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Social Institutions And Its Impact On Society

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For sake of discussion, I used the words most influential only in a positive and/or inspiring sense, meaning society would benefit most from these social institutions. Conversely, I could have argued that the least influential social institutions are good and/or beneficial to our society, but our society chooses to ignore them; and the most influential social institution plague our society. However, I chose the former—the positive and/or inspiring sense of the words. Social institutions are the organized, usual, or standard ways that a society meets its basic needs (P. 104). Moreover, functionalists identify five functional requisites that each society must meet to insure their survival (Pp. 104-106). With this in mind, Family and the Economy are the most influential social institutions in industrial society. Henslin stated in Chapter 3 that “Our experiences in the family and other groups during childhood lay down the basic orientations to life” (p. 94). Families offer guidance as well as protection from the larger, and sometimes hurtful, society. Furthermore, loving families provide socialization, identity, and comfort, all of which have an essential role in the development of the self (Pp. 104-106). The economy is the second most influential social institution in industrial societies. To fulfill basic needs, societies rely on a strong economy to produce and distribute goods and services. Additionally, strong and stable economies provide employment and job security to

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