Social Conflict Theory

Farrington, K., & Chertok, E. (1993).

Social conflict theories of the family. In
.!. "oss, #. $. %oherty, &. 'a&ossa,
#. &. Sch(mm, & S. K. Steinmet)
(E*s.), So(rce+ook of family theories
an* metho*s, - conte.t(al a//roach
(//. 3012331). 4e5 6ork, len(m.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Historical Origins:

7en*ency to5ar* conflict is a +asic

element of h(man nat(re (8achia9elli,
1031:19;3, 103<:19;3= an* >o++es,
1?01:19;1).

Com/etition for scare reso(rces,

Conflict an* str(ggle /romote h(man social

e.istence +y ens(ring that the strongest of a
s/ecies s(r9i9e (%ar5in, 1309:1903= 8alth(s,
1139:139;).

>er+ert S/encer (1393) s(ggeste* that

conflict is a nat(ral /rocess 5hich contri+(tes
to social e9ol(tion.

#illiam !raham S(mner (1333) /ro/ose* that

com/etition for s(r9i9al ca(se* /ositi9e social
a*9ancement.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Historical Origins (cont.)

8ar.ian 7heory, conflict is a +asic

str(ct(ral con*ition of society.

Conflict is an inherent /art of h(man relations.

>(man e.istence is contra*ictory.

>(man tho(ght an* action occ(rs thro(gh a

*ialectic /rocess, thesis, antithesis, an*
synthesis.

Class,

- material 9ie5 of /eo/le, h(man actors

/ro*(ce themsel9es thro(gh 5ork.

75o f(n*amental gro(/s, 5orkers an*

o5ners. @5ners e./loit 5orkers.

olitical /o5er is the res(lt of economic /o5er.

olitical or*er, legal, e*(cational, an* family

systems are *esigne* to +enefit o5ners,
res(lting in an Aeconomic *eterminism.A

Engels, 8ar.Bs reg(lar colla+orator, a//lie*

social conflict to the family, the /ositions of
men an* 5omen are analogo(s to the
/ositions of o5ners an* 5orkers, res/ecti9ely.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Historical Origins (cont.)

Fre(*Cs sychoanalytic 7heory an* Conflict,

Self2interest is +asic to h(man nat(re, +(t is

manage* +y conscience.

7here are aggressi9e (nconscio(s forces

5hich seek e./ression.

7he Im/ortance of o5er,

o5er, the a+ility to carry o(t o5n 5ill *es/ite

resistance. It is relate* to social conflict an*
social or*er.

o5er is a critical element of social e.istence.

eo/le, as a res(lt of their /osition, e.ert
/o5er o9er others.

o5er is instit(tionali)e* an* legitimate*, this

/ro*(ces social or*er.

Conflict is an integrati9e social force, social

reality is *(alistic, incl(*ing forces that
/romote social or*er an* social conflict
(Simmel, 19D;, 19D3:1900).

Conflict can (nify /eo/le against a common

enemy.

Conflict can +e a *i9isi9e force.

Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Social Conflict Theory and the
Field of Family Studies

Conflict 7heory #as 8issing From

8ainstream &esearch,

/o/(lar te.t +ooks *i* not reference conflict

theory=

most research on conflict e.amine* role

conflict, an in*i9i*(al /henomenon, rather
than inter/ersonal conflict.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Obstacles to Integration of Social
Conflict Theory into Family Studies

Eeitgeist, AeF(ili+ri(m2+ase*, male2

*ominate*, /olitically conser9ati9e,
str(ct(ral2f(nctionalist inter/retation of
social reality.A

-s a res(lt, conflict 5as gi9en a negati9e

connotation.

Family conflict 5as consi*ere* *e9iant.

Intellect(al o+stacles,

'imite* systematic attem/t to link family

*ynamics to social str(ct(re. Family *ynamics
5ere em/hasi)e* as reci/rocal or f(nctional.

Social conflict theory emerge* as the fiel*, like

others, 5as mo9ing to5ar* /ositi9ism. -
conflict a//roach *oes not len* itself 9ery 5ell
to /ositi9ism.

'arger social conte.t, the family is

consi*ere* a sacre* instit(tion. -s a
res(lt, s(//ort for research on conflict in
the family has +een *isco(rage*.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Emergence of a Social Conflict
Theory of the Family

S/rey (19?9) is cre*ite* 5ith intro*(cing

a conflict a//roach to family st(*ies.
S/rey (19?9) s(ggeste* that the family
5as a Asystem in conflict.A "asic
ass(m/tions,

Conflict is ty/ical. >armony is a /ro+lematic.

&esearch sho(l* e.amine the a+ility of family

mem+ers to *eal 5ith conflict.

