Lecture 2, Social Institutions, continued

Table 1

Institutions arise over time as people develop social responses to the particular needs of their society. Each institution is a stable cluster of values, norms, statuses, roles, and groups; and each provides an established pattern of thought and action that offers a solution to recurrent demands of social living. This table lists the major institutions that have been created to serve the needs of modern society, with examples of each of the elements involved.

Major Social Institutions
Institution	Societal Needs	Values	Norms	Statuses/Roles	Groups
Family	Regulate sexual behavior; provide care for children.	Marital fidelity.	Have only one spouse.	Husband; grandmother.	Kinship group.
Education	Transmit cultural knowledge to the young.	Intellectual curiosity.	Attend school.	Teacher; student.	High school clique; college seminar.
Religion	Share and reaffirm community values and solidarity.	Belief in God.	Attend regular worship.	Rabbi; cardinal.	Synod; congregation.
Medical System	Take care of the sick.	Good health.	Save life if possible.	Physician; patient.	Hospital staff; ward of patients.
Economic System	Produce and distribute goods and services.	Free enterprise.	Maximize profits.	Accountant; vendor.	Corporate board; labor union.
Political System	Distribute power; maintain order.	Freedom.	Vote by secret ballot.	Senator; lobbyist.	Legislature; political party.
Science	Investigate social and natural world.	Unbiased search for truth.	Conduct research.	Physicist; anthropologist.	Research team; science society.
Military	Aggress or defend against enemies of the state.	Discipline.	Follow orders.	General; marine.	Platoon; army division.
Legal System	Maintain social control.	Fair trial.	Inform suspects of their rights.	Judge; lawyer.	Jury; cell mates.
Sport	Provide for recreation and exercise.	Winning.	Play by the rules.	Umpire; coach.	Baseball team; fan club.