Conflict in Society

In general, conflict theory is to explain the conflict between authority groups and powerless groups through the uneven distribution of power and resources in society (Lai, 2013). It is based entirely in power and how those in power do all they can to hold the majority of the population down and to keep them from gaining power, so as to secure their own position. Conflict theorists all assume that the existing social order is not a product of consensus and mutual benefit but rather a function of power differentials in society. These perspectives recognize that societal resources are limited and contend that opposing groups are in a constant struggle for a greater share of the resources and power that comes with them. As groups struggle to gain

215 chapter 8 Sociology In Our Times: The Essentials) this is to suggest that the different classes in society are in conflict because the more powerful groups maintain and control the distribution of resources, rewards, privileges and opportunities by exploiting the less powerful. They also believe that inequality is a result of profits being generated from the cost of labour being less than the cost of the goods and services being produced from that labour, also known as the surplus value. Conflict theorists do not believe that stratification is functional for society, or that it serves as a source of stability. Rather, they believe that stratification will lead to instability and social change.

The laws against higher status crime, the White Collar crime, are therefore relatively lenient and rarely enforced, but the laws against crime which is committed by those with a lower status, are harsher and more often enforced because they are so visible and detected much more easily. The activities of White Collar crime occur on a daily basis, but there is no public outcry or moral panics about it and therefore no legislation made, whereas, 'street' crime attracts massive law enforcement. As Jeffrey Reiman (2001) so aptly stated, "The rich get richer and the poor get prison".

Arguing that exploitation lies at the core of most social relationships, Conflict Theory proposes that the rules by which society are governed are dictated by powerful actors, and that these serve to ultimately preserve the positions of those groups that hold power. This paradigm argues that the nature of society is inherently conflictual, and that social change only emerges when powerful actors are dislodged through mass-level collective action that is itself difficult to

An aspect of crime that has made me think is the white collar versus street crime dynamic. Street crime is any criminal offense that typically takes place or originates in a public place. Street crime includes assault, sexual assault, homicide, robbery, and drug trafficking. In contrast, white-collar crime is non-violent crime committed by business or government professionals for financial gain. White-collar crime includes lying, cheating, stealing, fraud, embezzlement, forgery, and tax evasion. Street crime is public and is reported to the public, but white-collar crime is often done behind closed doors and is rarely discussed. Street crime usually involves spontaneous physical harm and violence, but white-collar crime involves premeditated manipulation.

A conflict can start when a person or group feels hatred or jealousy against a family, race, or country. This is what usually drives a person to lash out and hurt others. When this happens, it can affect people in many ways. My question is, how does conflict affect us individually?

Conflict theory is the second major school of thought in sociology. It is a macro-level type of approach to understand social interactions in social life, just like functionalism. A difference in conflict theory is that our society is viewed as always being in a constant struggle, unlike functionalism which theorizes that our society is stable. Conflict theory is a paradigm that sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change, and emphasizes a materialist view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change. Some sociologists may believe that if these tensions, stresses, and struggles never existed in our society people may be more driven to achieve greatness in education, or simply more motivated to set higher goals. Just like functionalism, the conflict theory viewed society on a macro sociological level, but the individual person in our society are having their lives shaped by the economy, control and power. The conflict perspective's main idea is that there are opposing interests

When it comes to talking about crime and the different treatment of white-collar and blue-collar crime, there are three different perspectives. The first perspective is the functionalist perspective. The view of functionalism is defined as “Functionalism interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society. Society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each part of society is functional for the stability of the whole society.” (Crossman, 2014). Essentially, functionalists believe that society is like the Star Wars’ Force, and everything that happens in society works to bring balance to the Force. The second perspective is symbolic interaction. This theory is described as “Symbolic interaction theory analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviors.” (Crossman, 2015). Basically, these types of people believe that society is constructed on human interpretation. Finally, the third type of perspective is conflict theory. Crossman writes in her article, “Conflict theory states that tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society, and that these conflicts become the engine for social change.” (Crossman, 2016). They believe that when power is unbalanced, it will become controlled by those in higher classes, and dominate those in lower classes through different parts of society.

