Interesting social sciences/Conflictology. Social conflict and social control

The debatable questions in conflictology

                           There are several unresolved problem in such science as conflictology:    • Of than does consist the essence of the interrelation between the concepts social conflict and social control?    • Do conflicts have a benefit?    • What do the reasons and the purpose of conflict consists?    • What is criterion for the classification of conflicts?    • Is it necessary whether and is it possible whether to settle all conflicts on the basis of the voluntary agreement of conflicting sides?  

• What is the basis for agreeing of the conflicting sides during the settlement of conflict?

The definitions

A social conflict is the form of social interaction under which the participants of this conflict attempt to conquer the victory above their opponents with the help of different means with the aim of the physical destruction of opponent, his transformation into the object of control or the conquering of the somebody else’s sphere of influence and somebody else’s resources.       A Social control is the form of social interaction under which the controller forces the object of control to the fulfillment of norms of behavior with help of the threat of the application of positive or negative sanctions, with help of the introduction of stereotypes.         Thus, there are two statuses (controller and objects of control) in relations of social control.                A sanction is reward or punishment, thus there are positive or negative sanctions.     A norm is the rule of behavior.        A stereotype is the model for the imitation, which is takes root in the consciousness of the people through the media and mass culture.           The temporary consistency of the mechanism for control with help of the threat of the application of sanctions consists of three stages:     • the translation of norms,

• supervision for the fulfillment of norms,              • the application of negative sanctions against the disturbers of norms and the application of positive sanctions for the obedient executors of norms.                Below I will try to give the answers to debatable questions in conflictology, which were assigned above.

Essence of the interrelation between the concepts social conflict and social control.      

There is no description of the logical principle of the interrelation between the conceptions of “social conflict” and “social control” in the sociological literature. These conceptions are examined in the detachment from each other. The theoretical novelty of my approach consists to the detection of the essence of this interrelation. Just the understanding of the essence of this interrelation makes it possible to solve all enumerated above problems of conflictology.

The essence of this interrelation consists of the following.    • From one side, the conqueror in the conflict becomes controller before the following flash of conflict, lost in conflict man becomes to the object of control, and lost in conflict man is forced to perish or to yield the sphere of influence to conqueror.

• From other side, the controller is forced to support the optimum level of the strictness of the sanctions of social control, because too severe or too soft level of severity of social control challenges the new flash of conflict owing to that the object of control begins to doubt in the ability of controller to fulfill its functions.

The object of control goes to the conflict with the controller owing to a feeling of desperation     in the case of too severe level of severity of social control  and the object of control decides to risk by its life, by achievements in the career or by wages for the sake of the liberation from too severe a control. The object of control receives the hope on the victory over the controller in the case of too soft a control, since object of control begins to consider that controller is too weak and incapable to use punishments. For example, the pupils arrange the disruption of lesson in the case of the too tyrannical or too tolerant style of the guidance of order on the lesson from the side of teacher.

About the benefit of conflicts

   With the point of view for the representatives of such direction in macro‐sociology as structural functionalism, each custom and each organization have own function in the society, conflicts do not have a benefit and a function in the society; therefore conflicts must be eradicated. Applied sociological studies were developed intensively In first half 20 centuries (studies of conflicts in the small groups and the production organizations, studies of the conflicts in the form of strikes, protest demonstrations, riots and military conflicts). The purpose of these studies is the explanation of the reasons of conflicts and the search of the effective procedures of their settletion. The conflicts were considered   in this case as the negative processes, which restrain the development of society. T. Parsons saw the main task of sociology in the maintenance of the non‐conflicting relations between different elements of society with aim of the maintenance of equilibrium, mutual understanding and collaboration. In his opinion, law’s institutes, religion and customs carry out the function of settlement of conflicts. The society becomes all less conflicting to measure to development of society. This concept of T. Parsons was underwent by the substantiated criticism for “the non‐viability”. With an opposite point of view, which belongs to the representatives of the school for conflict in macro‐sociology, conflicts are inevitable in the society, but conflicts must be settled, conflicts have a benefit and harm in the society. Luis Coser indicated to the negative and positive functions of conflict. The negative functions of conflict are the worsening of the social climate, the reduction of productivity of labor, the dismissal of the part of the workers with aim of resolution of conflict, the inadequate perception by the opposite sides of each other and the decreasing of collaboration between them, the material and emotional expenditures for resolution of conflict. The positive functions of conflict is that the conflict is the reason for change and development of social system, it is the source of innovations, conflict makes it possible to build hierarchy inside the social groups, conflict makes it possible to create  organization, conflict makes it possible  to join the association of adherents, conflict makes possible for man to appear his activity, thus, conflict stimulates the development of personality,    conflict brings up self‐esteem, durability, courage and leader’s qualities, outcome of conflict removes latent tension and  outcome of conflict gives the exit for energy. I am agreeable with the point of view of the school of conflict completely. Benefit and function of conflict consist in that the development of society takes place with help of conflict    and the natural selection of aspirants to controllers take place with help of conflict; therefore the complete eradication of conflict is utopia, conflict is the necessary element of social structure.

