Societies are made up of individuals. In turn, individuals form small groups like the family: an important institution of society. Individuals also make other institutions like the state and the economy. These ‘thick institutions’ have separated themselves from the individuals. A strange situation arises in which individuals feels dominated by the very institutions they made in the early ages of human civilization. Individuals also feel alienated from those institutions which have become impersonal and very powerful. This problematic relationship between individuals and institutions has been studied by the social sciences in much detail especially in the works of 19th century scholars. In the 20th century, however, a strange thing happened with the study of institutions and individuals; they have separated themselves from each other and gone into different branches of social science. The economy is now the exclusive area of economists and politics have become the playground of politicians and political scientists. The study of individuals has become the most important reason for the existence of psychology. Only sociology and cultural anthropology have tried to preserve the linkages between individuals and society. But cultural anthropology has lost much interest in this relationship and has become a descriptive social science mainly studying primitive societies. Only sociology is still trying to study this relationship on a truly global scale: locally, nationally, and internationally.

Three solutions have been tested in time to solve the relationship between individuals and institutions:

» Read more: Individual and Institution in the Modern Age

Since the introduction of traditional institutional forms of communication, like the press and telephony, people have been engaged in numerous discussions regarding their role in the process, their power to alter or affect technological innovations, their reactions to adopt or reject the latest manifestations. Academic debates and endless public discussions resulted in a situation where no right or wrong answer prevailed. All were possible, everything was applicable. As historians emphasize, most people seemed reluctant to accept newer forms of communications as they were trying to sustain a certain way of living, secure their position in society and most importantly, maintain a clear focus between the old and the new needs that evolved. Thus, the outcome of any suggested displacement became one of the central focus points in cultural studies, politics and other sciences, since the disintermediation was able to blur the ground upon which an action could be decided and a conclusion reached.

One of the most important institutions that has been threatened to be displaced, if not in its entirety, in at least some of its functions, was that of the family. Traditionally, the institution of the family is responsible for the overall socialization of a person, as it constitutes the first small community in which an individual evolves and learns to interact with other community members. Over the past century, due to economic, political and social changes, the traditional family unit has altered the way it interacts in relation to its members and with the rest of the society. Unfortunately, especially in Western societies, the role of the family has been altered and individualism is promoted as the basic principle having the primary role in a person’s life. The institution of the family has lost its original appeal and power. This realization does not come as a shock, as it is directly related with the increasing divorce numbers or the lower numbers of civic engagement among other reasons that led to the diminished social capital. Parents and children reconstructed their relationships and directed their focus away from traditional family values. As an individual is taught from an early age that economic success and tangible rewards shall better serve him/her in the future, in comparison to healthy individual relationships, one tends to become less interested in creating a family, get involved in volunteer work, embrace humanitarianism or strive for social welfare. In today’s fierce competitive environment, the focus of a person is directed towards a satisfactory monetary compensation during his/her professional career that is based on previous educational choices and academic performances.

» Read more: Displacing Institutions and Civic Engagement