its values, standards and roles.
  • 5. Communicative feature. The information produced at the Institute should be distributed both within it, with the aim of managing and monitoring compliance with the norms and in the interactions between institutions. Moreover, the nature of the institute's communicative relations has its own specifics - these are formal connections carried out in the system of institutionalized roles.

Inside each social institution, you can identify a number of subfunctions that it performs and which may not be from other institutions.

Dysfunctions in the activities of social institutions and social disorganization of society.

Control questions

Analyze the organization as a social system.

Open the concept of "the purpose of the social organization" and their ranking.

What are the goals, objectives and functions of social institutions and their role in the life of society and every individual person?

What are the main social institutions that exist in any civilized social systems?

How do you understand the term "social institution"?

What are the types of social institutions, their functions?

What are the main functions of the social institution?

most often includes a certain set of composite elements protruding in a more or less decorated form depending on the type of institution. The core of the institute is various forms of regulated joint activities of individuals.

The following structural elements of the Social Institute are distinguished:

The purpose and range of issues that the Institute covers their activities;

A circle of specific functions that ensure the achievement of this goal;

Regulatory, common, typical social roles and statuses presented in the structure of the Institute;

Institutions and means necessary to achieve the goal and implementation of functions (material, symbolic and ideal).

Sanctions on persons performing institutional functions and in relation to those who are the object of these actions.

Some researchers believe that among the elemental social institution, it is necessary to especially allocate only: a) social status in which the sustainable signs of regulation facilities are fixed, determined by the objective position of the individual in the system of public relations; b) a social role as a dynamic form of social status; c) the norms with which the interactiveness of people as part of the Social Institute is formalized: the norms are determined by the standard of conduct, as well as assessing activities and sanction for deviating behavior, are the conditions for choosing role behavior.

The necessary condition for the activities of the Institute is the fulfillment of individuals of their social roles, based on the implementation of the expected actions and observance of samples (norms) of behavior. The norms streamline are regulated, formalize the activities and interaction of individuals within the Institute. Each institution is characterized by a certain set of norms that are objectified most often in the iconic forms (regulatory documents).

The social institution acts as a form of domination and subordination of members of this community with certain standards and standards. Researchers allocate two forms of the existence of institutions - simple and complex. In simple forms, social values, ideals themselves ensure the sustainability of the existence and functioning of the Social Institute, which causes the social roles of individuals, the implementation of which allows you to implement the social functions of the institute and satisfy the relevant public needs (for example, family). In the complex forms of social institutions, power functions are increasingly localized and managerial relations are allocated in a separate subsystem, which organizes institutional relations.

According to the nature of the organizationInstitutes are divided into formal and informal. The activities of the first are based on strict, regulatory and, possibly, legally fixed prescriptions, rules, instructions (state, army, court, etc.). In informal institutions, such regulation of social roles, functions, funds and methods of activity and sanctions for abnormative behavior is absent. It is replaced by regulating informal through traditions, customs, social norms, etc. From this, the informal institution does not cease to be the institute and perform the appropriate regulatory functions.


Under functions Social institutions usually understand the various aspects of their activities, or rather, the consequences of this activity.

The main, overall function of any social institution is to meet social needs for which it was created and exists. To implement this function, each institution has to carry out a number of functions that ensure the joint activities of people seeking to meet the needs.

When considering functions performed by social institutions, we should not forget that one institute, as a rule, performs simultaneously several functions; Various institutions can perform common functions; At the Institute at different levels of the development of society, the new functions may disappear, or the value of the same function can or increase or decrease; The same institute in different socio-economic formations can perform different functions.

The scientific analysis of social institutions includes attempts to detect the most common and universal sets of value-regulatory samples of conduct, which in all societies focus around the main functions and are aimed at implementing fundamental social needs. In this regard, the following

types of institutions for their functional intended purpose, content, methods and subject of regulation:

1) Economic institutions are developing on the material basis of the Company and are engaged in the production and distribution of goods and services, regulation of money circulation, organization and division of labor, etc. (property, shape and methods of exchange, money, production type);

2) Political institutions are related to the establishment, execution and maintenance of power, ensure the reproduction and preservation of ideological values, stabilize the socio-stratification system existing in society (state, government, police, political parties, ideology, trade unions, etc. Public organizations pursuing political goals );

