What Is Conflict Theory?

The conflict theory, suggested by Karl Marx, claims society is in a state of perpetual
conflict because of competition for limited resources. It holds that social order is
maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus and conformity. According
to conflict theory, those with wealth and power try to hold on to it by any means
possible, chiefly by suppressing the poor and powerless. A basic premise of conflict
theory is that individuals and groups within society will work to maximize their own
benefits.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Conflict theory focuses on the competition between groups within society over limited
resources.
Conflict theory views social and economic institutions as tools of the struggle between
groups or classes, used to maintain inequality and the dominance of the ruling class.
Marxist conflict theory sees society as divided along lines of economic class between
the proletarian working class and the bourgeois ruling class.
Later versions of conflict theory look at other dimensions of conflict among capitalist
factions and between various social, religious, and other types of groups.
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Conflict Theory

Understanding Conflict Theory

The conflict theory has been used to explain a wide range of social phenomena,
including wars and revolutions, wealth and poverty, discrimination and domestic
violence. It ascribes most of the fundamental developments in human history, such as
democracy and civil rights, to capitalistic attempts to control the masses rather than to a
desire for social order. The theory revolves around concepts of social inequality in the
division of resources and focuses on the conflicts that exist between classes.

Many types of conflicts can be described using conflict theory. Some theorists, including
Marx, believe that inherent societal conflict drives change and development in society.

Class Conflicts
Marx’s conflict theory focused on the conflict between two primary classes. Each class
consists of a group of people bound by mutual interests and a degree of property
ownership, often supported by the state. The bourgeoisie represents the members of
society who hold the majority of the wealth and means. The proletariat includes those
considered working class or poor. With the rise of capitalism, Marx theorized that the
bourgeoisie, a minority within the population, would use their influence to oppress the
proletariat, the majority class. This way of thinking is tied to a common image
associated with conflict theory-based models of society; adherents to this philosophy
tend to believe in a "pyramid" arrangement in which a small group of elites dictates
terms and conditions to the larger portion of society, as a result of outsized control over
resources and power.

Uneven distribution within society was predicted to be maintained through ideological

coercion where the bourgeoisie would force acceptance of the current conditions by the
proletariat. The thinking goes that the elite would set up systems of laws, traditions and
other societal structures in order to further support their own dominance while
preventing others from joining their ranks. Marx further believed that as the working
class and poor were subjected to worsening conditions, a collective consciousness
would bring inequality to light and potentially result in revolt. If conditions were
subsequently adjusted to address the concerns of the proletariat, the conflict circle
would eventually repeat.

Conflict Theory Assumptions

In current conflict theory, there are four primary assumptions which are helpful to
understand: competition, revolution, structural inequality, and war.

Competition
Conflict theorists believe that competition is a constant and, at times, overwhelming
factor in nearly every human relationship and interaction. Competition exists as a result
of the scarcity of resources, including material resources like money, property,
commodities, and more. Beyond material resources, individuals and groups within a
society also compete for intangible resources as well. These can include leisure time,
dominance, social status, sexual partners, and many other factors as well. Conflict
theorists assume that competition is the default, rather than cooperation.

Revolution
Given conflict theorists' assumption that conflict occurs between social classes, one
outcome of this conflict is a revolution. The idea is that change in a power dynamic
between groups does not happen as the result of adaptation. Rather, it comes about as
the effect of conflict between these groups. In this way, changes to a power dynamic
are often abrupt and large in scale, rather than gradual and evolutionary.

Structural Inequality
An important assumption of conflict theory is that human relationships and social
structures all experience inequalities of power. In this way, some individuals and groups
inherently develop more power and reward than others. Following this, those individuals
and groups that benefit from a particular structure of society tend to work to maintain
those structures so as to retain and enhance their power.

War
Conflict theorists tend to see war as either a unifier or as a cleanser of societies. In
conflict theory, war is the result of a cumulative and growing conflict between individuals
and groups and between whole societies. In the context of war, a society may become
unified in some ways, but conflict still remains between multiple societies. On the other
hand, war may also result in the wholesale end of society.

Marx’s Views on Capitalism

Marx viewed capitalism as part of the historical progress of economic systems and
believed that it was rooted in commodities, meaning things that are purchased and sold.
For example, he believed that labor is a type of commodity. Because laborers have little
control or power in the economic system (because they don’t own factories or
materials), their worth can be devalued over time. This can create an imbalance
between business owners and their workers, which can lead to social conflicts. He
believed these problems would eventually be fixed through a social and economic
revolution.

Weber's Take
Max Weber adopted many aspects of Marx's conflict theory and further refined the idea.
Weber believed that conflict over property was not limited to one specific scenario.
Rather, he believed that there were multiple layers of conflict existing at any given
moment and in every society. Whereas Marx framed his view of conflict as one between
owners and workers, Weber also added an emotional component to his ideas about
conflict. He stated: "it is these that underlie the power of religion and make it an
important ally of the state; that transform classes into status groups, and do the same to
territorial communities under particular circumstances...and that make 'legitimacy' a
crucial focus for efforts at domination."

Weber's beliefs about conflict extend beyond Marx's in that they suggest that some
forms of social interaction, including conflict, generate beliefs and solidarity between
individuals and groups within a society. In this way, an individual's reactions to
inequality might be different depending on the groups with which they are associated,
whether they perceive those in power to be legitimate, and so on.