The purpose and the reason of social conflict

      The purpose of conflict is the conquest of resources, status of controller or sphere of influence. The reason for conflict is the human needs for wealth, prestige and authority in spite of interests of other people. The consequence of these conflicts is the inevitable and natural inequality between the people in the society. The status of controller, the be conquered sphere of influence, the wealth, the prestige and the authority are prizes for winner in the conflict. The inequality between the controller and the object of control serves as an example of the inequality between the people. Sometimes some elites attempt to create themselves notorious advantages in the conflict in the form of caste’s or class’s privileges, some elites attempt to forbid for the representatives of bottoms to make legal career. Such elites attempt to abolish the free elections, the market competitions, the marriages between the representatives of bottoms and tops, such elites attempt to abolish the right of the representative of bottoms to address into the law court or to challenge on the duel of the representative of elite. This attempts lead unavoidably to the loss of competitive ability at the representatives of elite and   this attempts lead to the social revolution, when “upstarts” from the bottoms are forced to destroy physically by “degenerates” from the old elite and “upstarts” from the bottoms are forced   to occupy place at the top of social pyramid instead representatives of old elite.

The criterions for the classification of the forms of social conflict and social control.

          A. I. Antsupov and A. I. Shipilov [1] have enumerated nine criterions and   the nine appropriate classifications of the conflicts:     • The character and the features of sides which are participating in conflict, for example, of zoo‐conflicts, intra‐personal conflicts, intergovernmental conflicts and so on.     • The kinds of needs (physiological, in security, social, in the respect, in self expression).     • The intensity of the running of conflict (low, average and high).     • The type of the spheres of the vital activity, where conflicts occur (family, working, political and other spheres of conflicts.  

• The duration of the running of conflict.

• The relationship of positive and negative elements in the conflict (constructive and destructive conflicts).

• The quantity of sides in the conflict.

• The degree of the elaboration of the normative methods of settlement of conflicts (any normative mechanisms do not developed for the quarrel of two passengers in the public transport, but normative mechanisms  is  for the duel).    • The character of the relations of subordination between the opponents (“on the vertical line”, “along horizontal”, “along the diagonal”).         In my opinion, these nine criterions are the secondary signs of conflict, these nine criterions  do not express the essence of conception “conflict” and  these nine criterions   cannot serve as basis for the classification. Such essential criterion is the kind of means for struggle under conducting of conflict.  

There are following means of struggle for the different kinds of the conflict:     • The gestures of aggression, flirtation, lie, etc.

• Verbal abuse or praise, the spreading of gossips.     • The weapon.     • Organization of pre‐election campaign, meetings and demonstrations, political advertisement, denunciation into the higher authorities, the bureaucratic intrigues, the strike.     • The religious curses in the address of opponents, sacred inquisition.     • The cheap and high‐quality goods.     • The high‐quality work of skill.     • The rhetorical methods, the sophistical tricks and the scientific proof.          My criterion for the classification of kinds of social control is the kind of sanctions or stereotypes. Psychological science did not open to the end the device of the mechanism of psychological control (mechanism of hypnosis, “fateful” love, influence of demagogue on the crowd). Moral, armed, administrative, economic and religious kinds of control are built on the mechanism of the threat of sanctions.  

Five kinds of the sanctions are applied in five corresponding kinds of control:    • The moral sanctions (praise or swearing).    • The armed sanctions (corporal punishments).

• The administrative sanctions (rise or fall to the service, the dismissal or acception to work).    • The religious sanctions (threat of eternal torments in hell or eternal bliss in to paradise, the promise of advantages or penalties in the process of reincarnation (in the process regeneration of souls).    • The economic sanctions (money’s prize or fine).    Aesthetical and ideological kinds of control are built on the mechanism of the introduction of stereotypes.

Classification of the forms of social conflict and social control

            In my opinion, there are eight types of social conflict and there are eight analogous types of the social control:  

1. Psychological conflict.        1.  Psychological control.  

2. Moral conflict.                 2.    Moral control.

3. Armed conflict.                 3.   Armed control.

4. Administrative conflict.    4. Administrative control.   

5. Religious 1conflict.            5. Religious control.   

6. Economic conflict.             6.   Economic control.

7. Aesthetical conflict.          7.    Aesthetical control.  

8. Ideological conflict.           8.   Ideological control            

It will be opened in more detail the essence of this classification below; examples of the forms of conflict will be named. The forms of social conflict and social control were invented not simultaneously, but it were invented    on the turn in the process of the history of human society. The translation of norms and the threat of sanctions is realized not with help of the words in the process of psychological control and psychological conflict frequently, but it is realized in form of the language of gestures. Humanity inherited these primitive forms of psychological conflict and psychological control from the animal ancestors.