3) religious - human attitude towards transcendental forces and sacred subjects (church);

4) Socio-cultural and educational institutions (family, education, science) were created to create, strengthen and develop culture, to protect certain values \u200b\u200band norms, organization of the process of their assimilation and reproduction, for the socialization of young people, for the transfer of cultural values \u200b\u200bof society as a whole, inclusion of a new generation into a specific subculture;

5) Situational conventional and ceremonial-symbolic - institutions that establish methods of mutual behavior of community members who regulate everyday intercellaneous relations that facilitate mutual understanding, as well as ritualized norms (methods of greeting, congratulations, celebration name, organization of marriage celebrations, etc.);

6) regulatory orientation - institutions that carry out the moral and ethical orientation and regulation of behavior that give human behavior of the ethical, moral basis (Morality, Code);

7) Regulatory and sanctiones - institutions that regulate conduct on the basis of legal and administrative standards, the obligation of which is ensured by the power of the state and the system of sanctions (Institute of Law).

It should be noted that with the development of society, the design and update of new social needs appear new institutions, their rationale and recognition occurs.

According to J. Homance theory, there are four types of explanations and substantiation of social institutions in sociology. The first is a psychological type that comes down from the fact that any social institution has a psychological education for genesis, a steady product sharing product. The second type is historical, considering institutions as a final product of the historical development of a certain sphere of activity. The third type is structural, proving that "each institute exists as a result of its relations with other institutions in the social system." The fourth is functional, based on the situation that institutions exist because they perform certain functions in society, contributing to its integration and achieve homeostasis.

Considering the possible logic of the rationale for an institutional approach to any social phenomenon, D.P. Gaurov considers the functional type of explanation by the first stage of this path. A functional feature is among the most important signs of the Social Institute, and it is social institutions that form the main element of the structural mechanism, through which society regulates social homeostasis and, if necessary, performs social changes. Therefore, "if it is proved that the functions of a studied phenomenon are socially significant that their structure and nomenclature are close to the structure and nosteclature of functions that social institutions perform in society, it will be an important step in the substantiation of its institutional nature."

The following criterion for the rationale for the institutional interpretation of a phenomenon is structural. The institutional approach to the analysis of social phenomena is based on the idea that the social institution is a product of the development of the entire social system, but at the same time the specifics of the main mechanisms of its functioning depends on the internal laws of the development of the relevant activity. Therefore, it is important to analyze how to include this phenomenon in various areas of social life, interaction with other social institutions, proof that it is an integral element of any one sphere of society (economic, political, cultural, etc.), or combinations thereof and provides it (their) functioning.

The third stage, the next functional and structural justification, on the Gold, is most important. At this stage, the essence of the studied institute is determined, the corresponding definition is formulated, on the basis of the analysis of basic institutional signs, the legality of its institutional representation is determined. Then its specificity, type and place in the system of institutes of the Company, is analyzed, the conditions for the emergence of institutionalization are analyzed.

At the fourth, the final stage, the structure of the institute is detected, the characteristics of its main elements are given, the patterns of its functioning are designated.

Among the most important functions Which social institutions are performed in society include:

1. Creating opportunities (through the organization of joint activities of people) to meet social needs.

2. The function of fixing and reproduction of social relations - through the system of rules and norms of behavior, enshrining, standardizing the behavior of each member of the institute and make this behavior predictable.

Institutions include values \u200b\u200band norms that follow most. All institutionalized behavioral methods are protected and supported by rather strict sanctions. The social institution has its own system of values \u200b\u200band regulatory regulation, which determines what it exists, which is considered to be worthy and unworthy, how to act in this particular system of relations.

3. Regulatory function - through the template of conduct, norms and controls developed by the Social Institute, which regulates the relationship between members of society (in this way, the Social Institute is an element of a social control system).

Institutions are interrelated systems of ordered social connections that make the behavior of each individual member of society quite predictable in their orientations and forms of manifestation. Existing institutional rules can significantly impede the development of certain deviations and return specific behavior in the usual (habitual, due, generally accepted) channel.

4. Integrative function expressed in the cohesion processes, interdependence and the interelevation of members of social groups occurring under the influence of institutionalized norms, rules, sanctions and role systems.

