Consensus vs Conflict Theories

What are consensus and conflict theories?

• Consensus theories such as functionalism suggest that there is an agreement on the shared norms and values of society

• Conflict theories, such as Marxism and Feminism suggest that there is a conflict in society between two or more competing parties over access to power and resources

  • Marxists this is based upon social class

  • Feminist is based on gender

Similarities between the theories:

• Structural theories- Society shapes individual’s behaviours

• Social institutions have a key role in socialising people into norms and values of society

• Individuals are subjected to formal and informal control through different social institutions

• Social processes, such as socialisation are responsible for the behaviour of individuals

Differences between the theories:

• While they agree that social institutions act as socialising agents, they suggest different reasons for this occurring

  • Functionalists see this as beneficial to all in society

  • Marxists see it as beneficial to the ruling class

  • Feminists see it as beneficial in maintaining patriarchy

• Consensus theories suggest that society is meritocratic and those with the right attributes dictate what norms and values are

• Conflict theorists suggest power is the key factor in setting norms and values

Consensus vs conflict in education:

• Consensus in education:

  • Teaching specialist skills

  • Social solidarity

  • Socialising into norms and values

• Conflict theories:

  • Teaching skills require for work or specific gender roles

  • Hegemonic and patriarchal ideals

  • Socialised into gendered norms and values or being taught to reject their own culture

  • Differences in achievement between those on FSM and those not on FSM

Consensus vs conflict in crime:

• Consensus in crime:

  • Crime is a sign of dysfunction in society- Merton

  • Socialisation of groups- Miller

  • Rejecting norms and values- Subcultural theorists

  • Not conforming or showing commitment to society- Hirschi

• Conflict on crime:

  • Excessive focus on crimes of poor

  • Maintaining social control over the working class and women

  • Misrepresentations of groups within criminal statistics

Consensus in contemporary society:

• Durkheim’s concept of boundary maintenance- reaffirming social norms and values evident after sensational crimes, e.g. terrorism

• Social solidarity- Consistently reinforced through educational policies- E.g. Changes to curriculum, PREVENT and British Values

• The dominance of middle-class attitudes to key social issues through the media and other institutions- E.g. Economic crises, the COVID pandemic

Conflict in contemporary society:

• Inequality in society- 14 million people in the UK are below the poverty line according to the Rowntree Foundation

• Inequality in wages- 8.9% gender pay gap according to the UK Government in 2019; lack of equality in senior positions and parliament

• Racial inequality- Stop and Search, disproportionately represented in crime, unemployment, health statistics, unrepresented in crime, unemployment, health statistics, unrepresented in media

Which is most useful for contemporary society?

• Conflict theories have more relevance in the UK today- theories such as Marxism and Feminism continue to influence sociological thinking in the 21st century

• Consensus theories such as functionalism can be outdated, yet political ideologies such as the New Right see consensus as an ideal and try to maintain certain social institutions as pillars of morality

• Recent attitudes to social issues in the UK would suggest a greater polarisation of opinions, suggesting conflict theories might be better placed to examine social attitudes than consensus ones