Gario(s te.ts an* monogra/hs (tili)e* a

conflict a//roach, incl(*ing 'a&ossa
(1911).

Feminist scholarshi/ (se* a conflict

a//roach to analy)e general themes of
gen*er relationshi/s as 5ell as the
infl(ence of the family. Scholarshi/
e.amine* the role of the family in
maintaining ineF(alities in male2female
relationshi/s.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Emergence of a Social Conflict
Theory of the Family (cont.)

- conflict a//roach to the family seeme*

to *e9elo/ 5ithin the mainstream of
family st(*ies. 7he 191Ds feat(re* a
9ariety of s(+stanti9e to/ics,

h(s+an*25ife conflict=

intrafamily comm(nication /atterns=

conflict +et5een /arents an* chil*ren=

relationshi/s +et5een si+lings=

family *is/(tes o9er inheritance=

intrafamily conflict management=

marital thera/y an* co(nseling=

force, incl(*ing threats, in the family=

str(ct(ral +arriers face* +y 5omen in higher

e*(cation.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Social Conflict !ers"ecti#e of the
Family

F(n*amental ass(m/tion, share* 5ith

general conflict theory, conflict is a +asic
element of h(man social life.

"asic reason for conflict, in*i9i*(als are

moti9ate* to act in accor*ance 5ith their
o5n interests. eo/le /(rs(e nee*s,
9al(es, goals, an* reso(rces that they
*efine as im/ortant or *esira+le.

75o /ossi+ilities that can lea* to conflict,

%ifferent in*i9i*(als or gro(/s may 5ant

*ifferent things. 7his is a//lica+le to the family
(e.g., chil*ren arg(e a+o(t (se of tele9ision,
/arents are chil*ren *isagree a+o(t iss(es).

%ifferent in*i9i*(als or gro(/s 5ant the same

thing, +(t there is a limite* s(//ly of the
commo*ity. 'arossaBs (1911) 5ork on
/arenting, for e.am/le, s(ggests that men an*
5omen com/ete for time. olatnick (193;)
s(ggests that men *onBt *o ho(se5ork
+eca(se it isnBt /rofita+le.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Social Conflict !ers"ecti#e of the
Family (cont.)

o5er, Some family mem+ers are +etter a+le to

/(rs(e their /artic(lar self2interests. 8ost /o5er
is AlegitimateA +eca(se it is sanctione* +y social
norms.

o5er is a so(rce of conflict.

o5er str(ct(re o+sc(res or minimi)es the

e./ression of act(al conflict +y family
mem+ers.

Stratification,

%efinition, *istri+(te (or 5ithhol*) reso(rces in

an (neF(al fashion.

-ge an* gen*er stratification ha9e +een (se*

in most h(man societies.

Stratification organi)es an* H(stifies +eha9ior.

Creates an* /er/et(ates str(ct(ral

ineF(alities, /ro9i*ing *ifferential o//ort(nity
str(ct(res.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
Social Conflict !ers"ecti#e (cont.)

Farrington an* Keith s(ggest that the most

Asatisfying 9ersions of family conflict theory IareJ
e./licitly macrostr(ct(ral in nat(reA (1993, /. 31D).
7his a//roach s(ggests

that str(ct(ral 9ariations of the family (e.g.,

families in /o9erty= ethnicity of family) are
im/ortant=

families contri+(te to the maintenance of the

e.istence of the social or*er 9ia sociali)ation of
chil*ren an* /o5er str(ct(res (e.g., *i9ision of
ho(sehol* la+or).

Families are /ara*o.ical, containing

str(ct(ral mechanisms 5hich reg(late /o5er,

an*

they are characteri)e* +y /rocesses 5hich

o/erate to intensify conflicts.

-ltho(gh conflict is /resent, social or*er is

maintaine*.

"enefits of conflict, if it is limite* in amo(nt, intensity,

an* manner of e./ression,

So(rce of /ersonal gro5th (e.g., f(lcr(m for

change).

Effecti9e metho* for *ealing 5ith (n*erlying or

/otential family /ro+lems.
Dr. Ronald J.
Werner-Wilson
!resent Status and $i%ely Future

Conflict theory has /eake*. #hyK

Conflict theory has only +een em/loye* +y a

small minority of family theorists an*
researchers. -ccor*ing to Klein an*
Sch9ane9el*t (1911), contem/orary theorists
*o not see the social conflict a//roach as
ha9ing m(ch im/act on the fiel*.

7here has not +een a (nifie*, coherent conflict

theory of the family. Instea* there has +een a
Arather eclectic conce/t(al frame5orkA
(Farrington & Keith, 1933, /. 31;).

Conflict theory s(r9i9es, in mo*ifie* form,

in critical theory an* feminist theory.