Five major complexes of institutions are conventionally identified.

(i) Economic institutions serve to produce and distribute goods and services.

(ii) Political institutions regulate the use of and access to power.

(iii) Stratification institutions determine the distribution of positions and resources.

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(iv) Kinship institutions deal with marriage, family and socialisation of the young.

(v) Cultural institutions are concerned with religious, scientific and artistic activities. Sociological Concept of Institution

The sociological concept of the term is different from common usage. An institution is not a building; it is not a group of people; it is not an organisation. An institution is a system of norms to achieve some goal or activity that people feel is important; or, more formally, an organised cluster of folkways and mores centred on a major human activity. Institutions are structured processes through which people carry on their activities.