5. The broadcasting function - through the transfer of social experience in the social institution with new people at the expense of both the expansion of the social borders of the institute and the change of generations; For this, each institute provides for a mechanism that allows individualizes to socialize to its values, standards and roles.

6. Communicative function - through the distribution of information generated at the Institute as inside the institute for the purpose of managing and monitoring compliance with the norms and the transfer of it when interacting with other institutions.

6. Ensuring the continuity and sustainability of public life, including changes in the members of the Company's members, through maintaining and continuing impersonal public functions (production, distribution, protection, etc.).

Thus, as T. Parsons wrote, the institutional system of society is a kind of carcass, a ridge of public life, since it provides social order in society, its stability and integration.

When analyzing social institutions, it is useful to take into account the separation of functions on obvious and broken (latent). This difference was proposed by R. Merton to explain certain social phenomena when it is necessary to take into account not only the expected and observed investigations, but indefinite, side, secondary. The functions are obvious, the consequences of which are intentional in nature and are recognized as people. Latent (hidden) functions, unlike explicit, are not planned in advance, they are unintended in nature and their consequences are not recognized immediately and not always (if they are even realized and recognized, then considered a by-product), and sometimes they remain unconscious to the end.

It should be noted that the term "function" is usually interpreted in a positive sense, that is, the favorable effects of the activities of the Social Institute are implied. The activities of the Institute is considered functional if it contributes to the preservation of the stability and integration of society.

The most important characteristic of the activities of social institutions is their constant interaction with the social environment, which society speaks. Violation of this process generates dysfunction of social institutions. As noted earlier, the main function of the Social Institute is to satisfy one or another social need. But over time, the processes occurring in society change the needs of both individual individuals and entire social communities, which in turn changes the nature of the relations of social institutions with the social environment. Some needs are becoming less significant, and some disappear generally, as a result of this, the institutions that carried out these needs cease to meet the requirements of time and their further existence becomes meaningless, and sometimes even inhibiting social life. Due to the inertia of social relations, such institutions can continue to function for another period of time as tribute to tradition, but most often they quickly stop their activities.

The activities of the Social Institute, which prevents the implementation of the social needs of society, is not aimed at preserving, but to the destruction of the social system, is regarded as dysfunctional.

During the period of intensive social change in society, situations often arise when the changed social needs cannot find adequate reflection in the structure and functions of existing social institutions, which can lead to dysfunction. Dysfunction can find its expression as in the external, formal ("material") structure (lack of material resources trained, etc.) and in internal, meaningful activities (ambiguity of the objectives of the Institute, the uncertainty of functions, the fall in social prestige and Authority of the Institute, etc.).

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    The concept of social institutions, their emergence, classification on the spheres of the Company's life. The methodology of institutionalization is an ordered process with a certain structure of relations, the hierarchy of power, the discipline, the rules of conduct.

    Sociologists who borrowed the concept of the institute in the lawyers were given it with new content. Understanding social institutions as a totality of norms and mechanisms regulating a certain sphere of public relations (family, production, state, education, religion), sociology deepened our idea of \u200b\u200bthem as pillars, or basic elements on which society rests. The purpose of social institutions is to meet the most important (fundamental) vital needs of society. As you know, four such needs, therefore allocate four major social institutions:

    • 1) to meet the need for reproduction of people institute of Family and Marriage;
    • 2) livelihood needs - economic institutions, production;
    • 3) security and social needs - political institutions state;
    • 4) the need for solving spiritual problems, the development and transfer of new knowledge, the socialization of the younger generation - spiritual institutions In a broad sense, including science and culture.

    Social Institute - This is an adaptive device of society, created to meet its most important needs and regulated by the consolidation of social norms. Thanks to the institutions, the socialization of individuals (the absorption of cultural norms and the development of social roles) is occurring, new generations of people (family institute) are born, the means of existence are mined, and spiritual rituals are being sent.

    There is a different definition of a social institution as a set of public customs, the embodiment of certain habits of behavior, the image of the thought and lifestyle transmitted from generation to generation, varying depending on the circumstances and speakers to the instrument of adaptation to them. Actually, so lawyers understand the terms "Institution" (establishment, custom, order adopted in society) and " institute"(consolidation of customs and orders in the form of a law or institution). Hence the concept" institutionalization", denoting the consolidation of the practice or area of \u200b\u200bsocial relations in the form of a law or social norm, adopted about.

