What is a Social Institution

1. What is a social institution, and how does it relate to social identity? Choose a sports team or another social institution to illustrate your answer. A social institution is when a group of people are united by a common goal or vision. Being a member of certain social institutions may come with special privileges and opportunities. All the social institutions we are a part of, shape our social identity. You are more likely to have certain views as a boy scout, that directly relates to the teachings of that social institution. Essentially, these institutions shape our view of the world and affect our opinions on certain ethical discrepancies. For example, the boy scouts are usually part of church parishes and fall under the social institution of church as well. This may cause people in this group to be more conservative in their politics and have different moral standards when dealing with topics like drugs, alcohol, cursing, premarital sex and dating. Because of the teachings that come with being a boy scout, members may be more outdoors inclined and have key survival skills. The motto “be prepared” transcends into every daily life and affects the way members of this group function in society. 3. Compare functionalism and conflict theory. How would the two differ in their understanding of inequality? Functionalism states that society is codependent and works in a cyclical manner. An example of this would be the state. The government provides educational resources for the children through public education and after school programs. The family of the child is responsible for paying taxes to the government, which the government desperately needs to keep functioning. This becomes a cycle because the same government that educated a generation, will soon depend on that generation’s money in the form of taxes. This is sort of insurance for the government. If they get a good public school education, they will get higher paying jobs, and be able to pay more taxes. Additionally, conflict theory states that when there is any type of inequity or imbalance in power or resources, tensions will rise and is usually the fuel needed for radical social change. When talking about inequality, conflict theory will look at its surroundings to determine if it is equal or not, in a very socialist ideology. 4. You tell a friend that you’re taking a class in sociology. There’s a chance they know about sociology and are quite jealous. There’s also a chance they’re confusing sociology with another social science. How would you describe sociology? How does sociology differ from history and psychology? Sociology is the study of society and all that goes into it. This includes human interaction and social interactions that shape the way a group of people think and act. Sociology can cover subjects such as socioeconomic class, religion, ethnicity, race, political affiliation, crime rate, family systems, violence, government, and culture. The goal of a sociologist is to make the “normal” seem strange. It is important to view sociology in the most arbitrary way and try not to let our own inevitable biases get in the way of our observations. Sociology differs from history and psychology because it is a combination of both. There is a psychological component that shows how different groups of people react to their surroundings and life circumstances. There is a component of socialization which connects to cognitive or behavioral psychology, where we can question and interpret a subject’s reaction to certain stimuli. There is a historical element involved as well. It is important to understand the historical surroundings of society at different times in different places to understand the “rules” of a certain society.