Which of the following is not a social institution?
a. Mass media
b. Peer group
c. Healthcare
d. Government
Answer: b. Peer group
The social institution is a system that is highly organized and made up of a specific set of social norms and values. This system exists in a society to ensure that the needs and goals established by the society are met. Other social institutions including media, healthcare and government are also all considered.
The mass media constitutes of a vast number of means by which the general public is influenced and simply thought of as the purveyors of information.
The healthcare, as it is the entrenched social function, is aimed at providing the medical services and bringing the health to the level for those who belong to the society.
Government, which is the most basic form of social institution, provides a means for implementing rules and regulations and overseeing societal functions to obstruct chaos and prohibit social failures.
Conversely, a peer group, although it is not a social institution, can influence an individual’s behaviours and beliefs. This is a term that describes an informal gathering of minimal number of people of different age groups and background that in most cases lacks distinctive organization or structures of complex societal nature just like social institutions do.