SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS: EMERGENCE, CHARACTERISTICS, FUNCTIONS, EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Social institutions are the entities that are in charge of maintaining and safeguarding the set of beliefs, customs and behaviors typical of a society. They transmit the historical and cultural heritage, including norms, traditions, codes and practices that are common to the great majority of the members of a community.

Among other groups, social institutions are the family, the educational system, religious organizations, the state, the judiciary, cultural associations, political parties and trade unions.

The family is one of the main social institutions. Source: pixabay.com

These entities have a very important function within the communities, seeking to satisfy the basic and specific needs of their members. They regulate fundamental aspects of collective life and remain present over time over the generations.

In addition, they exert an important influence on the development of people's behaviors and thoughts, helping them to forge their identities.

The functioning of social institutions is one of the key aspects that sociology analyzes to understand the behaviors, ideas and facts present in a community.

Emergence of social institutions

Human beings are social individuals by nature. For this reason, from their origins they have always sought to meet with their peers and form groups within which to develop. In primitive communities the following types of organization were distinguished:

The horde

It was the simplest form of society. There was no concept of family or parental affiliations and its members had arbitrary sexual relations. It was usually made up of small, violent and wild nomadic groups.

The clan

This group had strong family ties and relationships were based on kinship. Its members were exogamous, that is, they were paired with people from other clans. There was the concept of social solidarity and ceremonies that were common to all its members.

The tribe

It was a social group made up of several clans and villages that lived in a certain territory. They had a common language, a homogeneous culture and a joint political organization.

The union of different tribes gave rise to the towns, where social institutions emerged in a more marked way to preserve and transmit the beliefs, customs and characteristic behaviors of their members.

However, their appearance did not occur in a planned way, but happened over time as a response to the needs of the community or as a result of power struggles between its members.

characteristics

In general, social institutions are characterized by:

- Be of social origin.

- Remain and last in time during the passage of the different generations

- Have their own identification symbols.

- Maintain codes of behavior common to all its members.

- Possess an ideology or particular interest that justifies their actions and their existence.

- Be a defined and hierarchical internal structure that distributes power asymmetrically among its members.

- Have a purpose that is easily recognized by the entire community.

Concept of social institution

The word "institution" refers both to an entity that performs a function of public interest and to each of the fundamental organizations of a state, nation or society.

It comes from the Latin “institutio”, which means “establishment” or “foundation”. Its lexical components are the prefix “in-” (penetration), “statuere” (place or park) and the suffix “-ción” (action and effect).

For its part, the adjective "social" indicates everything that belongs to or is related to a society, understood as the set of individuals who share a history, traditions and live under the same rules.

This term comes from the Latin “socialis”, which can be translated as “belonging to the community of people”. It is made up of "socius", which means "partner", and the suffix "-al", synonymous with "relative to".

Features

Among the tasks of social institutions are:

- Satisfy basic and concrete needs of the community.

- Transmit common standards and codes to the majority of its members.

- Regulate and structure fundamental aspects of social life.

- Influence the behavior and ideas of its members.

- Impose guidelines of conduct.

- Adapt to new times and be facilitators of social changes.

- Transmit the historical and cultural heritage of a specific group.

The family institution

Considered the most important of these entities, the family has always been the fundamental pillar of community life. It is an institution formed by informal rules that create the first environment of the person and the bases of their identity.

Within it, learning usually occurs through observation and imitation of behaviors, direct experience and interactive communication between its members.

The educational institution

Through the educational institution, society lays the foundations for its own future. Source: pixabay.com

Education aims at the social inclusion of people as useful members of a community following certain guidelines. There, its members acquire intellectual knowledge but also learn moral and ethical values ​​and to respect collective norms.

Through the educational institution, society extends its continuity over time and lays the foundations for its own future, determining the type of beliefs and ideologies that are going to be transmitted from generation to generation.

The religious institution

In most communities, religions have a determining influence on people's daily lives and their traditions.

They are made up of moral and behavioral norms that can condition the way of thinking and acting of its members.

