A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, a key figure in British social anthropology, developed the structural-functionalist approach, which viewed society as an integrated system of interconnected parts, each contributing to the maintenance of the whole. Central to his analysis were the concepts of status, role, and institution, which he used to understand social structure and its function in maintaining social order.

Status refers to a recognized position within a social structure. It is a static concept, denoting a particular place a person occupies in society, such as 'father,' 'chief,' 'teacher,' or 'son.' Each status comes with a set of rights and duties associated with it, defining how individuals relate to one another within the social system.

Role is the dynamic aspect of status; it is the behavior expected of an individual occupying a particular status. While status is the position, the role is the enactment of the rights and duties associated with that position. For example, the status of 'father' entails the role of providing for and disciplining children, which involves specific behaviors and interactions.

An Institution is a standardized mode of behavior or a system of social usages that are recognized and established within a society. It is a set of norms, rules, and patterns of behavior organized around a particular social purpose or function. Examples include marriage, kinship systems, political systems, and religious practices. Institutions define and regulate the statuses and roles within a society, providing the framework for social interaction and ensuring the continuity of the social structure.

Radcliffe-Brown saw these concepts as intrinsically linked. Institutions create and maintain the social structure by defining statuses and prescribing the roles associated with them. Individuals, by performing their roles according to institutional norms, contribute to the functioning and stability of the entire social system. This framework allowed him to analyze how various social phenomena contribute to the overall equilibrium and integration of society.