Functions of the family as a social institution

The social institution in most cases is understood as a stable form of social organization, conditioned by the presence of normative-value roles, the main purpose of which is the guaranteed realization of social needs. Simply put, social institutions regulate the relationships within a group in order to improve its functionality in general and meet the needs of each of its members. At present, most sociologists call 5 fundamental types of social institutions, among them:

• economy;
• policy;
• education;
• a family;
• religion.

Entering a person in each of the social institutions imposes certain duties on him and is accompanied by the emergence of needs peculiar to a particular institution.

The family is a classic example of a social institution, with all the proper constituent elements. The functions, needs, goals and stages of family formation are singled out. In this article, the functions of the family as a social institution will be examined in more detail.

Institute of the Family and its functions

The family as a social institution has a number of functional features that need to be considered in detail.

• Reproductive . The main function of the family, personally satisfying the desire and need to have children, in the social - the need of the society in the continuation of the species.
• Educational. Within the family, the personality of the person, the future member of society, is laid and brought up. Success in performing family functions directly affects the formation of a mature and responsible person.
• Economic and household function implies the withdrawal (primarily material) and care for family members who are unable to take care of themselves due to their age. It is about providing shelter, food, etc.
• Social control. The essence of this function is that the family is responsible for the behavior of each of its members in society, for observing it's moral standards and adhering to values.
• The sexual and erotic function of the family is to satisfy individual needs for caress and sex, at the same time the society's need for biological reproduction is realized.
• Function of spiritual communication. Satisfies the need of each family member in close communication and spiritual development.
• Emotional: the desire for acceptance in the family, support and psychological protection.

Over time, the functions of the family have the property to change, be abolished or expanded by the appearance of new ones. It's not just about the functions within the family cell, but also about the functions of the family as an abstract concept: tolerance is rising towards the violation of some social roles, while others are gaining more and more strength. Some functions of the family go to the background, others turn out to be more important. Perhaps, in modern society, as before, one of the prerogative functions of the family is educational and emotional . Undoubtedly, the role of the family in the formation of the personality of the child is one of the most important, because most of the skills of communicative interaction, habits of behavior and response are laid in the framework of family relationships, which imposes enormous responsibility on parents for the development of a full and adequate person.

The contribution of the family to the formation of the individual

The functions of the family, being to a greater extent only a model of healthy family relationships, reflect and accommodate the needs that each family member can experience. The child learns the principles of upbringing, emotional and spiritual contact laid down among native people, orienting himself on them further in adulthood. The thing is that young children are maximally susceptible to new information: the habits and behavior of parents and significant adults are imputed by imitation through imitation. Therefore, it is important that adult members of the family, performing their functions responsibly, be aware that the identity of their child is in their hands.