The state institution

The state is in charge of improving the conditions of the social environment in which people develop. Today it is perhaps the most important institution within a community due to its vast reach and to administer collective power and authority.

Through plans, projects and policies, it must create suitable working conditions, optimize educational processes, safety, health and access to housing and other basic benefits for its members.

The judicial institution

It is in charge of guaranteeing the rights and the fulfillment of the duties of the community members. This institution provides the guarantees and the regulatory framework so that people can develop in their daily lives.

Examples of social institutions

- Social institutions in Mexico

Development and economy

The Ministry of Social Development (Sedesol), the National Institute of Social Economy (Inaes), the National Fund for the Promotion of Handicrafts (Fonart).

Integration and inclusion

The Confederación Revolucionaria Obrero Campesina (CROC), the Regional Confederación Obrero Mexicana (CROM), the Federation of Workers at the Service of the State (FTSE) and the National Coordinator of the Popular Urban Movement (CONAMUP).

- Social institutions in Colombia

Culture and community

The Colombian National Indigenous Organization, the Community Action Boards, the Community Participation Committees, Un Techo Para mi País, the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), the Éxito Foundation, Colombia Diversa and Dejusticia.

Family, education, health

The Associations of Parents of the Family Welfare Homes, the National Rehabilitation Program (PNR), the Family Education Program for Child Development (PEDAFI), the Association of Relatives of Disappeared Detainees (ASFADDES), the Colombian Association of Universities, the Mario Santo Domingo Foundation, the Children's Cardio Foundation.

- Social institutions in Peru

Education and family difficulties

The National Program for Direct Support to the Poorest (Together), the National Program Against Family and Sexual Violence, the Single Union of Education Workers (SUTEP).

Work and economy

The General Central of Workers of Peru (CGTP), the National Central of Workers (CNT), the Central of Workers of the Peruvian Revolution (CTRP), the National Agrarian Confederation (CNA), the Peasant Confederation of Peru (CCP), the National System of Support for Social Mobilization (SINAMOS), the Federation of Garment and Synthetic Workers, the Banking and Commerce Club and the Exporters Association.

- Social institutions in Argentina

Ngos

Aldeas Infantiles SOS, Hogar Amparo Maternal, the NGO for Inclusion CILSA, the Obra Don Orione, the Par Foundation, Doctors of the World, Cáritas, the Argentine Red Cross

Social inclusion

The Cosechando Alegría Foundation,, the AMIA Jewish Community, Green Helmets, the Discar Foundation, the Guest Foundation, the Children's SOS Foundation, IPA Argentina, the Conscience Association, the PUPI Foundation (For an Integrated Piberius), the Digna Housing Foundation, the, CeSus, Attitude Animal, the Community Dog Foundation, the Firefighters Foundation of Argentina, Scouts of Argentina Civil Association and the Aiken Foundation.

- Social institutions in Venezuela

Education, industry, defense

The Institute for the Defense and Education of the Consumer and the User (INDECU), the National Institute for the Development of Small and Medium Industry (INAPYMI), the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA), the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Office of Financial Economic Advisory (OAEF), the National Council for the Promotion of Investments (CONAPRI)

NGO's, health, inclusion

Doctors Unidos de Venezuela, Acción Campesina, the Asociación Mujeres en Positivo por Venezuela, the Center for Action and Defense for Human Rights (CADEF), the Committee for Peace and Work and the Foundation to Help Children with Cancer.

References

1. Marias, Julián (1976). Social institutions. El País newspaper. Available at: elpais.com
2. Gutiérrez, Cuauhtémoc A. (2005). Introduction to Social Sciences, Ed. Limusa. Mexico.
3. Eyzaguirre, J. (2004). History of political and social institutions. University Publishing House. Santiago de Chile.
4. Government of Mexico. The 10 social institutions that support you according to your personal needs. Available at: gob.mx
5. Government of Peru. Social institutions. Available at: gob.pe
6. Government of the City of Buenos Aires. Get to know the NGOs and social institutions. Available at: buenosaires.gob.ar
7. Social institution, Wikipedia. Available at: wikipedia.org