Intermediary Mediation and Competition between Social Institutions 1

Intermediary Mediation and Competition between Social Institutions

Thomas Johnson

San Antonio Colleges

Intermediary Mediation and Competition between Social Institutions
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Abstract

This paper will discuss the issue of competition between social institutions and the impact

this tension has on the individual members of society. We will begin by looking at the

sociological paradigms of functionalist theory and conflict theory and how they view the

competition between social institutions. We will then follow with proponents for strong diverse

social institutions. We will then follow with historical examples of societal competition, first

with negative examples of one institution overpowering the other and then with positive

examples of liberating competition.

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Intermediary Structures

Social institutions shape a persons perspective and direct his or her interactions with

the people he or she encounters. The social institutions that exist within a given society are not

necessarily in agreement with one another; indeed, they often have different values and

priorities. This tension between social institutions serves a functional benefit by freeing the

individuals within society from the absolute control and influence of any one group. Society

requires varied and separate social institutions in order to fulfill their roles and to remain

vibrant.

Social Paradigms

There are two popular sociological paradigms applicable to this theory.

First, there is the functionalist view, which contends that all elements of society work

together to serve society and that any element that continues to operate must serve

some purpose (Henslin, 2012, p.26). Second, there is the conflict theory, which asserts

that systems are innately stratified and organized to help the powerful subject the

disempowered and to maintain a status quo of inequality (Henslin, 2012, p.28-29). The

intermediary institutional view combines elements from both of these paradigms.

The functionalist view that everything serves a purpose is well established. Robert

Nesbit was of the opinion that no social institution functions unless it has a purpose and

support from its mother culture (Stone, 2000, p.16). This innate pragmatism of society leads to

the second paradigm, namely that of conflict or tension. Where the intermediary view differs is

that this tension is good when social institutions are in conflict thereby keeping one another in

check. The social institutions function to conflict with one another and that by having
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conflicting views, opinions, and agendas, no one group can assume power over the entire

system. This then protects the individual and provides society with the maximum flexibility to

find their own answers to their needs.

The State

A natural risk is for social institutions to merge into one another and thus gather power

to a minority. Examples of this include the religious monarchies wherein the state acted under

the permission of the Church thereby limiting the individuals freedom to the most basic

standards, nominally being that of the right to live. It has been found however that there is one

institution most likely to take too much upon itself, namely the state.

There is little room to argue that giving any portion of the population the ultimate say in

what society will and will not allow results in a net benefit for the society. Of the social

institutions in todays age, few could be said to be as powerful as the state. The state defines

our laws, and in many ways our social agenda (war on poverty, the NASA Space program). The

examples of states that have subsumed other social institutions include Nazi Germany, Soviet

Russia, and the atrocities committed in England to protect the Monarchies privately held

religious beliefs. These examples present little validation to the concept of an all-powerful state.

Robert Nesbit believed that the State naturally seeks to eliminate social

institutions influence over people in order to enter into direct connections with the

people (Stone, 2000, p.23). This removal of the intermediary agent is often done in the

name of liberating the individual, however this removal of the social institutions role in

societal life actually endangers the individuals freedom and enables the ruling classes

to attempt to dictate and restructure society as they see fit. This sort of top down
Intermediary Mediation and Competition between Social Institutions
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leadership goes against the basic concept of society as it attempts to remove the

individuals from the societies self-determination (Stone, 2000, p.17).

In addition, the power of the state is normally acquired and expanded during

times of war, where the individual is called to present greater patriotism to the country

as whole (Stone, 2000, p.26). This war emphasis works to transforms the state into a

more hierarchal, regimented, and dictatorial organization. This then results in the

leader(s) of the State leading the people in a crusade against an enemy state, against

poverty, or against abstract concepts such as terrorism or Global Warming. These

causes are then used by the state to warrant further encroachments on the individuals

civil liberties and freedom without distinct goals that set explicit limits on state

encroachment.

The state is not innately evil or malignant, it is however in the most centralized

position to assume as much control over other social institutions, and the individual,

and therefore is the most able and ready to assume too much control of society. This

assumption of responsibilities is not in the interest of the state or the people as the state

is by its very nature a practical and cold institution. When the state attempts to become

an empathetic institution, it loses its purpose and enables good intentions to run amok.

Alienation

Not only is an all-powerful state damaging to freedom, it alienates people from one

another. Peter Berger and Richard Neahaus posit that social institutions act as mediating

structures between the state and the individual. These mediating structures generate and

maintain the values of society that give the individual and the state their purpose. To
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disempower or subvert these mediating structures is to remove the individuals source of

meaning and significance. The individual becomes the object rather than the subject of the

value-propagating processes of society (Berger &Neuhaus, 1977, p.6).

This alienation from self-identifying values can be further compounded by arbitrarily

decided solutions from an impersonal force, such as the state. Berger and Neuhaus in their book

To Empower People point out the class discrimination that is evident in the education system of

the United States. School culture is traditionally reflects the values of upper middle class, with

most teachers and other staff of school staff coming from upper middle class backgrounds

(Berger &Neuhaus, 1977, p.20-21). The culture and social norms of public schools are innately

focused on expected white middle class behavior. This environment forces disadvantages on

other social classes and cultures. Worse still, the outlook of the school system typically

disparages the lifestyles of other classes, including the lifestyles of many of the more destitute

students families. Thereby teaching the children to hold their families, and by extension

themselves, in contempt (Berger &Neuhaus, 1977, p.22).