One of the most likely places to see white-collar crime in action is within big companies/corporations and within the government. This type of crime is also commonly referred to as corporate crime and involve types of crime that are committed by individuals who work for the corporations with the only goal of having the company’s best interests in mind (Crimes of the Powerful, 2018). These goals usually involve helping the company make a profit in the easiest way possible, usually at the expense of their workers working conditions and sometimes lives. The inequality between social groups can be seen because as these companies are large and wealthy, it can be easy for them to 1) pay off any customers or workers, or provide compensation to anyone

The rich engage in white-collar crimes, whereas the poor engage in more armed robbery type of crimes. Both are equally harmful to society. White-collar crimes are not as easily identified as street crimes. Also, white-collar crime perpetrators can use their power and influence to avoid prosecution. Street crimes, which are often committed by lower class, do not have power to influence and avoid prosecution. In addition, the privileged can often afford expensive lawyers and are sometimes on a first-name basis with the individuals in charge of making and enforcing laws, which gives them an advantage. Members of the lower class generally do not have these advantages. Conflict theory also states that the individuals we generally label as irregular are also quite powerless. For example, if we think about the powerless that have no means of financial stability often engage in criminal activity to survive. This activity according to law, which is made by the upper privileged, is considered wrong and requires punishment. Such activity can include prostitution. Prostitution is illegal and the criminal is sentenced to jail, which minimizes their opportunity to progress in society. They now have several sentenced accounts, which makes it harder fro them to fin a good job in the future,

The primary goal of Social Conflict is to examine the relationship between the ruling class and the process by which deviance is defined and controlled in capitalist society. The government creates laws and rules to maintain the power and position for the power elite. Centering around a view of society in which the elite class uses the criminal justice system as a means of controlling threats to its status.

The conflict theory approach emphasizes issues of inequality and change in relation to social class, money, race ethnicity and gender. The conflict theory pinpoints the belief that these social classifications are parasitic: only benefiting one group while negatively affecting another. In particular, the social conflict approach focuses on the struggles that lower-class people face in a world where the rich and powerful benefits at their expense. Persons of the lower-class are often disadvantaged, since they are not given a chance to move ahead and are always stuck at the bottom of the social ladder. Upper-class individuals are able to fully educate their children, and hence, their generation will always be rich and powerful. However, a weakness

Conflict theory is the theory that human behavior in social contexts is the result of conflicts between competing groups, as different social groups, be they class-, gender- or race-defined, have unequal power and access to power, yet all groups compete for limited resources. This inevitably gives rise to tension and conflict, albeit often of the subtle variety, as oftentimes the conflicts between groups have been institutionalized in society to such a degree that the conflicts and tensions are such an expected part of society that the conflict, and inequality, itself disappears from public sight, and consciousness. For example, an adherent of a world systems theory of conflict would point to the global competition for resources, particularly the inequality between rich and poor nations struggling to provide the basic necessities of life to their inhabitants, as evidence of global conflict. Conflict theories seek to explain the interactions of groups within society, and assert that social order is preserved involuntarily through the exercise of power one social class holds over another (Lindsey, 2010, 7). The conflict between groups is not always obvious or apparent, so it must be unraveled and examined in order to identify and establish the impact of such conflict on society as a whole, as well as individual members and social groupings.

The theorists discussed in this chapter surroung Marxist and conflict theories do not always agree on all the views of their theories, they come from the same social constructionist or relativist perspective. Social construction is referred to as a theory of knowledge in sociology and communications theory that examines the development of cooperatively constructed understandings of the world. There are two general ways in which theories differ from each other, the first is their definition of power. Marxists focus on the political economy and the capitalist system in their analyses of power and conflict, while the conflict theorists have customarily expanded their definitions of power beyond focus on the capitalist system. The second difference between the two is the policy implications that branch from the theories. Marxists tend to advocate for revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist system as the only way to solve power differentials and conflict, while conflict theorists are more open to reforms that do not advocate revolution. Both theories are from the macro perspectives, meaning that they focus on structural issues, institutions, and group behaviors, not on individual behaviors or experiences. Much of the focus of these theories is on the creation and preservation of laws that benefit one group over the other. Marxist and conflict theories are interested in why and how some groups are defined as deviant and how their

This is a research about conflict which should be considered and resolute during a project. Although, six experts are from different background, there are many sufficient methods to deal with different kind of issues during the working. The great mode has used in the research is Thomas-Kilmann’s conflict mode instrument. (Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. ,1974). There are five effective approaches are discussed. Each approaches have its positive and negative effects. Also, there are many problems that each expert should consider about themselves which can devote their effort to help finish the project successfully. Achieving mastery through a comprehensive study of all of these methods can finally bring a huge success to the whole project.