Conflict Theory

Who is Hegel and why is he important?

• ideas of George Hegel impacted Carl Marx

  • Carl Marx is founder of conflict theory

Hegelian Dialect

• Thesis

  • accepted by everyone

  • e.g: everyone loves chocolate

• antithesis

  • opposite of thesis

  • e.g: everyone hates chocolate

• synthesis

  • combined parts of thesis and antithesis; new ground/understanding

  • becomes thesis and becomes challenged again

  • e.g: people have mixed feelings about chocolate

daddy of conflict theory

• Karl Marx

• focus on economic well-being of ind (poorer ppl were focus)

• applied dialect to economy

  • always ruling class in control (thesis)

  • overthrown by working class through conflict/turmoil (antithesis)

  • wanted antithesis: wanted equal access for poor and rich people.

  • so synthesis become new thesis.

who brought conflict theory into diadic (2 people like lovers) romantic relationships?

Georg Simmel

Interpersonal Dimensions

• opposing dimensions in relationships

  • e.g: love, and hatred

  • security, and jealousy

  • harmony and repulsion

• people go back and forth between dimensions in relationship

• what remains: human beings need to be loved, and wanted

who brought conflict theory into familes?

jetse spray

according to jetse, conflict is

• part of every relationship

families with conflict can be understood by

• manage conflict

• part of family structure

• does not not mean it’s bad

• different within families vs. other conflicts

Basic Assumption of Conflict Theory

• nature of humans is self-oriented no matter how much you care for family

• societies operate under continuous scarcity of resources

• group dynamics are different within families than other groups

• conflict is a confrontation over control of scare resources

• conflict can be classified

• conflict has positive aspects.

assumption 1

• nature of humans is self-oriented no matter how much you care for family

  • human nature is to be selfish

  • ppl are symbol producing

    • so we prescribe meanings to things

      • e.g: one sibling is prettier so it makes other feel like shit

  • humans have limitless hope=limitless desire for prestige

    • causes competitive nature automatically even if you don’t desire it

assumption 2

• societies= species survival

• the state of flux=social change

• social change helps us manage inequality.

  • conflict=challenging status quo=social change

assumption 3

• group dynamics are different in families compared to other groups

• groups have voluntary membership

• family is involuntary

• person with least interest (least desire to be there) has the most power

assumption 4

• conflict is a confrontation over control of scarce resources

• internal conflict

  • smaller groups/relationships

• external conflict

  • something pressing on us

  • e.g: conflict at school, jobs, COVID

• factors in confrontation

  • management

  • negotiation and bargaining

    • meeting in middle ground/compromise

  • resolution

  • consensus

    • agreement; neither satisfied but agree

assumption 5

• conflict can be classified

  • macro social

    • issues and conflict between classes

      • e.g: money, race, gender

      • which groups have most privilege? how do ppl manage being not privileged?

      • shared meaning of what ppl “deserve”

  • micro social (within family)

    • power

      • distributed by age and gender

    • assertion vs aggression

      • 2 ways family have conflict

      • assertion: asserting your rights without hurting someone (not at expense of someone)

      • aggression: agressively giving opinion; might be at expense of someone

    • threats vs. promises

      • threat: delivery of punishment if demand is not met

      • promises: message, not behaviour

assumption 6

• conflict has positive aspects

  • aftermath of conflict is beneficial

  • root of progress and change

  • after the storm is when the flower blooms

4 horse men of apocolypse

• criticism

• contempt

• defensiveness

• stonewalling

criticism

• attacking character

• e.g: you don’t do shit

contempt

• insults, disrespctful

• e.g: yeah cuz you’re so perfect.

defensiveness

• trying to protect self from percevied attack

• e.g: i do work you just don’t recognize it

stonewalling

• overwhelmed

• no contact or verbal response