State as an Institution

The definition of State is "a political entity that claims monopoly on the use of violence in some particular territory; commonly known as a country ( Henslin 423)." A social institution however is a system in which people's behavior's and relationships that link with the society. To sum it up a state as an institution is the way society reacts in a territory or in each country. A good way to look at the state as an institution is compare it with the Conflict Theory.  This theory was introduced  by Karl Marx, and was also put into the category of macro level of analysis. State as an Institution definitely fits into this category because the Conflict Theory follows the pattern of capitalism. People were divided into bourgeoisies and the proletariats (factory owners and factory workers). This made society an "uneven playing field," and made it look as if the rules were rigged for the workers. Because they relied on each other the owners would soon have to play by the workers rules to make money. One offset and it would change the means of production which is where the power of state is applied. If the state didn't cooperate then everything would fall out of place.

In my opinion we are the ones who make the world operate like it does. We let the bourgeoisies control what we buy, what we get paid, and when we buy the product. While we are out blowing our money on material things that we think we need, they are sitting there making up to thousands of dollars per hour, because that's how the state of an institution works.

Henslin, James M. "Chapter 15." Sociology ;a Down-to-earth Approach: Core Concepts. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2012. 423. Print.

Family Institutions

Family institution is defined as a "social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction and procreation of children." (Farooq 1)

Many people see their family as a major support system, I know I do. From the time we were born we have relied on them for so many things like money, a belief system, and essentially the things that keep us alive like food, water and shelter. On many occasions children act just as the people do around them (most of the time being family). So what is right or wrong with your family? Many things that I see other families do for example, eating at the dinner table every night. One of my best friends doesn't do that nor have they ever. It's a strange thing to me because when I was in high school I was so use to coming home from a sports practice and sitting down with the whole family to eat and talk about how our days go, but when your family isn't home to do that I feel it's sad because I know she would rather do that than cook for herself and eat it in front of the TV.

As Keshav Kolanki explained in his article about families as a social institution (Kolanki 1) " the function of a family institution is to give formal and informal education to children, children have to go to school for formal education but informal education is given by the family institute." So yes we go to school to learn the basic reading writing and arithmetic, but overall your family is the one who really teaches a person how to act and respond to situations, which in my opinion is just as important as the other. If one doesn't know how to act how are they suppose to learn the basics?

Over many years the idea that "family" as an institution  has changed drastically whether we as a society want to believe it or not. Technology is a prime example, families didn't use to sit around a watch their phones and call it "socializing," but now that's all we do. Most times I find myself going over to a friends house to "hang out" and it ends up being us sitting on the couch consumed by our cell phone or the TV. Like I said before not many families I know sit at a dinner table every night. The pressures of being a kid have also changed. My dad remembers his high school classes to be very easy, and moving onto college wasn't a big thing, but now it's totally the opposite. In my high school career I was very driven to be at the top of the class, compete in sports, and also do extracurricular activities, and on top of that have a job.

So even though family should be the most important institution it's not anymore, many things have come in to play before it, and I think it's important that the idea of family as an institution should change.

http://www.studylecturenotes.com/basics-of-sociology/what-is-family-institution-meaning-definition-of-family-institution

 "Family as Social Institution." Family as Social Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.