Beginning with Karl Marx and Georg Simmel, the function of conflict have been explained in various ways. Lewis Coser, Edward Rozycki and Gary Clabaugh have all interpreted the function of conflict as mostly positive under non-rigid society, for example German nazi in 1942. On the other side, theorist such as Morton Deutsch and Ralf Dahrendorf have proposed theory with opposing view against Coser’s theory. This essay will first, explain the idea of Lewis Coser on positive function of conflict, then, compare Lewis Coser to the original theory by Karl Marx and Georg Simmel, and finally, examine some subsequent development of the function of conflict by Morton Deutsch, Ralf Dahrendorf, and Edward Rozycki and Gary Clabaugh. Lewis Coser in his book, …show more content…
Similar to Coser and Simmel, Deutsch agrees the potential of conflict to be functional, or constructive. The positive sides of conflict, according to Deutsch, include always revitalize norms, inspire interest and curiosity of individuals or organizations, and the development of solutions etc. (Deutsch, 1973: p.9) On the other hand, his theory disagrees with Coser’s. Deutsch supported that conflict could also lead to dysfunctional or destructive consequences. For example, the U.S military involvement in Vietnam. According to Deutsch, the cost of continuing that conflict could become so massive, that would lead to a destructive result, such as the breakdown of the economy, deaths of the solder and citizens, and destruction of architecture. Unlike Deutsch, Edward Rozycki and Gary Clabaugh in their book: The Functions of Conflict in the Context of Schooling, 1999, have fully adapted Lewis Coser’s theory. They suggested that “conflict and cooperation are not separable things.” (Rozycki and Clabaugh, 1999: p.39) In the context of schooling, they provided some example where conflict or antagonism can be functional for the whole system. The school board would appoint school administrators and teacher with antagonisms, because such antagonism can prevent administrators and teachers from forming a community against the school board. Rozycki and Clabaugh argued five main functions of conflict and four of those are similar to Coser’s minimizing isolation, definition of “us” versus “them”, revitalize existing norms and replication of similar behavior within the group. The one that stands one is reconnaissance. It’s defined as the information gathering. Using the example that Rozycki and Clabaugh have provided to us, students will “test” their new teacher to see how strict the teachers is about school rules and then
...to be achieved, years, decades, lifetimes, conflict is intended to fulfill this need. Ultimately, conflict theory is about the struggles, ideologies, representations, and power that the haves possess and the have-nots want to exert. These concepts come into play causing conflict between the groups which ends in social change.
due to the differing perspectives; and who the ‘victor’ of the situations was. Finally, this paper
Society is flawed. There are critical imbalances in it that cause much of humanity to suffer. In, the most interesting work from this past half-semester, The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx is reacting to this fact by describing his vision of a perfectly balanced society, a communist society. Simply put, a communist society is one where all property is held in common. No one person has more than the other, but rather everyone shares in the fruits of their labors. Marx is writing of this society because, he believes it to be the best form of society possible. He states that communism creates the correct balance between the needs of the individual and the needs of society. And furthermore thinks that sometimes violence is necessary to reach the state of communism. This paper will reflect upon these two topics: the relationship of the individual and society, and the issue of violence, as each is portrayed in the manifesto.
By definition, conflict theory basically sees the society as a pitch in which inequality thrives in order to generate conflict and change. For instance, this theory emphasizes on the purpose of coercion in generating a social order that’s often ch...
The conflict perspective seems to myself to be a confliction over the struggle of power. A completion against each other and not to the expense of themselves but of others. It is the function that focuses mainly on what occurs between the “working class” and the “owning
Conflict theory is a perspective derived from the work of Karl Marx, who believe that society is a dynamic entity and it is constantly undergoing changes driven by class conflict, who holds different interests, ideas and values, for competing scare resources and aiming to maximize their own-benefits. According to the founder of conflict theory, Karl Marx, society are divided into two category: the have and the do not have, the latter is dominated by the former ones who are those people with power in hands and with the greatest political, economic and social resources. Conflict theory assumes that society makes the norms to serve the interests of the powerful.
...nt variables. It can deal with the interests within a country and interests out of it. It can occur due to ideological differences or religious differences. It can occur due to a power grab, and in the cases of a failed brinkmanship, can be a complete accident. Each war throughout history has its own unique set of reasoning for occurring, which makes studying the causation of war so fascinating: in every war you study, you are guaranteed to find so many unique characteristics that it possesses.
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
The first section of the Communist Manifesto describes the history of all society as the history of class conflicts. Claiming, that every society is essentially divided into, the oppressors and the oppressed. Furthermore, Marx adds, in the past, societies were organized in more complex combinations and hierarchies, but modern society is being split into two ‘hostile camps’. There has always been a continuous conflict between the different classes; the end result of these conflicts is always, either the total suppression of the oppressed classes, or a revolution, which leads to an overhaul of society. He blames the cause for the separation of modern society into only two groups, on the fall of feudalism. These new class antagonisms are between the proletariat, and the bourgeoisie.
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.
...y viewed as a different group of people competing for power. It’s characterized by certain structures which can vary from one society to the next three disarray inequalities. The videos disagreements in relations to different facts those are evident. Karl Marx is a prime example of a pioneer behind the conflict perspective theory. His concept relates to our country in that it is distinguished by capitalism. Their existing income is imbalanced and the struggle for resources is evident.
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.
This model distinguishes six possible sources of conflict that may arise: incompatible goals, differentiation, interdependence, scarce resources, ambiguous rules, and communication problem (McShane and Von Glinow 332-333). Incompatible goals involves that “the goal of one person or department seem to interfere with another person’s or department’s goal” (McShane and Von Glinow 333). Differentiation is described as the “difference among people, departments, and other entities regarding their training, values, beliefs, and experiences” (McShane and Von Glinow 333). Interdependence “occurs where individuals operate interdependently except for reliance on a common source or authority” (McShane and Von Glinow 335). Scarce Resources are a source of conflict when several persons or units require the same recourse to fulfill their goals. Ambiguous Rules occur as a source of conflict because “uncertainty increases the risk that one party intends to interfere with the other party’s goals” (McShane and Von Glinow 335). Communication Problems are a source of conflict “due to the lack of opportunity, ability, or motivation to communicate effectively” (McShane and Von Glinow 333).
The social conflict model has two types of conflict, the social consensus and the social conflict. Dalton took the concept of informal organization from just workers to include managers and is called managerial conflict. This is a power struggle of humans using conflict to control their environment and social activities within the organization in their favor. Dalton believes it is human to use conflict to your advantage. They’re several layers of conflicts that arise between coworkers, between departments, supervisor and worker, between staff members, between different groups within the larger organization and just good old personality conflicts. Rules are made to control conflicts and behavior, but who do they benefit. They are called organizational rules but individuals implement them and either favors the individual or his group within the group. Bendix did a study on 1956 about managerial ideologies. The managers or leaders use influence within the organization to get workers to follow them and work together for the company. They use this conflict of ideas to obtain loyalty, and employees who are loyal to their company. Sometimes conflict comes from outside the organization. An example of this theory outside influence is the National Football league and spousal and child abuse. A rash of abuse cases arising from the actions of the athletes, caused outside influences to take action against the National Football League. Women and other outside groups influenced the league to implement new rules to control or change the behavior of their employees, the
Conflict is always present in human interactions. A conflict is not always a negative thing. Sometimes if it is handled properly, it will result in broadening one’s mind or giving one a chance to grow and change. On the other hand, if people were