The Conflict Theory explaining social life

One of the finest theories for explaining social life: the conflict theory

One of the finest theories for explaining social life is the conflict theory. This is primarily due to the fact that it makes an effort to accurately describe how differences in class, gender, wealth, and age exist. Different groups of individuals can benefit from and suffer from these kinds of inequalities. The traits classify individuals into groups that either profit from or suffer disadvantages. A social shift is also justified by conflict theory. Class, race and ethnicity, and religion are just a few of the different types of conflicts that the Conflict Theory can describe. These tensions are discussed in this essay, which also incorporates the Saint Leo Core Value of Excellence. Conflict is an inevitable fact in society.

Conflict theory: explaining social life through struggles and tensions

The conflict theory is one of the main ideologies of sociology that attempt to explain social life. Conflict theory states that struggles and tensions arise in a society when power, status, and resources are unevenly distributed between groups (MacDonald, 2009). These conflicts then become drivers of social change. This theory shows that the prevalence of inequalities in everyday life in the society causes conflict. In the conflict theory, there are various basic conflicts. The major ones include; conflict of class, conflict of race and ethnicity, conflict of gender, and the conflict of Religions.

Conflict of Class

In a society, there are high and low ranks in class, and for this reason, those that consider themselves as being of high class in the society often amerce more power over the ones perceived as being low class. This distribution of power regarding social class causes conflicts. In most cases, individuals in the class perceived as being high in the society own a lot of property. This aspect means that those in lower classes own little or insufficient property. From this situation, conflict arises as to who owns more property and which property a certain class of people is supposed to own. Marx pointed out that the ownership of property in the society is a crucial determinant of the class structure. On the contrary, Weber believes that the ownership of property is only one factor that determines the class structure. In this context, Jurgen Habermas argues that the conflict of social classes and structures provide the many motives it takes to create and preserve many patterns of culture (Healey, 2011).

Marx identified three major classes of society that create conflict

Marx identified three major classes of society that create conflict. The bourgeoisie (the class that owns the means of production such as factory buildings and machinery, and whose primary source of income is profits), the landowners (the class that owns real estate property and whose main source of income is rent), and the proletariat (the class that is skilled and their ownership is labor that they sell for a wage). From this point, it becomes evident that class is determined by ownership of property, and not by status or income. The income and status are determined by the distribution and consumption, which also reflect the power and production relationship of the different classes in the society (Healey, 2011). As such, social class is a theoretical and formal relationship among people in society.

The organization of people in the society is largely dependent on the existing means of production and the class that owns them. For instance, if one class of people in a society dominantly owns the means of production, it is most likely that a conflict will arise between the class that owns the means of production and the other class that is left out. The means of production in a society include the things that are compulsory in the production of material goods, such as natural resources and land. The means of production could also include technology, such as machines or tools that workers use to produce products. As the technology advances in society, means of production also change. In the traditional societies, means of production mainly composed of simple tools such as hoe and shovel, while in the contemporary society, the means of production include advanced technology such as robots and microchips.

The ownership of the means of production results in the conflict of class. Individuals that find themselves in the same social class tend to act in a distinct way. Such people in the same class develop a community of mutual dependence and a shared interest interrelated with similar income of wages or profits. Because of these common interests, the individuals form classes with similar interests. The interests of these classes engage members of the classes with opposing classes. In this manner, the conflict of classes develops.

The Race and Ethnicity Conflict

The race and ethnicity conflict is another basic conflict theory. Just like the class conflict, groups in this conflict are classified by their power and prestige. In this way, if a particular race or ethnic group is perceived to have more education, power, and prestige, it is considered the better ethnicity or race, which creates conflict.

Ethnicity and race are important sources of identity in society. When an individual sees someone from a different race or ethnic group, there is a high likelihood that that individual will develop responses to that person by information or stereotype they have. In this manner, the individual creates a symbolic exchange in which his gestures, language, and mannerisms communicate his ethnic and racial identities as well as what the individual thinks about the gesture, language and the mannerisms of the other people (Healey, 2011).

