Defining Social Conflicts and Complexity of Social Conflics

Introduction

Social conflicts present an important aspect in sociology, which formulates solutions to various challenges that characterize the human society. To this end, sociology studies have been conducted to provide prescriptions of dealing with social conflicts. In this article, various perspectives of the social conflict topic are discussed as contained in a book chapter and a journal article. Definition of social conflicts and their complexity are approached from different perspectives by different authors and the discussion is concluded with a view of the relevant questions that tie the two together. Since the conflict topic is a huge area that attracts interventions that range from diagnosis of intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts to resolution, a specific and limited area of interest must be picked at a time for significant contribution to be made.

Kriesberg, Louis., Constructive conflicts: from escalation to resolution. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefied Publishing Group, Inc., 2007. Print

Definition of Social Conflicts

The author of this book dedicates a subtopic on conflicts to the perspective of defining social conflicts, which is an important step in construction of appropriate sociological intervention. As mentioned above, the diagnosis of a conflict must be involved in the design of respective intervention (2). The author clearly diagnoses the existence of a conflict by manifestation of incompatible beliefs between the conflicting individuals. Further clarification of the social conflict involves social environment, number of individuals and the manifestation of the dispute, where the author describes the tensions likely to emerge in the dispute. Perhaps an important element of a conflict definition that the author introduces in the chapter is belief by each party to the conflict that they are facing opposition from the other party. Accordingly, the issue of competition among the individuals or groups of persons involved in the conflict emerges since each side wants to overcome the other’s opposing belief (3).

In this definition, the author clarifies that the involved parties must perceive the dispute as a conflict which finally forces them to create the division in thought and belief. Without the aspect of awareness of opposing perceptions resulting into some form of competition, the author reckons that it is difficult to amount to a social conflict as defined in the text. As an illustration, the author gives an account of people competing for employment, yet due to the lack of focus on each other’s intentions, it cannot be quantified as a social conflict. In order for such a scenario to be raised to a social conflict, the author gives a perspective of divisive thoughts in among the competitors such as discrimination on ethnicity and gender.

An equally important aspect of the definition of social conflict is added in the form of continuity in the conflict. Since the social setting implies continued interactions between the individuals, the author argues that the aspect of disruption of the society by the division brought by the conflict must be felt (3). In order to translate this definition to the wider society challenges of unity, it is important that the definition of the conflict is done before designing conflict resolution that aims at destroying the conflict’s building blocks observed in the definition.

Braun, Andreas., Heinke, Eva-Maria., Neumann, Martin., Saqalli, Mehdi. & Srbljinovic, Armano. “Challenges in Modeling Social Conflicts: Grappling with Polysemy,” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 14.3(2011): 9 ( HYPERLINK “http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/3/9.html” http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/3/9.html)

Complexity of Social Conflicts

In this journal article that highlights the complexity of defining social conflicts, the authors concur with earlier observations that dealing with conflicts must be informed from the appropriate diagnosis and identification of the challenge. In light of the nature of social challenges facing the society, sociologists must define the conflict within certain standards of conflicts referred to as simulations. Modeling of social conflicts assists sociologists to design interventions and prescribe solutions to resolve the division in the society (para. 1). The authors explain that the simulations classify conflicts on the nature of the complexity, which makes it easy to pick recommended solutions to deal with the problems. As observed in Kriesberg (2), these authors make the observation that definition of the conflict becomes the foundation of the recommended approach to handle the damaging effects of the conflict in the social setting. As a contribution to the definition of the social problem, the authors provide a list of 16 criteria that have been used by social academicians to classify conflicts (para. 9). The classification adds on the perspectives discussed by Kriesberg (2) for the definition of the social conflict.

On the wider concept of violent confrontations witnessed in extreme competition in social conflicts, the authors outline some common features that assist in definition of the conflict. Firstly, some connectivity is witnessed among the conflicting parties, which underpins the social setting of the society that lives together to learn the differences in beliefs. Secondly, the competition resists changes likely to advance the status of the other party usually resulting in a brutal feeling. Thirdly, conflicts are differentiated from ordinary tension due to the level of commitment to sustain the division, which is usually very high in a conflict than an ordinary tension.

Finally, the authors identify the openness of challenging the difference to be present in a social conflict, which makes private and personal conflicts less likely to amount into a social conflict (para. 13). The authors (para. 14) introduce the aspect of rational analysis which explains the motivation of the parties to a conflict to continue holding hard lines in the conflict. There are different reasons why persons end up in a social conflict, which must be defined as clearly as possible to come up with a solution. Complex nature of social conflicts implies that the sociologists must not confine their contribution to one approach when designing solutions (para. 26).

Kriesberg, Louis., Constructive conflicts: from escalation to resolution. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefied Publishing Group, Inc., 2007. Print

Questions on Social Conflicts

Regarding the complexity of the definition of social conflict and the design of solutions to the standoffs, the author provides similar contribution as observed in Braun et al (9). Similarity arises from the fact that the author dedicates an insightful subtopic in chapter 1 by the title “Questions About Social Conflicts” (4). In the text, it is clear that the factors of violent conflicts can be traced back from the interests of the conflicting parties as contained in Braun et al (para. 13). Since the range of social conflicts is very wide in a diverse society, it is important to interrogate various social elements that could be failing in making the society live without extreme conflicts. Among the most questionable areas of the social setting include the integrity of the social policy in use.

Kriesberg outlines the payoff matrix that complicates options of individuals when they consider their own interests rather than their common good in the puzzle (8). The author argues that the complexity of conflicts is defined by the cooperation willingness with which individuals party to a conflict are likely to approach a conflict. International conflicts are also discussed to highlight the need for social conflict resolution mechanisms to be based on a cost-benefit analysis for the overall benefit of the society. In this consideration, the author makes a contribution that concludes that the best approach to solve a conflict is to adopt a wide approach that utilizes more options for a more accurate decision (10).

Works Cited

Braun, Andreas., Heinke, Eva-Maria., Neumann, Martin., Saqalli, Mehdi. & Srbljinovic, Armano. “Challenges in Modeling Social Conflicts: Grappling with Polysemy,” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 14.3(2011): 9

Kriesberg, Louis., Constructive conflicts: from escalation to resolution. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefied Publishing Group, Inc., 2007. Print