    Thus, the institutionalization of any science, say sociology, assumes the publication of state standards and decisions, the creation of research institutes, bureaus, services and laboratories, opening at universities, colleges and schools of relevant faculties, departments, departments and training courses of professional specialists, publishing magazines, monographs and textbooks, etc.

    Essentially, institutionalization means the transformation of the blurred set of rules and norms, customs and practices, ideas and ideas, people and buildings in an ordered system, which can be called with a full basis social Organization.

    All social institutions that exist in society are conveniently divided into the main ones (they are called fundamental, basic) and non-unauthorized (non-residential, private). The second is hidden inside the first as smaller education. Unlike the main institution, the most unfounded performs a specialized task, serves a specific custom or satisfies an oil need.

    For example, among the unmarked political institutions, we discover the institutions of forensic examination, passporting, proceedings, advocacy, jury, judicial control over arrests, judiciary, presidency, royal power, etc. These include the institute of removal from power (position), whose historical forms have undergone a long evolution.

    In addition to the division of institutions to the main and unmarked, they can be classified according to other criteria. For example, institutions differ in the time of their occurrence and the duration of existence (permanent and short-term), the rigidity of the applied sanctions for violation of the rules, the conditions of existence, the presence or absence of a bureaucratic management system, the presence or absence of formal rules and procedures.

    Nezernaya institutions also call social practitioners. Under social Practiceit is understood as the existing historically long-term sequence of actions carried out by a large social group (one or more) as a group (national, ethnic) custom for satisfying some important need for this group or community needs.

    The simplest example of social practice is the queue in the store. For deficit, i.e. Limited in quantity, a chain of random passers-by, which instantly obey certain rules of behavior is built. Not a concrete line, and turn as the tradition of time or the people the essence of social practice.

    Each Chief Institute has its own systems of accumulated practices, methods, techniques and procedures. Economic institutions cannot do without such mechanisms and practices, as a conversion of currency, private property protection, professional selection, employee alignment and assessment of their labor, marketing, market, etc. Inside the Institute of Family and Marriage, and here also includes the kinship system, scientists find institutions of paternity and motherhood, tribal revenge, witness, inheritance of the social status of parents, name, etc. The custom is prescribed a date - an element of the social practice of courtship. Confession is social practice, not an institution, a set of institutions or an organization. This is a centuries-old practice that has its own execution technology, rules and norms of behavior, a circle of performers (confessors and professionable), a system of prescribed status and roles. Sociologists speak about celibacy institutions (celibacy) in Catholicism, baptism and confession in Orthodoxy, Inquisition, monasticism, Bishopath.

    Sometimes social practices coincide with non-residential institutions, and sometimes not. For example, the Institute of Representatives of the President of Russia, as well as the Institute of Mentoring in the USSR - bright samples of private institutions. They are established from above, the state, and did not arise from the bottom of the people as a natural continuation of its traditions and customs.

    But the ritual of dating, which at different nations is sometimes incredibly exotic forms relates to social practices. Most societies do not need intermediaries, according to many countries, first of all in the highest light, a man cannot approach a lady or to another man and to introduce himself to him. It is necessary that someone third will be presented to each other.

    The English political philosopher Michael Oakshott believed that democracy as a social and political practice is a totality of traditions and customs of this people and includes many very specific and very imperceptible ease of procedures, establishments, habits, with which it is only supported and successfully functions.

    To the main thing functions The social institution includes the function of fixing and reproduction of social relations, as well as regulatory, integrative, broadcasting and communicative functions. Along with universal, specific functions exist. These features such functions that are inherent in one and not peculiar to other institutions. This, for example, reproduction of people, the birth of new generations (Institute of Family), the mining of existence (production), guidance in society (state), the discovery and transfer of new knowledge (science and education), the departure of spiritual rituals (religion). Some institutions perform the function of public order stabilizers. These include political and legal institutions such as state, government, parliament, police, courts, army. Other institutions support and develop culture. This applies to the institutions of the Church and Religion. Inside each social institution, you can allocate a number of podfunctionswhich he performs and which may not be from other institutions.