In the context of the United States, the conflict on ethnicity and race entails the numerous past and contemporary struggles between the white ruling class and the ethnic and racial minorities. Because of these differences in race and ethnicity manifested in the positions of power in the society, conflict is inevitable. The ethnic and racial minority in the society believe that they are being oppressed by the ruling majority and therefore put their interests together to fight the ruling class in the line of a race. The minority perceives the dominant group as a threat to their existence and interests; hence resort to conflicts.

For instance, in the United States, in the nineteenth century, the increasing power of black Americans after the Civil War led to the draconian Jim Crow laws that significantly limited the black social and political power. The ruling white majority created laws to contain the minority groups whenever they foresaw a threat to their supremacy. This trend has ensured constant conflict between the racial minority and majority in the United States. This situation illustrates how racial and ethnic differences lead to conflicts in society.

The conflict is normally not about the ethnic differences themselves but economic, political, cultural, social, or territorial matters. Ethnic identity is developed by both intangible and tangible characteristics. The tangible characteristics, including common visible physical traits or shared culture, are crucial because they result in a group’s feeling of identity, uniqueness, and solidarity. For this reason, an ethnic group considers possible threats to its tangible characteristic as risks to its identity. When an ethnic group foresees threats and takes initiatives to confront them, its ethnicity becomes politicized, and the group is considered as a political actor by its shared identity. This may further result in conflict in the line of politics based on ethnicity. Other than the tangible characteristics that define ethical groups, intangible characteristics may also be factors to conflicts in the society. Such intangible characteristics involve what members of a group believe in or what they are made to believe (MacDonald, 2009). These beliefs tend to create a sense of solidarity among members of particular ethnic groups and to exclude those who do not bear those beliefs.

The conflict theory on ethnicity explains the massive atrocities committed during ethnic conflicts such as ethnic cleansing, mass rape, and genocide. These atrocities are often committed alongside the argument that, by ethnicity, everyone becomes involved in the struggle, regardless of its intention.

To a large extent, ethnic and racial conflicts arise if these groups compete for similar goals; mostly power, territory, and access to resources. The elites in society play a crucial role in inciting ethnic groups to engage in ethnic conflicts. Such mobilization of the ethnic groups to cause conflict is often aimed at protecting the interests of the elites. As such, ethnic conflict is similar to other political interest conflicts.

Conflict of Gender

The conflict Theory defines a society by the struggle for dominance between social groups that compete for power and resources. Regarding gender, the conflict theory argues that gender inequality exists because men are constantly trying to retain privileges and power at the cost of the women’s benefits. This is evident from the fact that most powerful leadership positions in the contemporary society are held by men. As such, men are better- placed in the society to enact laws and regulations that favor their interests (Esteban, et al., 2008). This has always placed women on the other side, which makes them unite and fight against men; creating a conflict.

The male dominance in the contemporary society began in the traditional societal systems. For instance, a look at the American history shows that men have always been considered as the dominant group in the society. During the hunter- gather societal systems, men were the hunters, which indicate the powers and abilities of the male about their counterpart gatherers (women). As such, men have developed to be known as the significant breadwinners in families. This perception creates gender conflicts because some people believe that anyone in the society is eligible to be a breadwinner regardless of their gender (Esteban, et al., 2008). The conflicting beliefs on this aspect create conflicts.

The conflict theory presents women as being submissive, while the men are dominant. This is advised by the perception that women are dependent on men for wages, mainly because men are the breadwinners that provide money for the women. This aspect has developed and maintained gender discrimination in the workplace, especially regarding wages. In many corporate environments in the contemporary society, women are paid lower wages compared to men, even for similar work specifications. As such, women have occasionally protested over male dominance at the workplace regarding salaries. Such protests constitute gender conflicts in the society (MacDonald, 2009).

Over the years, men have constantly been at the top of most powerful positions in the society. As these men continue to maintain their power, women are also struggling to get a portion of the power. The struggle between the men in trying to maintain their power and the women in trying to gain a portion of power causes inequality in the society by gender. These struggles of men and women to be in power constitute conflicts.

