1. CONFLICT THEORY
Theories about
Power & Inequality,
Coercion & Change
Class 3

2. Based on the ideas that…
 Coercion & power determine the social
order
 Groups struggle to maintain power
 One group’s ability to control another
group leads to conflict
 All societies have conflict
 Conflict produces social change
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3. What IS conflict?
 ―Conflict is a struggle
– between individuals or collectivities
– over values or
– claims to status, power, & scarce resources
 in which the aims of the conflicting parties are
– to assert their values or claims over those of
others‖
Goodhand & Hulme (1999), p. 14
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4. Conflict theories assert that…
All problems are created by
disparities
between groups or classes
& how they struggle with each
other for dignity & the
necessities of life
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5. But first, what is ―social class‖?
 CLASS
– a group of people who share the same social status
– status may be due to education, family, occupation,
gender, income, ethnicity, religion
 CLASS STRUCTURE
– social hierarchy of classes in a society from high to low
 stratification of inequality
– status based on perceived power in society
 ex: economic, physical, familial, political, or religious power
– ―poverty‖ class
 the group of people with the least economic status or power
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6. Some societies & cultures
are more ―stratified‖
than others…have more
clearly defined
groups or classes
What determines social class
structure in the Philippines &
Mindanao?

7. The origins of conflict theory
 Developed from ideas of Karl Marx (1818-83)
& Frederick Engels (1820-95) in Europe
 They believed:
– Society is a class struggle
between the workers (wage
earners) & the capitalists (the
owners)
– Capitalists exploit the workers
– Conflict is primarily economic
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8. Based on their observations of
society, they proposed…
 CONFLICT is…
– Inevitable—it is bound to happen
– Continual—it will always happen
– Due to class differences—it results from society’s
inequality & class struggles, especially about
production
 TRUTH can be known…
– By understanding how social forces work
– By recognizing contradictions within social forces &
class struggles in society
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9. Marx proposed that…
 The religious, political, &
economic ideas of the
wealthy reinforce the ―status
quo‖
– It is in the best interest of the
class in power to maintain the
status quo
 People not in power should
―unite‖ in their struggle
against the ruling class,
creating a revolution
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10. Class & bureaucracy
 Max Weber (1864-1920), father of modern
sociology, expanded views about class &
power
 Weber believed most power comes from
state bureaucracies & those who govern
– Bureaucracies control & dominate society
– Bureaucracies have top-down organizations
– Managers & workers are in conflict with those
who govern
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11. Weber’s view of ―class‖
 Defined class as a group of people that share
the same life status or situation
– they have in common the same ―life chances‖
 ―Class situation‖ is one’s access to goods, living
conditions, life experiences
– ―class situation‖ is connected with economic situation
 ―Acquisition class‖ is the group that has the
opportunity to exploit the market
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12. Weber’s definition of ―power‖
 Power is the chance to realize one’s will or
control over the resistance of others
 Bureaucratic control, social status, &
political power also depend on class
 But ultimately, social class is determined
by economic power
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13. ―The Power Elite‖
 Combining ideas from Marx & Weber,
C. Wright Mills (1916-1962) proposed model of
power relations called ―the power elite‖
 Proposed 3 levels of society
– Power elite (top level of power)
 Interlocking industrial, political, & military power
– Government planners (middle level of power)
– The masses (bottom level of power)
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14. More thoughts about ―power‖
 Social exchange theorists proposed that
power can only be understood in terms of
social relationships
 Power is not an attribute of an individual
actor
 Power is related to the ―mutual
dependency‖ in the relationship of people
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15. What does this mean?
 The degree that group A has power
over group B depends on the
degree to which A has control over
B’s resources
 Dependency includes both the
―availability‖ of resources & the
―motivational investment‖ of the
groups involved
 If resources are available from
other sources, group A does not
have as much power over group B
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16. In summary, the main ideas of
conflict theory are…
 Groups & individuals try to advance their interests over
the interests of others
 Power is unequally divided & some groups dominate
others
 Social order is based on manipulation & control of
nondominant groups by dominant groups
 Lack of open conflict is a sign of exploitation
 Members of nondominant groups become alienated from
society
 Social change is driven by conflict, with periods of
change interrupting long periods of stability
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17. Conflict theory’s contribution
to social work practice
 Recognizes the interconnection between social structure,
culture, personality
 Helps explain the roots of social injustice, including
oppression due to gender difference
 Rejects the status quo & the equilibrium that aims to
maintain inequality
 Recognizes that numerous social conflicts can be
occurring at the same time
 Recognizes that people can have overlapping status
groups & conflicts between the groups
 Provides an activist model for social work practice
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18. How applicable are these ideas about
conflict & power for your work?
 Do you see social classes in the
Philippines? & Mindanao?
 What classes have ―power‖?
 What determines the power?
 Are social classes or groups mutually
dependent?
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19. Does social change have
to occur through armed
conflict & violence?
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20. Can conflict be
―transformational‖?
Can you think of some positive
outcomes of conflict?

21. Current revisions of Marxian Ideas
 Contemporary theorists propose that
economic globalization & global capitalism
―are at the root of many of the challenges
that social workers & their clients face‖
(Morrell, cited in Robbins et al., p. 72)
 ―Monopoly capitalism‖ through private
corporations increase profits of upper
classes, reinforced by support of
governments
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22. What do you think about the following quote from
PSA’s Philippines Weekly Report?
―The World Bank recently cited that soaring
food and fuel prices are greater challenges
to Asian governments…
Indeed, as a trigger for potential social
unrest, the rice problem in the Philippines
has major political, economic, and social
implications.‖
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23. Some contemporary scholars
propose that…
 Conflict is a ―social process‖ that can
be positive
 Conflict can potentially contribute to
development, change, & eventual
stability
– (Goodhand & Hulme,1999)
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24. What do you think?
What determines a positive
transformation?
What are the different roles of
men & women in this
transformation in Mindanao?