Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
A NEW DEFINITION OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. |
| Authors: |
Chain, F. Stuart |
| Source: |
Social Forces. Mar28, Vol. 6 Issue 3, p375-377. 3p. |
| Subject Terms: |
*Culture, *Behavior, Social institutions, Social structure, Social systems, Physical anthropology, Psychology |
| Abstract: |
Man is not only a tool-making animal, he is an institution-making animal. Of the three phases of culture which one has selected for analysis, social institutions remain. There have been many definitions of institutions and in a general way one knows what he means when he uses the word. Some students have found it important to distinguish between the function of an institution and its structure. A scholar has attempted an analysis of political institutions and comes to the conclusion that social structure from the psychological standpoint, is reducible to common and reciprocating attitudes of individuals and variations in such attitudes as to both content and degree of generality. Thus the structure of a social institution is reduced to a form of behavior. It is obvious, of course, that social institutions are significant as they influence or express human behavior, but the social institution is also a culture complex and this utility of characteristic human behavior and associated culture complex is sufficiently definite so that one recognize such different institutions as the family, the state, religion, industry and a host of lesser forms. In order to give body to the idea or concept of the social institution. |
| Database: |
Education Research Complete |
