Social Institutions

• A system of statuses, roles, values, and norms that is organized to satisfy one or more of the basic needs of society.– Family – Economic Institutions – Political Institutions– Education– Religion

• Institutions of Family• Statuses: mother, father, child #1, child #2• Role expectations: Dad & mom work, teenagers help, babies play, etc• Values: All for one, and one for all• Norms: Help in need

• Types of Societies– Preindustrial: Hunter Gatherer and Agricultural Societies– Industrial: shift of from production of food to manufactured goods.– Postindustrial: economic activity centers on the production of information and

services.

Gemeinschaft and Gesellshaft Contrasting Societies

• Gemeinschaft: Cmmunity• “Intimate Community”:

– Ferdinand Tonnies– Describes village life, the type of

society in which everyone knows everyone else.

• Example: Amish• Believed that the new society was

crowding out family and friendships. This new type….

• Gesellshaft: Society• “Impersonal Association”:

– Believed that the ties between families and friends had shrunk in importance.

• Example: City Life• Social structure set the context for

what we do, feel, and think, and ultimately, then, for the kind of people we become.

What is “socialization”?

• The lifelong social experience by which individuals develop human potential and learn patterns of their culture.– Social experience is also the basis of

personality• A person’s fairly consistent patterns of thinking,

feeling, and acting

Agents of Socialization

• Influence our self concept, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors