The History Of The Conflict Perspective

The History Of The Conflict Perspective The conflict perspective is one of two major sociological theories. Also known as the conflict model, it gives sociologists explanations for happenings in history and in society.The conflict perspective was planned by Karl Marx (classical founders of social science) in the middle 1800s. It is totally based upon the work of Karl Marx even though there are many scholars who have contribute in developing this perspective. Marx believed that conflict defined the happenings of society. His conflict perspective believed that the class conflict and class exploitation as the major moving forces in history. This view was revived by C Wright Mills, Lewis Coser, Raymond Aron, Dahrendorf and others. They see a society as held together through the power of dominant groups or classes. C. Wright Millss views, (the founder of modern conflict theory) in social structures are created through conflict between people with differing interests and resources. Conflict Theory: Conflict theory generally surrounds the idea that most struggles in society happen because of conflicts between different social classes or groups. Each group struggles to achieve more resources and because resources are limited, they must struggle with other groups. Groups try to protect their own interests, therefore blocking the progress of other groups. Individuals have aggressive impulses and these impulses are expressed in all relationships. Litarature review Marxism: Karl Marx (1818-1883): as a humanist, Marx wanted all individuals to reach their full human potiential. He belived that capatilism was economic system design to keep power in the hands of the few ,the owner of the means of the production, while the masses were forced to abide by a social system created by the privileged.Marx believed that all of history is characterized by an economics struggle between the haves and the have-nots. Marx was attempting to combine material and ideal factors or structural and cultural factors, and to illustrate their mutual relationship. The importance that Marx placed on using the historical method reflects his evolutionary ideas about human society. He explained how humans separated themselves from animals once they consciously realized that they could produce their own means of subsistence, rather than depending on what nature provided. According to Marx, Class struggle became the next to be expected step in the historical process of human development. Marx stated that class distinctions are heavily influenced by the ownership of personal property. Marx believed that once the exploited became conscious of their plight and misery, they would unite in revolution. The new society would be characterized by communism which was to be the economic and philosophical force that would remove class struggle. Marxs primary ideas of communism are described in the communist manifesto (1848), co written by Marx and Engels. In brief, Marx and Engels believed that the world would be a better place under communism. They believed that class inequality would end with the collective control of property and with the growth in size and power of the working class. The governmental abuse of workers would end with the take apart of government.  [i]   Max Weber (1864-1920): Weber agreed with Marx that ecnomics was an important variable in determining power differential among individuals in society. However, he believed that social divisions were based on two other factors as well: social status and political influence. Weber believed that someone how possesses a great deal of social status and yet is economically poor can still hold power in society. Additionally, Weber argued that social group would identify themselves not merely according to wealth, but more deeply by ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and by shared styles of life'. Weber belived that conflict underlies all social relations and determines power. The control of power is a critical element in conflict theory and power is a central aspect in Webers work on the types of athurity. According to weber, the distribution of power and athority is the basis of social conflict.  [ii]   Elite Conflict Theory (C. Wright Mills): (1916-1962) Like other cflict theoritists, Mills were deeply influenced by the idea of Karl Marx. Political power and class differences were the focus of Mills publications. Mills wrote that the working class is not a revolutionary class capeable of overthrowing capitalism. He did not believe that the rank-and-file workers were a militant force, and that they were more concerned with basic daily issues then with seeking loftier goals. Furthermore, Mills concluded that labor leader did not work in the best intrest of worker and were instead coopted by business and government. He believed that the lack of leadership, the working class could never become a revoluntary force. Power: Power is the critical element of analysis for all conflict theorists. Mills (1958b) described three types of power: Authority: Power that is justified by the beliefs of the voluntarily obedient. Manipulation: Power that is wielded unbeknownst to the powerless. Coercion: The final form of power is where the powerless are forced to obey the powerful. Mills acknowledge that in the modern era, power is more likely to be authoritarian. And yet, the reality remains that most people will always be relatively powerless. The power elite: Mills says about the power elite that the power elite is composed of men whose position enable them to transcend the ordinary environments of ordinary men and women; they are in position to make decision having major consequences. Mills (1958b) explain the unity of the power of elite in psychological and economic terms. The members of the elite generally share a similar origin, education and life style, and because of their similar social type, they easily mix together. Additionally, they are the society elite so they share economic goals. Mills acknowledge that the power elite were not solitary rulers. From the Marxist perspective, Mills felt that the people were subjected to, the will of the bourgeoisie. History has shown that when extreme conservatism is meet with a dramatically change society, conflict is inevitable.  [iii]   Parsonian Conflict Theory (Dahrendorf): (1929) Dahrendorf 1959 believed that sociological theories should be divided into two parts: those that concentrate on issues of consensus and those that concentrate on issues of conflict. Dahrendorf believed that conflict and consensus are both evident in any society. In fact, there cannot be conflict unless some degree of consensus has already been established. When a consensus has been reached, conflict disappears, temporarily. Dahrendrof 1959:162 refer his conflict theory as the coercion theory of society which can be reduced to a small number of basic tents: Every society is at every point subject to processes of change, social change is ever-present. Every society displays at every point dissensus and conflict; conflict is ubiquitous. Every element in a society cause to be contributions its disintegration and change. Every society is based on the coercion of some of its members by other. Dahrendorr believed that power implies the coercion of some by others but recognize that in organization and associations, the power held by certain persons is lawful authority. In making a distinctions from Marx, however, Dahrendrof suggest that authority is not bound by property rights and therefore believed that class conflict is best seen as arising out of a dispute over the distribution of authority in a given authority structure.  [iv]   Conflict theory of Randall Collins: (1941) Conflict theory generally emphasizes the role of power that one group, or person. Kemper and Collins (1990) argue that power and status are fundamental relational dimensions at the micro level of social interaction and perhaps at the macro level as well. Collins (1975) assumed that there are certain goods, namely, wealth, power, and prestige that people in all societies will pursue. Furthuremore, all people dislike being ordered around and will therefore that what they can to avoid the subordinate role. Thus, conflict is inevitbale, for everyone is in pursuit of scarce resources and the roles related to these desired resources. Collins (1975b) concluded that coercion and the ability to forceothers to behave a certain way are the primary basis of conflict. Collins developed five principles of conflict analyses (Ritzier, 2000c:130); Conflict theory must focus on real life rather than abstract formulation. Material arrangement effect interaction. . In some situation of inequality between persons, those who possess the power position generally attempt to exploit those who back resources. The role of culture phenomena, such as beliefs, values, and norms believe must be examined in term of their interest, resources and power. There must a firm commitment to the scientific study of stratification and every other aspect of the social world. In his conflict theory, it is clear that Collins focus on individuals and their inner struggles reveals a micro orientation.Collins believed that sociological research should be aimed at solving concrete problems in the world.  [v]   Feminist conflict theory: Conflict theory has been used by feminists to explain the position of women in society. Feminist conflict theorists argue that women have traditionally been demoralized so that men can benefit from positions of power, wealth, and status. These theorists would argue that the conflict over limited natural resources is what led men to relegate women to domesticity. This interpretation of conflict theory also leads to the idea that men cannot be trusted to give power to women because this gift would conflict with their inherent nature.  [vi]   Conclusion: So it concluded that mans struggle for power, be it family or work place, play group or politics, man wants to achieve the higher and authoritative position. It starts from personal level to national level. There are various groups and communities of people in society belonging to different classes, religions, and ideologies. All of them have different perspectives and values. The clash between these various perspectives leads to conflict between these groups. This conflict can arise from the desire to own the means of production, to own the power or land, or to own the realm of political power, and can be revolutionary. Under the conflict perspective we can say that the basic form of interaction in society is not cooperation, but competition, and this leads to conflict. Because the individuals and groups of society compete for advantage, there is constantly conflict for change. When there are large groups competing the outcome are often major social change. So conflict perspective i s all about the differences between social groups in the society.  [vii]  

Abraham & God Essay

Abraham is truly an exceptional man who completely surrendered his life to God’s will. However, while Abraham was a man of faith, he remained a man with flaws, asking God questions that implied confusions about the will of God and God’s omnipotence. For example, he laughed when God promised him that he will have offspring even in his old age. He also lied about Sarah being his wife for fear that he will be killed because of her and not trusting God will protect him. The greatest test, however, was when God asked him to sacrifice his only son. Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac to prove his love of God, and this should not be a question regarding his faith. But what of God who made a covenant with him stating the He will make a great nation out of Isaac? There is no doubt that God was testing Abraham. But what if Abraham had refused to sacrifice his son? Would that change what God had promised to Abraham regarding Isaac? This, to me, is a disturbing question regarding God’s purpose, and it is not an appealing image of God reconsidering His promise when His subject failed His test. See more:  Capital budgeting essay On the other hand, if Abraham was doing the sacrifice out of faith, then he would already know that God would not let the boy get any harm. How would God then fulfill his promise if Isaac was sacrificed? Knowing this, it would not be God who is really testing Abraham but the other way around. The story of God’s covenant to Abraham and God’s test to him, to me, does not really establish the faith of the religion but poses contradictions to divine purpose and the faith of the people. Credit #6 Jews and Christians look at the Messianic Prophecies on different context, hence while the other promote Jesus to be the messiah, the other reject him as such. Examining these contexts would allow us to understand why Jesus is accepted to be the messiah or not. The Jews believed the messiah to be human—not a god or a demigod. That the early Christians claim that Jesus was the Son of God and indeed a God himself made most of the Jews not accept him as the messiah. The Jews believe in only one God, hence the introduction of another, and a mere man claiming to be God, is seen as a heresy to the Jewish faith. The Jews believe that the messiah will unite all the Jews back to the land of Israel, reign in a time of world peace, and would be a great military leader. Jesus fulfilled none of these. However, the Christians believe that these prophesies will be fulfilled in Jesus’ second coming. On the other hand, the Jews believe that the prophecies will be fulfilled immediately and that there is no concept of a second coming. Hence, the Jews reject the idea of the second coming of Jesus. Other Messianic Prophecies have been justified by Christians to have been fulfilled by Jesus. The evangelists claim that, through Joseph the carpenter, Jesus was descended from the line of David, of which the messiah is said to come from. However, this claim is contradicted with the Christian doctrine of the virgin birth from which, strictly speaking, Jesus could not have been a direct descendant of David. The Christians also believe that Jesus have restored the temple, which they believe to refer to Jesus’ body, by his resurrection. On the other hand, the Jews believe that the messiah will be a strict observant of the Torah, which by all means and according to the accounts of the New Testament Jesus was not. Having said these, it is also important to note that the early Christians, as well as Jesus himself, were Jews. Accepting the teachings of the Apostles and disciples of Jesus depends on how one looks on messianic context. The fact that some Jews have accepted Jesus as their messiah while others clearly regarded him as a heretic and a threat to the Jewish faith proves this point. Jesus’ challenge to the Jewish law earned the right of the elders to suppress the sect that is slowly emerging. Considering however that Jesus lived an extraordinary life, with teachings of peace instead of being a war-like messiah, deserves credit for the Christian faith. Credit #7 Monasticism throughout the world shares a similar purpose—the renouncement of worldly pursuit in search for spiritual growth. Images of gods and holy men are usually present in monasteries. The Greek Orthodox Christianity justified the use of these images as â€Å"windows† to heaven. It is not these images that they praise, but those of which they represent, which are unseen. It is explained that the human body is comprised by two elements—the physical and the spirit—and that the physical part needs to see some representation of the divine and that the images are merely tools to help them in their journey. Monks practice strict compliance to the teachings of their religion, isolated from the city life, spending most of the day in prayer. Monks also have assigned chores they must perform. They were also expected to forget the physical element of their body for a while—getting sufficient for the body to have its strength needed for daily tasks, no shower, no shaving. There is limited conversation between monks—they spend each day in silence and contemplation and prayer. Furthermore, monks are taught to pray from the heart. One could only wonder whether these prayers are repeated, as if being recited. Whether or not this is the case, monks believe truly in their heart that they have found their peace and satisfaction apart from the calling of worldly desires.

Neck Rings and Lotus Feet

Bodily mutilation to achieve the goal of ultimate beauty for women resides within every culture in the world. An average American way of bodily mutilation to gain beauty is through plastic surgery. As for Africa, women believe having a long neck symbolizes their beauty and status within their village. In some parts of China, the women believe the smaller your feet are the more desirable you become. Within the Mae Hong Son area of northwest Thailand, the women of the tribes are more commonly known as the, â€Å"Long-Necks. The women in these areas are known for adorning brass rings around their necks, The rings on the neck reach from the clavicle up to beneath the chin, and these rings are held very tightly by the bone structure from clavicle to chin. This neck ring adornment is started when the girls are five or six years old and the neck grows longer as additional rings are added with each passing year. It is from this practice that this tribe has gained the name of â€Å"Long-Nec ks†. Some women wear thirty-seven brass rings around the neck and this is considered ideal.Not only do they wear the rings around their necks they will wear them around the arms and the legs, and for this tribe the rings are the most prominent sign of female beauty and status. â€Å"Lotus Feet† is an ancient Chinese bodily mutilation of binding the feet to make the size much smaller. to the restructure the feet by the breaking of the arch and four smaller toes on each foot. After the initial binding procedure, usually around the age of seven, the feet would remain tightly bound with long cloth strips until the feet were no longer growing.The ideal foot consisted of three features, which was the length of three inches, a cleft between the heel and the sole, which was wanted to be around two to three inched deep, and that the feet appeared to be an extension of the leg, instead of platforms for the legs. Binding of the feet symbolized a lily or lotus flower because of the similarities in looks, if the woman’s feet were bound, they would be comparable to the grace and delicateness of the flower.If a woman had a natural size foot similar to a mans, it meant she was the opposite of grace and beauty such as a man would be characterized. Neck rings and feet binding pose serious negative effects to a human body. Neck rings caused a woman who adorned them to never be able to look up or down. The mobility of the neck was restricted where they wouldn’t even be able to drink from a cup without using a straw. Stretching of the neck pulled the muscles rendering them useless, to the point were if they were removed, the woman would not be able to hold her own head up.Feet binding can cause the woman to be nearly crippled, they have trouble getting out of chairs, doing activties on their feet, and have hip and spinal injuries throughout life. Although Neck-rings and Lotus feet are very different practices of bodily mutilation, they create the same de sired effect. These practices are to convey a womans beauty through a painful act, creating a falsified version of what society believed to be beautiful. Every culture shares this common theme throughout history, although it may be painful and odd, it continues on through our culture today.

High Level Of Satisfaction For Their City - 2162 Words

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