    For example, at the Family Institute, scientists have discovered sexual regulation functions; reproductive; socialization; emotional satisfaction; status; Protective and economic.

    The Company is arranged in such a way that a number of institutions perform several functions at the same time, and at the same time, several institutions can be specialized on the execution of one function. For example, the function of education or socialization of children is performed by institutes such as family, church, school, state. At the same time, the family institution performs features such as reproduction of people, upbringing and socialization, satisfaction in intimate proximity, etc. The functions performed by a single institution could be transmitted to other institutions or partially either completely between them.

    Let's say, in the distant past, the family Institute fulfilled more than five - seven functions, but today some of them are transferred to other institutions. Thus, the school, recreation, special recreation institutions are engaged in education along with the family. Even the function of meeting sexual needs shares the family of the institute of prostitution. And the function of the development of livelihoods than in the days of hunters and collectors was exclusively familiarized by the family today and fully assumed the industry.

    If the Institute works as it should, then it has a lot more pluses than minuses, and vice versa. Pros, or functions Strengthen, stabilize and develop society. Cons, i.e. dysfunction He is loosened. Large public shocks, such as war, revolution, economic and political crisis, may lead to violation of one or more institutions. This refers to the government, parliament, production, property, school, religion, etc. As a result, there are failures and dysfunctions in their functioning. This happened after the October Revolution in Russia in 1917.

    An assessment of the activities of institutions, how they cope with their functions and tasks, gives public opinion. Sociologists periodically measure trust level to social institutions.

    Over the past 20 years, consistently high confidence in Russians used only the Church Institute, since 2000 - President of the country. Attitude towards other institutions, such as media, trade unions, government, court, parliament, army, police, local authorities, the prosecutor's office, changed since 2000 but 2013. From extremely low to moderately low or medium variables (from 4 to 32%).

    Sociologists believe that the low level of confidence in social institutions is evidenced by them crisis When they do not cope with their functions.

    Poll data conducted by the Gallpa Institute in EU, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, in Israel, Canada, USA, in South America, Asia and Africa, showed that the level of confidence in public institutions here is usually higher than in Russia (from Russia 34 to 92%).

    So, social institutions (basic and non-core) have not only functions (their benefits), but also dysfunction (damage caused by society). Functions and dysfunctions come explicitif they are officially declared, everyone is realized and obvious and latentIf they are hidden from the eyes, do not declare. The explicit functions of the institutes are expected and necessary. They are formed and declared in the codecs and are fixed in the status and roles system. Latent functions act as an impending effect of the activities of institutions or persons representing them. The democratic state established in Russia in the early 1990s, through parliament, the government and the president sought to improve the life of the people, create civilized relationships in society and inspire respect for the law to citizens. These were the obvious, declared for all the goals and objectives. In fact, crime has grown in the country, and the standard of living fell. These are the side results of the efforts of the institutions of power. Explicit functions indicate that people wanted to achieve in the framework of a particular institution, and latent - about what happened. The concept of explicit and latent functions has developed in the middle of the XX century. Robert Merton.

    The explicit functions of the school as the Institute of Middle Education include the acquisition of literacy and certificate of maturity, preparation for university, training for professional roles, the assimilation of the basic values \u200b\u200bof the Company. But she also has hidden functions: the acquisition of a certain social status, which will allow you to climb the step above illiterate, planting strong friendly connections, support for graduates at the time of their entry into the labor market. Obvious, i.e. Predately self-evident, the functions of the institute of higher education can be considered to prepare young people to master various special roles and the assimilation of value standards dominant in society, morality and ideologies, and implicit - the consolidation of social inequality, which takes place upon receipt of higher education. Thus, latent functions act as a side effect of the activities of the Social Institute. They can be both positive and negative, i.e. dysfunctions.

    As we have convinced, functions and dysfunctions are relative, not absolute. The function can be apparent for some members of society and latent for others. The same with dysfunction. For example, it is important to purchase fundamental knowledge at the university, and to other dating. In this case, the intersection of functions, dysfunctions, explicit and latent functions can be depicted as a logical square (Fig. 3.4).

