Institutionalism
Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences
General Academic Strand | Humanities and Social Sciences
Learning
Competency
Examine the constitutive nature of informal and
formal institutions and their actors and how it
constrains social behavior (HUMSS_DIS 11-IVb-7).
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Learning
Objectives
● Interpret personal and social experiences
using relevant approaches in the social
sciences.
● Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of
the approach.
● Define institutionalism as a lens for students
to understand society.
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Institutionalism
Definition of Institutions
● Institutions are:
○ organizations
○ other formal social structures
that govern a field of action
such as education (Rojas 2018)
● Understanding society through
institutions is called
institutionalism.
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Institutionalism
Institutions
● Various institutions work
together to keep a society
functional.
● Individuals in those institutions
behave according to their
customary practices.
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Institutionalism
Institutions and the Individual
● Institutions are made by humans
through a series of social
interactions.
● Just as how institutions influence
the life of an individual, we are
capable of shaping our
institutions.
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To shape our institutions
toward social change,
we must understand how
our institutions behave.
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Institutionalism
Institutions and Tradition
Max Weber (1864–1920)
German sociologist and historian
● Institutions become a tradition as
more people follow it.
● An individual typically follows
institutions as part of his or her
society’s tradition.
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Institutionalism
Types of Institutions
Formal institutions are made
through a series of explicit social
interactions:
● habits
● customs
● conventions
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Institutionalism
Habits
● These are repeated actions that
become recognized by an
individual.
● These actions, when repeated
consistently over a period of
time, become a part of one’s
identity.
Habits, such as exercise, are
cultivated into daily routines. ● e.g., exercising every morning,
allocating study time
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Institutionalism
Customs
● habits shared within a group
● integrate a social aspect in an
individual’s habits
● e.g., chewing loudly while eating
○ a sign of respect in some
countries
○ a sign of disrespect in other Eating together creates a space for
family socialization.
countries
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Institutionalism
Conventions
● procedures agreed upon by
society
● formed to establish social
stability
● e.g., language rules in English,
Philippine laws, Catholic Church
The dictionary institutionalizes
language by agreeing upon the
practices
meaning of various words.
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Institutionalism
Conventions
● As conventions become more
represented in society, they
gradually become institutional.
● The institutionalization process
formalizes habits, customs, and
conventions to be part of a
society’s collective identity.
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Institutionalism
Authority Figures
● They are implementers of
institutionalization.
● e.g., imams in Islam uphold
religious beliefs by facilitating
traditions, conventions, and
customs.
● e.g., Teachers, as school
Imams are considered authority
authorities, implement rules in figures in Islam.
the classroom. 14
Institutionalism
More than Habits, Customs,
and Conventions
● informal institutions
○ widely implied
understandings of how to
behave in society
○ no explicit law or doctrine but
still generally followed
Showing utang na loob by taking
care of one’s parents when they
grow older is common in Filipinos.
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Institutionalism
Informal Institutions in Society
● The role of tagasalo in the family
○ one who takes care of the
family or always comes to its
rescue (Carandang 1987)
○ integrates responsibility, care,
and dependability in resolving
conflict in the family
○ reinforces the “breadwinner”
characteristic 16
How can we apply
institutionalism in
today’s society?
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Institutionalism
Religion as an Institution
Functions of religion (Macionis,
2017):
○ unites members through
shared values and customs
○ maintains order by forbidding
certain behaviors
○ provides meaning and sense Buddhists wear orange robes to
symbolize simplicity.
to other people’s lives
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Institutionalism
Religion as an Institution
● religious conventions
○ Ten Commandments
○ Koran
● religious customs
○ doing the sign of the cross
when passing by a church
○ praying toward the direction
The Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia,
of the Kaaba in Mecca is the most sacred site in Islam.
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Institutionalism
Family as an Institution
Functions of the family:
○ first area of socialization for
children
○ cultivates values, beliefs, and
norms
○ reinforces social roles
Filipino families show close familial
bonds.
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Institutionalism
Family as an Institution
Familial customs:
○ pagmamano as an honoring
gesture to elders
○ eating together to cultivate a
sense of community
Pagmamano is reinforced through
cultural symbols such as statues.
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Institutionalism
Law as an Institution
● “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of
expression, or of the press, or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble and petition the government for
redress of grievances.”
Which human right is being upheld by the statement?
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Institutionalism
Society places a great The right to freedom of
value on truth and speech and expression
honesty (belief). becomes protected by the
Institutionalizing Constitution.
Process
Society is obligated by law to uphold the
sharing of truth and to express
grievances to the government.
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Institutionalism
Law as an Institution
What can we know?
● Generally-held principles in
society become ingrained into
various laws.
● These principles become
institutionalized in society
through habits, customs, and
conventions (e.g., laws).
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Institutionalism
On Institutionalism
When examining an institution, there
are two institutional relations that
must be considered:
● inter-institutional relations
○ e.g., Labor rights (law) protect
labor conditions (economy).
● institutions and the individual
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Institutionalism
On Institutionalism
● Individuals must reflect and
evaluate their institutions despite
their normative pressures.
● Institutions bear within them the
promise of deep-seated social
control and the promise of
human liberation.
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Institutionalism
Institutionalism and Society
● Reflect and examine the habits,
customs, and conventions in
today’s institutions.
● Ask yourself: How do my
institutions strive for human
liberation?
○ How can I do my part in
improving society?
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● In analyzing a certain social phenomenon,
Wrap- institutionalism offers three key points:
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○ habits – repeated actions that become
recognized by a self-conscious individual and
are then internally represented by him or
her
○ customs – habits that are shared within a
group
○ conventions – procedures that are agreed
upon by society
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● Institutions become more widespread in society as
Wrap- relevant habits, customs, and conventions become
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more and more represented by various sectors of
society.
● Institutions reinforce habits, norms, and beliefs that
are part of the collective identity of a particular
group or organization.
● There are authorities that implement and uphold
norms, beliefs, trends, regulations, and laws in
society. Various authorities exist in different sectors,
such as in economics, culture, politics, and religion.
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Wrap-
Up
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