SOCI 221 Lecture 3

SOCI 221: Basic Concepts in Sociology

Lecture Information

• Lecture Title: Society and Social Institutions: Family

• Lecturer: Dr. Samson Obed Appiah, Dept. of Sociology

• Contact Information: soappiah@ug.edu.gh

• Institution: College of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology

• Academic Year: 2024/2025

Lecture Overview

• Social life is stable, orderly, and predictable.

• Daily interactions exhibit patterns shaped by social structures.

• The lecture focuses on how social life is structured through various social institutions, particularly the family.

Lecture Objectives

• Understand how social institutions are structured to meet basic societal needs.

• Explain the constituents of social institutions.

• Examine the roles and functions of various social institutions and their interdependence.

• Analyze the family as the fundamental institution in society.

• Identify recent changes in family structures.

Basic Needs of Society

Human Survival Needs

• Basic needs must be satisfied for societal continuity.

• Six universal needs recognized in human societies:

  • Order and Freedom: Need for social order and personal freedom.

  • Fear Reduction: Need to allay fears related to the mystical and unknown.

  • Hunger Satisfaction: Need for food and nourishment.

  • Sexual Gratification: Need for reproduction and intimacy.

  • Aspiration Achievement: Need to reach personal goals and dreams.

  • Health and Safety: Need for wellbeing and security.

Social Institutions and Structure

Function of Institutions

• Social institutions emerge to address fundamental needs.

• Defined as mechanisms for meeting basic societal needs.

• Organized, patterned, normative structures that provide guidelines for behavior and survival needs in society.

Defining Social Institutions

• Definition: Major areas of social life that fulfill human needs.

• Examples:

  • Family - Social unit for care and socialization.

  • Marriage - Regulation of relationships.

  • Education - Transmission of knowledge.

  • Economics - Creation and distribution of resources.

  • Religion - Community and belief systems.

Characteristics of Social Institutions

• Institutions are:

  • Stable Clusters: Values, statuses, roles, and groups that address societal needs.

  • Normative Patterns: Organized sets of norms guiding behaviors.

  • Solution Providers: Address fundamental societal issues.

Constituents of Social Institutions

Elements of Institutions

• Must include:

  • Social Values

  • Social Needs

  • Social Norms

  • Statuses/Roles

  • Social Groups

• Each institution creates patterns of interaction and solutions to recurring societal demands.

Analogies in Social Structure

Organic Analogy

• Society functions like a living organism where institutions interdependently work together for societal functioning.

• The combination of institutions constitutes the social structure.

Functions of Social Institutions

Key Functions

• Establish order and procedures for fulfilling needs.

• Serve as sources of social control regulating behaviors.

• Provide social identity facilitating collective actions.

• Establish relationships and define rights/responsibilities.

Functionalist Perspective

• Argues institutions exist for vital societal functions and without these institutions, society cannot function.

The Family as a Social Institution

Importance of the Family

• Most basic social unit providing belonging, love, care, and socialization.

• Over 90% of individuals prefer living within a family structure.

Defining Family

Key Definitions

• Peter Murdock (1973): Family as a social organization with residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction.

• Ian Robertson (1977): Permanent group related by ancestry, marriage, or adoption.

• Bertrand (1994): Sanctioned group by kinship ties living together under specific social roles.

Types of Families

Family Structures

• Nuclear Family: Parents and their unmarried children.

• Polygynous Family: One husband, multiple wives.

• Polyandrous Family: One wife, multiple husbands.

• Composite Family: Multiple related nuclear families residing together.

• Extended Family: Includes relatives outside the nuclear family.

Family Developmental Cycle

Phases of Family Development

• Phase of Expansion: Begins with marriage and lasts until childbearing is complete.

• Phase of Fission/Dispersion: Marked by children marrying and complexities arise.

• Phase of Replacement: Transition when new generations take over family roles.

Changes to Family Institutions

Decline of Traditional Family

• Rise of one-parent households due to technology and alternative childbearing methods.

• Legalization of same-sex marriages and parenting.

• Increase in voluntary childless couples and cohabitation without formal marriage.

Summary

• Social institutions provide structure to meet basic human needs and vary significantly.

• Family, as the core social institution, has evolved yet retains its vital role in society.

Sample Questions

• Identify changes in the Family institution and reasons for these changes.

• Discuss the mutual dependence of social institutions within society's social structure.

Reading List / References

• Robertson, Ian (1987). Sociology. New York: Worth Publications.

• Schaefer, Richard T. (2004). Sociology: A Brief Introduction. (5th Edition) Boston: McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.

• Vander Zanden, J.W. (1990). Sociology: The Core. New York: McGraw-Hill.