It is possible to give the following examples of each form of the conflict:  

1). Examples of the psychological conflict:    • the mutual intimidation in the language of gestures,    • the explanation in the process of the flirtation of that fact, who is leader in the amorous relations,    • the competition of demagogues for the influence on the crowd.     2). Example of the moral conflict:  

• the quarrel between men in the process of fight for status of leader in the small group.     3). Examples of the armed conflict:    • the hunting on wild animals,    • The war between the states,    • Civil War,    • The war between the criminal groups and against the police,    • the armed seizure of power,    • political murder,

•   extremist terror,  

• duel,    • sport’s competitions.   

4). Examples of the administrative conflict:    • political elections,

• the conflict of bureaucratic cliques, clique  ‐ is group or the gang of adherents, this group strive to dismiss from the work of the members of other cliques with help of different base methods and    this group strive to move the members of own clique upward on the administrative official stairs.

• the strike of workers.            There are three forms of the political elections:     • the straight  elections at the people meeting,      • the elections in the privileged meeting,  

• the nation‐wide election for the political leaders (governors or the President) or the nation‐wide election    for its representatives (the deputies), who, in turn, vote in the parliament instead of and in the interests of their voters.    The system of election in the people Assemble was brought to the perfection in Ancient Greek Athens, the system of election   in the privileged senate was brought to the perfection in Ancient Greek Sparta and in Ancient Rome, and the system of nation‐ wide elections was brought to the perfection in England and the USA as a result of activity of  the parties of chartists and feminists. Chartists had sought the right voice for workers, and feminists had sought the right of voice for the women.    5). An example of religious conflict is religious competition between the church and sectarian organizations for the sphere of influence on the believers within the framework of the observance of the freedom of conscience, invented in the USA. 6). An example of economic conflict is the market competition, under conditions of which   such producer survives, who can produce and sell goods on the smallest price and with the best quality. Market relations were invented by Phoenicians and ancient Greeks in Athens. There were invented sea trade and seagoing ships, handicraft production of goods to sale and particular ownership of the means of production in Phoenicia and Athens, but as the work force they used slaves. Gold money were invented in Lydia. The market was abolished and subsistence economy    is restored in the Middle Ages in Western Europe, because the center of the development of European civilization had   moved from the Mediterranean to the continent, and trade along the land roads was hindered because of the feudal shattering. The market relations were restored in Western Europe    in the new time on the new basis,     oceanic trade and ocean‐going ships (caravels)   be hired work’s force and machine production were invented in addition to   the old signs of market. Oceanic trade and caravels were invented in Portugal and Spain.  

7). An example of aesthetical conflict is the competition between the creators of art, this competition was invented in ancient Athens.  

8). An example of ideological conflict  ‐  these are dispute or discussion between the scientists, between the politicians or between the media. Formal logic (science about the laws of correct thinking) and rhetoric (science about the eloquence) were invented in Ancient Greece.      It is possible to give the following examples for each kind of control:    1). Examples of the psychological controllers:         • the hypnotizer,  

• the demagogue, who knows how to act on crowd,    • the “fateful” person, who knows how to suggest meek love to own  person from the side of the representatives of opposite sex.     2). An examples of moral control are the control of leader in the small group with help of such sanctions as praise or swearing under the conditions of the moral support of leader from the side of the majority of the members of this group.    3). An examples of the armed control:  

• the control of herdsman, horseman and   the coachman    in the farmer economy in relation to domestic animals,

• the control of leader in the criminal groups,  

• the control of “pilferers in the law” in Russian prison, medical orderlies in mad‐house, guards  in any total organization (barracks, hospital for irresponsible, prison, slaveholding economy, concentration camp for the prisoners of war)  ‐ with help of such sanctions as corporal punishments.      • The authorities turn out the system of criminal law into the system of state’s terror and intimidation of citizens under such form of Government as tyranny.   

4). An  examples of the administrative control:    • the control inside the vassal‐ feudatory system,    • the control inside any bureaucratic organization   (tax service, army, church,    police, system of education, system of state public health, government sector in the economy, socialist command‐administrative system,   ministerial system of executive power) with help of such  sanctions as dismissal or accept to the work, increase or the reduction on the service. Administrative control was invented together with the invention of bureaucracy in Ancient Egypt and in States of Mesopotamia.     5). An example of religious control is the control “of the prophet” in the charismatic sect and control of the priest above the believers with help of such sanctions as the threats of eternal torments in hell or the promise of eternal bliss in to paradise in Christianity and Islam, promise of advantages in the process of reincarnation in Buddhism. Religious control was invented in such world religions as Christianity, Islam Buddhism. The mechanism of religious control (in Christianity) was invented in the period of the sunset of Roman empire.   

