Discuss the perspectives on social institutions.
Social institutions are systematic beliefs and norms that are centred on fulfilment of basic social needs. These social needs pertain to replacement of members of the society (reproduction and family) and preserving order. Social institutions provide insights into the structure of the society. For instance, the norms and beliefs surrounding kinship and incest help understand the structure of a society. The structure of the society becomes apparent through the constraints that these norms mandate as well as their adaptive feature to serve the interest of the members of the society.
Social institutions have been studied by sociologists in varied ways. While some perceive social institutions to be critical parts that must function well for the overall society to function well, others may look at social institutions as establishing a status quo that under optimum conditions causes friction. Below we look at some of these perspectives. All of these perspectives highlight some aspect of social institutions that may deepen our understanding of social institutions.