Throughout life, one encounters many social situations. The way a person processes these situations says a lot about his or her general outlook on life. While there are many theories, there are three primary Theoretical Perspectives: Functionalist Theory, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interaction Theory. Personally, I struggled in choosing a single perspective. I believe that if one perspective had a perfect explanation, there would probably be only one perspective. Since this is not the case however, it must be admitted that no single theory base perfectly explains every social situation. I have found that for me, the Conflict Theory explains situations around the world most consistently. The Conflict perspective is defined as a sociological approach that assumes “that social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups” (Schaefer, 15). I believe we see this clearly in our world today. From business negotiations in which a corporation is seeking to acquire something that another corporation possesses, to children on a playground, to a full-scale war, conflict is seen in virtually every social setting. Through these conflicts, situations change. The Conflict Theory relies on competition. It seeks to discover who benefits from social interaction. How did the leaders find themselves in power? The conflict theory often is seeking ulterior motives in decision making. It may seem like a cynical perspective, but it does not sugarcoat issues. If there is corruption, this theory has an explanation. When a certain politician is pushing for a certain bill to be passed, the Conflict Theorist does not simply accept it. Instead, he or she questions the motives and the benefit. Hidd... ... middle of paper ... ...ernal principles, one good and the other evil” (dictionary.com). I certainly do not hold to this belief. Praise God He is eternally powerful and will defeat sin and evil for all eternity. In the present however, we as individuals will find opposition in this world. In conclusion, I simply believe that change is provoked by conflict. Disagreement leads to either compromise or war. This is clearly seen in our world. At this time, any peace we see is strictly temporary and often times contains hidden unrest. Until Christ returns, we will not have total cohesion in our world. The conflict theory requires us to ask the hard questions, find out who really benefits from the changes made, and allows for conflict to be handled in a peaceful manner, and this is why I believe it is the best option. It is not titled the “war theory” or the “eternal unrest theory.”
An example of conflict theory is gay marriage. Homosexual couples are struggling for the right to marry their significant others. However, they face opposition from heterosexual couples and traditionalists who want to keep marriage strictly between a man and a woman. Homosexual couples want to redefine the meaning of marriage while heterosexual couples desire to keep the traditional definition of marriage. I did not choose conflict theory because I dislike conflict. While I acknowledge that there will always be a power struggle between two parties, I do not see the world in a way which acknowledges a
“We all fight on two fronts, the one facing the enemy, the other facing what we do to the enemy” (Boyden 199).
There are many ways in which an individual is able to view the world and the three sociological perspectives, conflict theory, structural functionalism, and symbolic interactionism, represent some of these ways. These theories are an important part of sociology and help individuals put the world into their own perspectives and then draw conclusions about how society works as a whole. Once a person is able to do this, they are able to make sense of their interactions and the interactions of others, due to the reasons set forth by their sociological perspectives (Claerbaut, 2015, “Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology”).
Did you know that in 2014, shoplifting and worker’s theft cost the retail industry a loss of thirty-two billion dollars (Wahba, 2015)? According Wahba “a common misperception about shoplifting is that retailers can ‘afford’ the loss of a candy bar or a pair of jeans” (2015). This type of reasoning certainly does make more sense when explained through the context of a criminological theory. For example according to the Rational Choice theory individuals weigh the costs and benefits associated with a criminal and or deviant act and then make a conscious choice. Other criminological theories explain criminal and deviant behavior using a biological, psychological, social, conflict, or multifactor component. Taking that into consideration in this
Pruitt, Dean G, and Sung Hee Kim. Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate, and Settlement. 3rd ed. 2004. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2004.
Walmart can be studied using structure functional theory and social conflict theories. Social functional theory is the relationships among parts of society and how these parts are functional(have beneficial consequences) or dysfunctional (have negative consequences. Most Americans today love to shop at Walmart because they continue to give consumers the best prices on over 120,000 products and are one stop shopping.
The conflict theory is the perspective that opposition and conflict define a given society and are necessary for social evolution. It emphasizes conflict in the social life and uses it to explain social change. Conflict is inevitable, so different groups which have competitive relation will have conflicts. There are many conflicts in the movie Mulan. For example, the Huns
The book displays two social concepts, conflict theory and structural-functionalism. Conflict theory is defined as “a theory propounded by Karl Marx that claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition
Acting out of the cultural norm has been a means of resistance for centuries now, but especially nowadays it is becoming more of a controversy for those who dismiss it and a necessity of survival for those who practice it. The youths who experienced poverty and hardship (generally male) get stereotyped and unjustifiably stigmatized by agents such as school faculty/staff, law enforcement, and employer. Thus creating an unbreakable cycle of misrecognition and causation of resistance and criminalization. Needless to say in order for the boys to survive they have to participate in various dramaturgical concepts of impression management such as the personal front, and by giving either intentional or unintended expressions. There are various other factors that also influence one’s actions of impression management such as the region, and the backstage.
One of the perspectives that had been dominating in the sociological thinking is the conflict perspective. Conflict perspective is a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of differences and inequalities that generate conflict and change. Confronting different values, norms and beliefs of different cultures, would only result in more revulsion
As one of the oldest social psychology theories, the Realistic Conflict Theory deals with the conflict and hostility that is projected to arise between individuals or groups competing over the same limited resources. Therefore, a resource, opportunity, or even goal, becomes harder to obtain, the amount of aggression is projected to increase as well. This theory is not only visible in many everyday situations, but it also established a basis for which discrimination and prejudice can be partly explained.
Conflict theory are perspective in sociology psychology that accentuate the social, political, or material inequality of a social group, that analysis the broad socio-political system, or that weaken from structural functionalism and ideological conservatism. With conflict theory, you will see tensions, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society, which these conflicts become the purpose of social change. Conflict theory usually arise due to competition and limited resource that is feed by domination and power, rather than consensus and conformity. This is seen a lot on macro level. As a social worker, you will see and use conflict theory throughout your professional.
In the conflict theory, power is at the center of all social relationships. When a person obtains power in a social area, it is natural for this person to attempt to expand the influence that they have to other social areas. This level of influence and power only falls in the hands of a few people. As a result, society ranks people by status and level of authority. In order for these select few to remain in power, they must legitimize their power and conceal the full extent of their power. They do this by implementing an ideology. The ideology must bring forth a set of values to the people. It must explain the state of the world, and it must justify both the current positioning of power and the few individuals that hold this power. Other approaches, such as functionalism, talk about society in a positive light and support the status quo. However, the conflict theory attempts to focus on the discord that is within society. The focus lies on the unequal distribution of power and resources in society.
According to McShane and Von Glinow, conflict is “a process in which one party perceives that his or her interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party” (328). The Conflict Process Model begins with the different sources of conflict; these sources lead one or more parties to perceive that a conflict exists. These perceptions interact with emotions and manifest themselves in the behavior towards other parties. The arrows in the figure illustrate the series of conflict episodes that cycle into conflict escalation (McShane and Von Glinow 331-332).
(Asawo, 2011). Conflict can occur in any setting and as leaders in organizations guide and