Not only does this alienation damage the individuals self-image and motivation, it can

have a dire impact on social interaction, leading even to suicide.

In his work Suicide, Emile Durkheim lamented the weakening of group ties and the

individuation of society. Durkheim hypothesized that the individuals loss of social integration

with social institutions like the church and family led to apathy and suicide (Thompson, 1982,

p.109-111). This social alienation is not innately the fault of the state, indeed in the case of

Durkheims work the responsibility rested with the ideology of the Catholicism and

Protestantism. However his theory points out the need for intimate and responsive social
Intermediary Mediation and Competition between Social Institutions
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groups and institutions rather than impersonal and arbitrary ones.

This shows the importance of the social institutions being able to act independently in

order to meet the individual needs of society. If one social group, the state, attempts to

structure society through a top down organization, societys institutions will cease to function

and fail to meet the needs of the people.

Historical examples

Historically, states that take over the other social institutions become top heavy and self-

serving. An example of such an imbalance is the formation of the Church of England. When King

Henry VIII chose to divorce his first wife and remarry in order to solidify his lineage, IE his

political power, the Catholic Churchs Pope denied this request of divorce because there were

no spiritual grounds for doing so. At this point in history, the State is encountering opposition to

social injustice from the Church. However, King Henry did not accept no for an answer and

instead chose to expel the Catholic Church from England, confiscated the Catholic properties in

England, and declared a new church, the Church of England.

This act was not done for the benefit of the people; instead it was an attempt to

strengthen the states power. This act was also not without consequences, as is seen in the

following three reigns of power that would wreak violent oppression over the two opposing

social beliefs. Sadly, more recent history does not show a decrease in states aggregating other

social institutions. Instead, an active agenda to appropriate the peoples minds and loyalty is

seen with violent and consequences.

The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalins leadership banned and prosecuted the

Russian Orthodox Church to remove a rival system of power. He then later reinstated
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the Church under Soviet purview so that he could better control the State for his war

efforts (Hupka, 2000). Further, the Soviet Union placed particular focus on removing

faiths stemming from foreign regions such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam

(Library of Congress, 2010). These foreign institutions were not attacked because they

were hostile to the state; they were attacked for one purpose, to eliminate competition

to Stalins rule.

These strategic attacks by states do not stop with religion, specific strikes and

takeovers can also be seen against other sources of alternative thought, such as

education. As an example, when Mao Tse-Tung sought to enact a cultural revolution,

one of his actions was to disperse and remove educated professionals from the cities

(Elegant, 1971, p.221-222). In so doing, he removed their influence from the cultural

springs of society, the cities, enabling his regime to shape culture and society as he saw

fit. More distressing is the potentiality of the state to subvert education for its own

devices.

Adolf Hitler used state education to subvert familial ties and indoctrinate

children into the Nazi state and society. When an opponent declares, 'I will not come

over to your side,' I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already.... What are you? You

will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time

they will know nothing else but this new community. (Public Quotes, 20 ) This is a

frightening concept to contend with. That the state, or indeed any social institution, can

supplant another social institution and assume direct control over a populous, even to
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the point of molding the way the people think, is a huge concern. This should not only

be a concern for sociologists, but everyone, including the state.

Society is drawn and bound to social institutions and social institutions naturally

spring up from any human interaction. Therefore, removing social institutions is neither

possible nor desirable. What the intermediary structures view instead offers if that a

functional status quo can be achieved by establishing social institutions differing views

that will compete with one another without any one group gaining sole supremacy.

Examples of successfully balanced societies are societies that took care to

separate civil, legal, and social freedoms and responsibilities enabling individuals to be

the primary actuators of social life. Examples of this philosophy can be seen in the

Americas before even the founding of the United States. For example Roger Williams,

founder of Rhode Island was a devout Protestant Baptist and yet advocated a

separation of Christian morals and legal laws (Library of Congress, 2013). He argued

that the morality of the Christian faith should be self-imposed and not enforced by law

and therefore be set apart from secular laws.

This notion that legality should not directly equate to morality is a prime

foundational difference between Western civilization and other cultures because it sets

out to enable tolerance of other views. With tolerance, competition and differentiation is

possible, and from competition people are able to attempt different solutions to issues

and the culture thereby becomes

The renaissance, while not fully free, allowed individuals to further express

themselves and interact with one another because there were divisions of power and
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authority. As Tierney notes, two structures of government, ecclesiastical and secular,

intricately interlinked but dedicated ultimately to different ends, often in conflict with

one another, each constantly limiting each others power. (1973, p.133) Artists, poets,

and philosophers could look to foreign cultures, drawing and adapting techniques,

mythos and styles to interject into their own innovative disciplines (Wright, 2007).

Significance

What we see through an historical analysis of the roles of social institutions is a

natural tendency of the governing institution, the state, to assume too much power and

to alienate its people from one another. Robert Nesbit believed that state power could

only come at the cost of social institutions freedoms, and therefore the individuals

freedom to associate. Contrary to conflict theory and functionalist theory, conflict is not

necessarily a malignant factor of society. Rather, it can be the foundation to a vibrant

social scene of personal liberty, personal fulfillment, and civil cooperation.

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