Power And Family: Sources Of Conflict In Family

Whether we like it or not, conflict is a part of everyday lives. It can happen to anyone, from your friends to your family.

The textbook defines and explains the sociological perspective on family. Society has changed the family dynamic, and has created a different definition than in previous years. I was surprised to learn that not everyone in society believes they should support their children, and the parents are not responsible for providing support. This concept is a hard one to understand because I was raised to accept help from the man of the family, and to let the man provide for all the needs for the family. The chapter also discusses mate selection, authority, and inheritance. I was also surprised to learn that there is not a historical record of women dominating men in society. Roles in the family are an important part in society because they provide basic guidelines for how members in the family function and their roles. One of the most interesting topics was the section on courtship. Some people in society do not believe that love will exist until after a marriage occurs. This concept is shocking, and is confusing because in western society, people idolize love and the ideas behind being in love with someone, and sharing a life with someone. Many people believe that love happens at the right place and right time, but people in other parts of the world do not see marriage in the same light. Another interesting fact stated in the textbook is interracial marriages. Some changes in society are harmful, but others do not affect society as much as people think. Also, the dynamic of family is changing according to how many children are born to each family. People now are wanting smaller families, and before things changed it was important for men to breed bigger families to carry on the last name. I think this chapter has opened my eyes to how much society has changed from the time I was in high school until now. Living in a small town makes me feel oblivious to the

Were there things that caught your attention that did not seem to be addressed by any of the perspectives? If so, what were they?

Conflict Theory originated from the great German theologian, Karl Marx. Many of the social beliefs that support and strengthen this theory have been rooted in the ideas of Karl Marx himself. He believed that it’s not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence which determines their stream of consciousness. With this being the motto of this theory it’s easy to see that Marx believed that the social infrastructure of each man and woman determines their very place in the society in which they live, not the other way around. This theory believes that the determinate for each individual social

     Moreover, the essential idea of marriage is that to create a healthy relationship that there must be a bond of love as well as maintaining their own identities. The converging of two individuals cause tension and usually end up in conflict. When two parents disagree either one of them gets hurt or a child feels it is their fault and responsibility.

The conflict perspective highlights the notion that society consists of individuals of different social classes and status groups that are of conflicting self- interests. As

What is power? Is it limited, or does everyone have power? The majority of people have some sort of power, whether it be over themselves or others, but very little power over who they are and who they become. The stories “Parents Night” by Nancy Garden and “Blonde” by Katherine Min show how people have very little power over themselves. In “Parent’s Night”, a young girl's struggles to find acceptance in her family on her sexuality. She has to decide whether to believe herself or believe her parents. A very similar but different story “Blonde”, is about another young girl who struggles with her appearance. Her parents are not very supportive of what she wants, and it seems like she is hopeless. She struggles with her own beliefs and what

One thing that is a part of every person’s life on every day of every week of every month of every year is conflict. Conflict is something that people, no matter how they strive, cannot escape from. Whether the conflict on a certain day is on a large scale or it is a miniscule bump in the road, it can be said that there will always be conflict. When people encounter conflict, the sole thing on their minds is to devise a way to be rid of it. The way that a person responds to whatever conflict they are faced with is what determines success or failure. If a person meets the conflict head on and with a positive attitude, then it is almost certain to end in success. If a person meets the conflict with a negative attitude and tries to avoid it, then

Family relationships are an important part of humanity. Many children grow up with or without a family thus resulting the way they behave. Having a good relationship with your family is the key to a healthy living. We need to trust one another and learn to gain respect for a happy future. This is an important part of the process to a healthy relationship because it plays a crucial role in instilling values and teaching responsibilities.For example if there are parents who fought a lot, the child would be insecure towards other people. Another, point is that it helps solve misunderstandings in the family, thus creating a stable unity.

We blame ourselves, and then we start to question our likability, and we wonder why we don't have that fantasy group of friends that everybody else in the world must have. Conflict is a process in which people disagree over significant issues, thereby creating friction (Lulofs & Cahn, 2000). This is not a simple occurrence, but there needs to be various factors included for it to be considered a conflict. Both parties must have opposing interests, thoughts, perceptions, and feelings, and they must then recognize the existence of different points of view (Lulofs & Cahn, 2000). In addition, the disagreement is not just a one time event but something that continuously occurs. Though it can be destructive it can also be beneficial, for example a relationship with little to no conflict leads to complacency but a relationship with too much conflict can lead to dysfunctional behaviors by both

To begin my analysis, I will be looking back upon my childhood and the conflicts that surrounded my “utopia.” There are a couple prominent conflicts that have remained etched in my memory throughout the years, but before describing those memories, I will briefly describe the different family conflict climate categories as well as conflict approaches and behaviors.

Martial conflict arises when tensions within the family increase. This increase in pressure results in one or more of the spouses to externalize anxiety and place emphasis on what the other person is doing and attempt to control his or her partner, resulting in resistance from the receiving partner (Kerr, 2000; Nichols, 2003).

Conflict is a natural part of any relationship. Conflict can arise when we feel tension within a relationship and decide to act upon it. How we chose to express this tension can vary from person to person. For instance, conflict can either be expressed covertly or overtly. Overt conflict is open and direct. When you feel tension in your relationship you express these feelings explicitly to the other person. Covert conflict, on the other hand, is indirect and involves expressing your anger to the other person while simultaneously denying you have any anger at all. My Midwestern family seems to be the poster children for covert conflict and passive aggression, especially my great-grandmother. In an example I will be analyzing further between my mother and my great-grandmother, my great-grandmother is passive aggressive to my mother after my mother accidentally breaks one of my great-grandmother’s decorative plates.

Conflict theory is “A major sociological perspective that sees society as a set of groups in constant competition over wealth, power, and prestige. (Larkin, 2015)” Conflict theory is a more view primarily stating

Beaton, Norris, and Pratt (2003) support this by claiming that unresolved issues do not necessarily cause tension in the family. “From our perspective, conflict refers to those issues in relationships that couples overtly verbally or nonverbally express continually” (Beaton, Norris, & Pratt, 2003, p. 144). Although they focus on intergenerational communications within the family, they point out that unresolved issues concerning intergenerational differences can create problems in marital relationships. So it is more important to focus on reasons why individuals choose to create continuous conflict, and why it is so important to impose personal opinions and beliefs on other people. Understanding what determines human behavior is the only way to understand why