Functional, Conflict, And Sociological Perspectives Of Social Institutions

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have come together in order to survive more easily and grow. Over time, the number of people grew until society became what it is today. In order to meet the basic needs of growing populations, societies had to develop certain social institutions such as, the economy, politics, family, religion and education. The three sociological perspectives used to analyze social institutions are the structural functional, conflict and symbolic interactionist perspectives. In this essay I will focus on the opposing macro level perspectives, structural functionalism and conflict theory. According to the structural functional perspective of sociology, these social institutions work together to keep society stable …show more content…
The five main social institutions that we have today arose out of a necessity for structure and carries out tasks that ensure the survival of society. When viewed through a functionalist perspective, these social institutions, the economy, government, family, religion and education, serve manifest and latent functions that help to keep society running. The economy facilitates the transfer and trade of goods and services in a society. The government is in charge of creating rules for society to follow and decides how society will grow (Devore). The institution of family is important because, it is the " 'natural ' and 'fundamental ' group unity of society," meaning it is the most basic unit of social relationships. It is in charge of nurturing the young and passing on values, traditions, and beliefs held within that society. With the example of education, this institution serves to socialize new members of society by teaching them the social norms and customs of a given culture. Religion