CULT1017 Understanding Society

Introduction

As stated by Conkling (2018), the human beings are social creatures and thus since the traditional times it had been observed that the humans have lived in communities or societies. Katz-Gerro et al. (2020) are of the viewpoint that the individuals even in the modern times for becoming a valuable or an effective member of the societies or the communities need to have the required values, beliefs, attitude or outlook, undertake effective social interactions with the other individuals and also adequate navigate through the different social institutions as well. More importantly, it had been observed that the different social institutions like families, schools, workplaces, government, media and others also influence the degree to which the individuals would socialize with the other members of the society (Kammerl and Kramer 2016). These social institutions actually inform the behavior of the individuals within the societal structure and also help them to effectively navigate through the different social processes as well. Thus, the different social institutions by promoting socialization among the different individuals become extremely important. The purpose of this essay is to undertake an analysis of the concept of social institution and also discuss the manner in which the social institutions like families and education play a pivotal role in the process of socialization.  

Discussion

Wang and Benner (2016) are of the viewpoint that the social institutions can be defined as the processes or the mechanisms or the patterns of the social order which helps the individuals to meet the different social needs like the ones related to the government, education, economy, family, healthcare and others. Supporting this, Jorgensen et al. (2017) have observed that the social institutions can also be defined as the complex or integrated set of social norms which are generally being organized for the preservation of certain specific societal value. More importantly, the different social institutions can also be viewed as a complex interrelation of different social norms and social values which are intended for the fulfillment of the basic needs or the requirements of the different members of the society. Furthermore, it had been observed that the different social institutions like the families, schools, government and others have undergone a substantial amount of transformation in the recent years keeping in synchronicity with the changing societal needs or requirements and also the developments attained in the field of sociology (Umaña‐Taylor and Hill 2020). Hence, the role that these institutions are playing presently is significantly different from the one that they used to play in the earlier times. However, at the same time, it needs to be said that regardless of the changes or for that matter the transformations which had taken place within the concept of social institutions, their role or impact on the aspect of socialization had not undergone any change (Taylor and McKeown 2019). Thus, even in the present times, the socialization or for that matter the social interactions which are being undertaken by the individuals are being significantly influenced by the different social institutions.

According to Grundmann (2021), one of the most important roles of the different social institutions like families, education and others within the societal structure can be attributed to the aspect that they help the individuals to acquire the values, beliefs, ideas, attitude, perceptions and others which help them to become better members of the society. Supporting this, Branco and Lopes-de-Oliveira (2017) have observed that the values, ideas, beliefs and others that the individuals are being able to acquire on account of their association with the different social institutions help them to become a better member or for that matter a valuable member of the society. This is important since it directly influences the effective fulfillment of the basis psychosocial needs of the individuals and thereby influences the quality of life of the individuals as well. More importantly, the values, beliefs, ideas and others which the individuals are being able to acquire from the different social institutions also substantially influences the quality or the effectiveness of the social interactions which are being undertaken by them (Everitt 2017). In this context, the precepts of the social construct theory are important to note. For instance, the social construct theory states that the knowledge, meaning and the reality constructed by the individuals regarding the society or the world in which they live in is being substantially influenced by the interactions which are being undertaken by the individuals (Frønes 2016). Additionally, the values, beliefs, ideas, attitude and the other aspects of the individuals profoundly influences the interactions which are being undertaken by the individuals and this in turn influences the knowledge as well as the experiences of the individuals (Gist-Mackey, Wiley and Erba 2018). It is precisely here that the different social institutions become important from the perspective of the different individuals since they significantly influence the values, belief, attitude, ideas and others held by the individuals.

Chvanova et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that one of the most important role played by the social institution of family can be attributed to the fact that while offering the care or the support to the individuals which help in the effective fulfillment of the basic psychosocial needs of the individuals and thereby improve the quality of their life they also positively contribute towards the values, beliefs, ideas and others held by the individuals. Explaining this, Basu et al. (2017) have observed that the majority of the values, beliefs, ideas, perceptions and others which are being held by the individuals are the different result of the influence of their family members, the social status, cultural background, ethnicity and the other aspects of their family. For instance, a positive or a congenial family environment positively influences the development of the values, beliefs, perception, attitude and others among the individuals which in turn help them to become valuable members of the society (Tyler and Trinkner 2017). This also helps them to undertake effective social interactions or socialization with the other members of the society. This as per the precepts of the social construct theory is important since these interactions which are being undertaken by the individuals significantly influence the manner in which reality is being constructed by the individuals or for that matter the manner in which the meaning of the things or the events happening around the individuals is being constructed by the individuals (Wang and Benner 2016). This substantially influences the socialization tendencies or for that matter the extent to which the individuals would socialize with the other members of the society. Thus, in the light of these aspects, it can be said that the social institution of family play a significant role in the socialization behavior displayed by the individuals.

The social institution of education is also equally important for the individuals and directly influences the socialization undertaken by the individuals. Jorgensen et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that one of the most important purposes of education can be attributed to the fact that it helps the individuals to acquire the values, beliefs, ideas, perceptions, knowledge, skills and others which are likely to help them to contribute positively towards the development of the society and thereby help them to become better members of the society as well. Supporting this, Taylor and McKeown (2019) have observed that these aspects of the education provided by the different educational institutions substantially shape the outlook or for that matter the perception of the individuals regarding society and also their willingness to positively contribute towards the growth or the development of the same. For instance, the students or the individuals who are being able to effectively acquire these skills, values, beliefs and others are being able to make positive contribution towards the society and also become effective or valuable members of the same. This in fact positively influences the social interactions or the socialization which is being undertaken by them and thereby the manner in which reality, meaning and knowledge regarding the individuals as well as the society is being constructed by them (Gist-Mackey, Wiley and Erba 2018). Hence, in the light of these aspects, it can be said that the social institution of education play a pivotal role in the socialization tendencies shown by the individuals.

Conclusion

To sum up, the different social institutions play an integral role in the life of the individuals by directly influencing the socialization tendencies or for that matter the extent to which they are being able to become valuable members of the society. For instance, the social institutions like family, education and others helps the individuals to acquire the values, beliefs, competencies, knowledge, skills and others which while helping them to positively contribute towards the growth or the development of the society also helps them to become valuable members of the same. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that the values, beliefs and others acquired by the individuals influence the social interactions which are being undertaken by the individuals and thereby the manner in which meaning, knowledge and reality is being constructed by them. These aspects of the social institutions and the role that they play become apparent from the above discussion of the same.

References

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