Theoretically these institutions are simple but are quite complex in practice. The child at birth has no self. Annual Review of Sociology 25:441–466. Self is also a social product and not a biological trait. FAMILY. The family provides succession in society and develops members into adulthood and future families. Different religions have different beliefs and practices. The world is diverse when it comes to religion. “Without distorting the meaning of this expression, we can, in fact, call all beliefs and all modes of behaviour instituted by the collectivity ‘institutions’; sociology can then be defined as the science of institutions, their genesis and their functioning” (Durkheim [1895] 2004:46). It consists of all the structural components of a society through which the main concerns and activities are organized and social needs such as those for order, belief and reproduction are met. Home life. Institutions are difficult to define; they are a broad concept and used by several research fields even outside the academy. Institutions are the organs of society and shape it in the way in which they are interrelated. 2. For example, the institution of family organizes people into distinct social relationships and roles, including mother, father, son, daughter, husband, wife, etc., and there is typically a hierarchy to these relationships, which results in a power differential. A religion is that institution which studies, practices and believes the existence of God and the mystery of life and death. The structure of an institution can be understood by understanding the force of human relationships. 1. government—-to protect and defend, to dictate policy and the law. These institutions organize our social relationships to others and create patterns of social relations when viewed on a large scale. The five main social elements (institutions) that are interactive and make up society are: 1. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.25.1.441 E-mail Citation » An overview of work up to the late 1990s, this review article raises a fundamental question: if institutions are made up of rules or norms that constrain behavior, then how does social change occur according to institutional theory? Well, I’ll blink. A religion in society is believed to be a dominant instrument to control the society. RELIGION. Ideas, habits, attitudes and feelings being the parts of personality develop in various social institutions in which the individual lives. The functions of social institutions with slight variations are universal. Concept of institution in Sociology. Institution is an established way of behaving or established forms of procedure.