Conflict theory Essay

Copy and ecause those in control of a disproportionate sh are of societys resources actively defend their advantages. The masses are non bound to society by their shared values, but by coercion at the hands of those in power. This perspective emphasizes sociable control, not consensus and conformity. Groups and individuals advance their own interests, struggling over control of societal resources. Those with the more or less resources exercise power over others with inequality and power struggles result. There is gravid attention paid to class, racWhereas most other sociological theories focus on the positive aspects of society, combat perspective focuses on the negative, encountered, and changing nature of society. conflicting functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe sight join to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change (even when this means social revolution), and believe rich and powerful p eople force social order on the poor and the weak. strife theorists, for example, whitethorn interpret an elite board of regents raising tuition to pay for arcane new programs that raise the prestige of a local college as self-seeking rather than as beneficial for students.Whereas American sociologists in the 1940s and fifties generally ignored the conflict perspective in favor of the functionalist, the lush 1960s saw American sociologists gain considerable interest in conflict theory. They also expanded Marxs idea that the key conflict in society was strictly economic. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality exists racial, gender, religious, political, economic, and so on. Conflict theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, make them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the ever-changing nature of society. Critics of the conflict perspective suggest that it glosses over the complexities and nuances of everyday deportment and relationships of power.