    The Institute of Education or the Institute of Taxation has all pairs of functional relations. For example, the latent education function is to give higher-school graduates higher starting positions and ensure a higher service growth than people who do not have higher education. This feature is positive because it benefits graduates, and not harm. At the same time, it is a latent, obviously not manifested by any official law on education. The same can be said about the establishment of friendly relations, the formation of solidarity and mutual assistance of graduates of one university and the faculty after the completion of studies and the formation of an official career.

    Another example is taxation. Useful taxes of taxes established by law - the explicit and positive function of the Economic Institute. Intelligent tax expenses are an example of dysfunction that takes explicit and latent form. The expenditures of taxes made by the state for useful for society of the case, but not embedded in their target destination, will give explicit dysfunction, and taxing is latent dysfunction.

    Fig. 3.4.

    When the discrepancy of obvious and latent functions is large, there is a double standard of social relations, which threatens the stability of society. The situation is even more dangerous when, along with the official institutional system, the so-called shadow institutions are formed, which take the function of regulating the most important social relations (for example, criminal structures in modern Russia).

    • Cm.: Frolov S. S. Sociology. M., 1994. P. 141-143.
    • Cm.: Merton R. Obvious and latent functions // American sociological thought; Ed. V. I. Dobrekova. M., 1994. P. 379 447.

    The Social Institute is a social invention of a person. Safety of man, his education, health, economic activity, rest, etc. - All these phenomena constitute the daily and everyday sense of our life. These phenomena moved to the Social Institute, institutionalized, i.e. Bought guaranteed, stable and organized. Institutional opposes a chaotic, accidental and unstable.
    The Social Institute is a long-term social practice that is supported and authorized through social norms, and also exists through the implementation of its functions at the expense of which meets the needs and interests of society and its social elements.
    Volkov Yu.G. It was noted that sociologists consider institutions as a steady range of norms, rules, symbols governing various spheres of human livelihoods and organizing them into the system of roles and status, with which basic life and social needs are satisfied. Each institution builds around the standard solution to a certain set of problems. The Institute of Family Main attention pays reproduction, socialization and material support of children; Economic institutions - the production and implementation of goods and services; Political institutions - the protection of citizens from each other and from external enemies; Religious institutions - strengthening social solidarity and consent; Institutes of Education - the transfer of cultural heritage from generation to generation. Of course, this classification is too simplified. One institute can be multifunctional, while several institutions can participate in the performance of the same function.
    According to the typical definition of sociologists, the Institute includes both the concept of cultural models (samples) and the concept of social structure.