Conflict of Religions

In the context of religion, the Conflict Theory argues that religion is a source of conflict that divides society. According to Marx, religion helps in maintaining the status quo in the society by making the lower classes content with the promises of greater rewards in the life after death (Haynes, 2007). With this promise, religion diverts the focus of the less fortunate from earthly possession as more will be provided in the eternal life. The Conflict Theory can explain the various conflicts evident around the world, not only through history but also in the contemporary context.

The varying institutions of religion express different aspects of culture which imply human behaviors are social groups. With these social groupings and identities in various religions, conflict is inevitable (Plantinga, 2011). From this point, religion can be viewed as an attempt to incorporate structure and understanding to the universe, hence; will seek to explain the inequalities that exist in different cultures.

The different cultural conflicts that emerge in the society are played out within different religious communities. The facts that most social groups are of the same religious tradition means that group identifications are likely to overlap with religious identification. As such, the conflicts between different religious groups are often based upon the conflicts between the groups themselves for other economic, political, and social reasons. This is evident, especially where one religious group is dominant over others. For this reason, a group’s religious identification often serves as an indicator of social status (Plantinga, 2011). These relationships associate social conflicts with religious conflicts in the society.

Most conflicts in the contemporary societies are based on the term of religion. However, there is much confusion about the precise role that religion plays in these conflicts. While some people claim that violence and conflicts are inherent to religion, others argue that religion is only the cover under which economic, social, or political conflicts are fought out. In this regard, some of the highly placed individuals in the society use the cover of religion to start conflicts and violence between different groups of people for individual interests.

The evident violence by religion today can be traced to historical times. Since the beginning of religion, numerous wars have been fought in the name of different gods and goddesses. Even in today’s societies, conflicts contain religious elements linked up with inter- state, ethnonational, territorial, economic, cultural and other issues (Plantinga, 2011). Most conflicts in the line of religion often exhibit brutal and tenacious types of wars that go to the extent of threatening the meaning of life. When social conflicts are based on religion, they become transformed in value conflicts. Value conflicts are not easily solved by distributive and pragmatic means. Unlike other conflicts such as over resources, value conflicts often become mutually conclusive. Such conflicts entail strong judgment of what is right and what is wrong (Plantinga, 2011). Members of different religious groups believe that their beliefs are the godliest and there cannot be a common ground to resolve these differences. As such, religious conflicts are bound to exist for a long period.

However, it is also notable that religion may serve to prevent or minimize the intensity of conflict in the society. By the promise of a better life after death, religion diverts the attention of the poor in the society from worldly possessions (Haynes, 2007). In so doing, the poor accept their status; hence minimizing their chances of conflicting with the wealthy in the society. Most religious organizations and groupings strive to prevent religious conflicts and other violence in the society. Most of them preach peace and plead with their members to remain peaceful. For instance, through the Saint Leo Core Value of Excellence, the University advocates for peaceful coexistence and moral living of all people. It develops hospitable Christian learning communities to serve everywhere. The University strives to ensure that its students develop excellent character, learn the skills and assimilate the knowledge crucial to become morally responsible members of the society.

Conclusion

The Conflict Theory analyzes social behavior by the assumption that social behavior is best understood and explained regarding tension or conflict between competing groups. The theory perceives life as a constant struggle between groups with different values and interests who share resources and power. In establishing this logic, Karl Marx observed small, powerful groups taking advantage of groups in social classes below them. Marx believes that inequality is necessary for human survival and struggle is inevitable in the society. In this context, different types of conflict emerge under the Conflict Theory. This paper deeply discusses the conflict of religions, conflict of gender, the conflict of class, and the conflict of race and ethnicity.

References

Esteban, J., & Ray, D. (2008). On the salience of ethnic conflict. The American Economic Review, 98(5), 2185-2202.

Healey, J. F. (2011). Race, ethnicity, gender, and class: The sociology of group conflict and change. Pine Forge Press.

Haynes, J. (2007). Religion and development: conflict or cooperation?. Springer.

MacDonald, K. (2009). Evolution, psychology, and a conflict theory of culture. Evolutionary Psychology, 7(2), 147470490900700206.

Plantinga, A. (2011). Where the conflict really lies: Science, religion, and naturalism. OUP USA.