Later Conflict Theorists

Conflict theorists of the later 20th and 21st centuries have continued to extend conflict
theory beyond the strict economic classes posited by Marx, though economic relations
remain a core feature of the inequalities across groups in the various branches of
conflict theory. Conflict theory is highly influential in modern and post-modern theories
of sexual and racial inequality, anticolonialism, peace and conflict studies, and the many
varieties of identity studies that have arisen across Western academia in the past
several decades.

Economic Applications
For example, conflict theorists view the relationship between a housing complex owner
and a tenant as being based mainly on conflict instead of balance or harmony, even
though there may be more harmony than conflict. They believe that they are defined by
getting whatever resources they can from each other.
In the above example, some of the limited resources which may contribute to conflicts
between tenants and the complex owner include the limited space within the complex,
the limited number of units, the money which tenants pay to the complex owner for rent,
and so on. Ultimately, conflict theorists see this dynamic as one of conflict over these
resources. The complex owner, however gracious a landlord he or she may be, is
fundamentally focused on getting as many apartment units filled as possible so that he
or she can make as much money in rent as possible. This may introduce conflict
between housing complexes, among tenant applicants looking to move into an
apartment, and so forth. On the other side of the conflict, the tenants themselves are
looking to get the best apartment possible for the least amount of money in rent.

Conflict theorists point to the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent bank bailouts
as good examples of real-life conflict theory, according to authors Alan Sears and
James Cairns in their book A Good Book, in Theory. They view the financial crisis as
the inevitable outcome of the inequalities and instabilities of the global economic
system, which enables the largest banks and institutions to avoid government oversight
and take huge risks that only reward a select few.

Sears and Cairns note that large banks and big businesses subsequently received
bailout funds from the same governments that claimed to have insufficient funds for
large-scale social programs such as universal health care. This dichotomy supports a
fundamental assumption of conflict theory, which is that mainstream political institutions
and cultural practices favor dominant groups and individuals.

This example illustrates that conflict can be inherent in all types of relationships,
including those that don't appear on the surface to be antagonistic. It also shows that
even a straightforward scenario can lead to multiple layers of conflict.

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Related Terms
Karl Marx
Karl Marx was a 19th century philosopher, author and economist famous for his ideas
about capitalism and communism. He was the father of Marxism. more
Communism Definition
Communism is an ideology that advocates a classless system in which the means of
production are owned communally. more
Marxism
Marxism is a social, political and economic philosophy that examines the effect of
capitalism on labor, productivity and economic development. more
What Is Socialism?
Socialism is an economic and political system based on public or collective ownership
of the means of production, which emphasizes equality rather than achievement. more
Capitalism Definition
Capitalism is an economic system whereby monetary goods are owned by individuals or
companies. The purest form of capitalism is free market or laissez-faire capitalism.
Here, private individuals are unrestrained in determining where to invest, what to
produce, and at which prices to exchange goods and services. more
Green Economics Definition
Green economic theories encompass a wide range of ideas all dealing with the
interconnected relationship between people and the environment.

What is Conflict Theory?

Conflict Theory, developed by Karl Marx, purports that due to society’s never-ending
competition for finite resources it will always be in a state of conflict. The implication of this
theory is that those in possession of wealth and resources will protect and hoard those
resources, while those without will do whatever they can to obtain them. This dynamic means
there is a constant struggle between the rich and the poor.

George Vold
Vold [2] suggests, in Theoretical Criminology, approaching an understanding of the social
nature of crime as a product of the conflict between groups within the same culture. Humans are
naturally social beings, forming groups out of shared interests and needs. The interests and
needs of groups interact and produce competition in an increasingly political arena over
maintaining and/or expanding one group's position relative to others in the control of necessary
resources (money, education, employment, etc.). The challenge for all groups is to control the
state for their own sectional interests. Hence, the group which proves most efficient in the
control of political processes, obtains the mandate to enact laws that limit the behaviour of other
groups and, in some cases, prevent the fulfillment of minority group needs. Although the theory
has some interest, it is limited in its application to the criminal law because it is not so much the
law that represents sectional interests, but the way in which it is enforced. For example, the
definition of theft might remain constant but the allocation of resources to investigate and
prosecute theft may be unequally distributed between blue-collar and white-collar versions of
the behaviour.

Dahrendorf and Conflict Theory

Conflict theorists differ from Marxists in that they think conflict is here to stay. Marx believed that
conflict would eventually end with communism. Conflict theorists like Dahrendorf as a normal
part of society. However, unlike some other conflict theorists, Dahrendorf thought conflict did not
come about naturally, but as a result of power.

Consensus theory is a social theory that holds a particular political or economic system is a fair
system, and that social change should take place within the social institutions provided by it.
Consensus theory contrasts sharply with conflict theory, which holds that social change is only
achieved through conflict.

Under consensus theory the absence of conflict is seen as the equilibrium state of society and
that there is a general or widespread agreement among all members of a particular society
about norms, values, rules and regulations. Consensus theory is concerned with the
maintenance or continuation of social order in society.

Consensus theory serves as a sociological argument for the furtherance and preservation of the
status quo. It is antagonistic to conflict theory, which serves as a sociological argument for
modifying the status quo or for its total reversal. In consensus theory, the rules are seen as
integrative, and whoever doesn't respect them is a deviant person. Under conflict theory, the
rules are seen as coercive, and who transgresses them is considered an agent of change