    Thus, institutions are, firstly, more or less standard solutions (cultural models), employees for people with a landmark in solving problems of social life and, secondly, relatively sustainable relations systems that characterize people with the actual implementation of these decisions. In this sense, the set of cultural models (a set of rules, values \u200b\u200band symbols) establishes the behavior expected from us as a particular person (for example, a student), in relation to other persons (teacher, dean, assistant). This set of cultural models determines the place of the individual in the system of relationships. In this case, the concept of a social institution means that we are combined within the framework of relationship systems (groups) in which we interact with each other (play a role) on the basis of mutual understanding (cultural models), which determines the behavior expected from us from this type of people ( status).
    Signs of the Social Institute:
    1) a clear distribution of functions, rights and duties of participants in institutional interaction, everyone must adequately perform its function, so the behavior of the person under the social institution has a high degree of predictability;
    2) labor separation and professionalization of functions;
    3) a special type of regulation of the actions of individuals belonging to the Social Institute;
    4) a certain mechanism for regulating the behavior of individuals by social norms and social controls;
    5) the presence of institutions within which the activities of the Social Institute are organized. Institute of Health - Hospitals, Polyclinics, etc.
    6) Each institution must have their own funds and resources necessary to carry out their activities.
    Any social institution arises and operates, fulfilling a certain social need. If such a need becomes insignificant or completely disappears, the existence of a social institution becomes meaningless, inhibiting public life. His activity is gradually stopped. With the emergence of new social needs, which take a stable and constant nature, there are new social institutions. The process of becoming institutions is called institutionalization.
    Volkov Yu.G. It was noted that institutionalization is the process when a social need begins to be realized as a common-social, not private, and for its implementation in society, special norms of behavior are established, personnel are preparing, resources are highlighted.
    The famous sociologist of Lensky identified a number of key social needs that generate institutionalization processes: the need for communications (language, education, communication, transport); the need for the production of products and services; the need for the distribution of goods (and privileges); the need for the safety of citizens, the protection of their lives and well-being; the need to maintain the inequality system (placement of public groups on positions, statuses, depending on different criteria); The need for social control over the behavior of members of society (religion, morality, right, penitentiary system).
    Stages of institutionalization:
    1) the emergence of social needs, the implementation of which requires joint organized actions;
    2) the emergence of constantly repetitive social activities and the norms that regulate it;
    3) acceptance of these norms;
    4) establishing sanctions to maintain norms and rules, the creation of a status and role system for individuals belonging to the Social Institute.
    The institutional crisis is a reverse process characterizing the fall of the authority of this institute, such as families, a decrease in trust in it. The cause of the crisis is the inability of this institution to effectively fulfill its main functions, such as education - to teach children, medicine to treat people, families - to strengthen the bonds of marriage, bring up children. At the same time, institutional norms exist, they are proclaimed, but the society does not comply. The consequence of such a crisis is the redistribution of functions. For example, in the mid-1980s, a high school crisis has emerged in Russia, which ceased to cope with the preparation of graduates to the university, and immediately appeared tutors - the institution of intermediaries. Crises occur constantly, they represent the natural state of the Institute. The crisis of political institutions is manifested in reducing them to confidence from the population. It is known that mass distrust of citizens towards political parties is growing in transforming societies as civilian institutions in general. More than 2/3 of the respondents in December 1998, Russians did not trust almost a single institute. The crisis exposes problems arising in the mechanism of operation of the institute and helps to get rid of them, and as a result it is better to adapt to changing reality. Without crises there can be no development of the institute.
    The activities of social institutions are functional, if it contributes to the preservation of stability and fully satisfies the needs of society and its social elements. The activities of social institutions are dysfunctional if not satisfying the needs of society and bring it harm.
    Types of social institutions according to their formalizations:
    1) informalized - activities are carried out on the basis of informal relations, norms. For example, the Friendship Institute - the regulation of behavior is not issued in laws, administrative deposits, etc., although there are certain sanctions and control.
    2) Formal - activities are carried out on the basis of formally stipulated rules, laws, regulations and regulations. Their functioning often regulates and controls the state, because They determine the strength of society.
    Types of social institutions on the functions they perform:
    1) Economic, the most stable, subject to strict regulatory, carrying out the production and distribution of goods and services, division of labor, regulation of money circulation. (Institutes of Industry, C / X, Finance, Trade, etc.)
    2) Political - implementation and control, distribution of power, activities of political parties, distribution of power, activity of parties. Provides reproduction of ideological values \u200b\u200b(state, army, party).
    3) sociocultural and educational - reproduction, distribution of cultural, spiritual values, socialization of the younger generation, the transfer of scientific knowledge and professional skills (education, science, art).
    4) Family Institute - reproduction and education of new generations, ensuring reproduction of the social structure of society.
    5) Regulatory and sanctiones - carry out the regulation of social behavior on the basis of norms, rules and prescriptions enshrined in legal and regulations (police, court).
    The Company is a holistic system of interrelated institutions. The interdependence of social institutions is expressed in the fact that the same person is included in different social institutions. The Institute of Family is a father, mother, son, sister, etc. In the political institution - the voter, in the economic - employee of the enterprise. At the same time, each social institution has autonomy. It is expressed in relative independence, because Each of them solves specialized tasks. External autonomy is expressed in the presence of individual professions and institutions that are not inherent in other social institutions. Internal autonomy - norms regulating the activities of the Social Institute have significant peculiarity and specificity. For example, norms that regulate relationships at work are significantly different from the norms in the family.
    Changes in social institutions:
    1) changes arise as a result of the emergence of new needs from society and its social elements;
    2) Changes cannot affect only part of the Social Institute, because Disorganization of one of the structures of the Social Institute leads to a change in the entire social institution. Domino effect".
    3) Changes in the social institution pays the risk of his disadvantage.
    4) For the systematic change of the Social Institute, it is necessary to interest people in this so that they recognize the need for these changes.
    5) Changes must be legitimate.
    6) The changes that do not have a legitimate nature can perform power that can impose new standards and rules of behavior, to redistribute rights, duties and privileges.