6). An examples of the economic control:   

• the control in private enterprise,    • the control of international banks,  

• the government’s control of market.    Economic control is fulfilled with help of such sanctions as money’s prize or fine. This kind of control is most effective today. Economic control was invented in the New Time in England and Netherlands. International banks attempt to control    economically to the policy of the entire countries. The system of the government’s control of the domestic market uses such economic sanctions as privileges on the credits, the taxes and the duties.     7). An example of aesthetical control is a control with help of the introduction of aesthetical stereotypes (attractive images).     8). An example of ideological control is control with help of the introduction of ideological stereotypes by the way of repeated repetition of norms. Political and commercial advertisement serves as an example of aesthetical and ideological control. The invention of the media and means of mass culture (newspapers, the cinema, the radio, the televisions, the stages, video‐ allowed to build the system of ideological and aesthetical control into Western Europe and USA into the New Time. State’s ideological machine was built under the Communist and Fascist tyranny with aim of fraud and disinformation of citizens in the interests of authorities. That to secure of citizens from this danger, there is a freedom of press under the conditions of western democracy, that is the system of competition between the private medias, in that conditions the television company, which gives the false, uninteresting or obsolete information, is forced to ruin.

Need it settle the conflicts?

          In my opinion, the settlement of conflict is the impracticable task until participants of conflict will be agreeable to observe some conditions of truce. These conditions can consist from agreement about the division of resources, boundaries of the spheres of influence or about the observance of agreement, according to which the conqueror becomes controller, and loser men is by object of control. This is the basis for the agreement between the conflicting sides. This agreement is the result of the test of forces in the conflict usually, but this agreement is not the result of frequently useless conversations with the psychotherapist. This agreement is superfluous in the case of physical destruction one of two opposite sides of conflict.         Law court, law‐enforcement agencies and organs of the performance of punishment occupy oneself to the settlement of conflicting relations in the society.  Law court follows for the observance of the rules of fight and Law court has authorities to apply sanctions to the disturbers of these rules. Religious organizations and psychological service do not have such authorities and they occur unable to settle conflicts frequently. They are capable of only comforting those lost, of preventing the cases of alcoholism, addiction, suicide among the lost and mass disorders and the mutinies with the participation of those lost.              It isn’t possible to settle all forms of conflict    in the law court, for example, psychological, moral, armed and conflicts of bureaucratic cliques. People avoid to be turned into the law court most frequently for such insignificant questions as everyday quarrels. The criminal cases about “fateful” love are excited only in the case of murder or suicide of victim.  Criminals frequently also avoid to be turned into the law court, since. They live not according to the laws, but “on the concepts”, i.e., rotation into the law court contradicts the principles of thievish “honor”. Debatable questions in criminals are settled not in the law court, but on the meeting (on “the pointer”) with the participation of criminal authorities (“pilferers in the law”) instead of the judges, in “honest” duel or with the aid of the destruction of the enemy as a result of war between the gangsters. In nobles it was accepted to solve the conflicts, connected with questions of nobility’s honor, not with the aid of the law court, but with the aid of the duel. The settlement of all forms of armed conflict is most difficult task. Victory is here frequently reached only after physical destruction or taking into the captivity of the substantial part of the hostile Army, when further continuation of war for the lost side is impossible.    In war most frequently goes on the fight without the rules, when all is permitted. Sometimes sides conclude the agreements about the prohibition of the application of the most barbarous forms of weapon, execution of prisoners of war and terror against the innocent civilians, but these agreements frequently are disrupted. For example, Germany used poisonous gases in the First World War in spite of the articles of prewar agreement. Terrorists are capable in spite of all rules of executing hostages or children, of exploding peaceful citizens.  The observance of prohibitions with the waging of war is built frequently only on the fear before the reciprocal application of the forbidden type of weapon, but not on the fear before the judicial sanctions. In war there is this rule ‐ conquerors do not judge. The International Court of Justice, which has a jurisdiction to judge tyrants for genocide against its own people and army commanders for the military crimes, for example, this law court it examined the affair of the former Yugoslavian ruler of Milosevic, was recently formed. During the conflict between the bureaucratic cliques, which unavoidably appears in any “office”, the representatives of one clique create the intolerable working conditions for the representatives of another clique and force them to be discharged at will, in this case the first try not to give to the second of occasion for the rotation into the law court. Not all forms of conflict must be settled, since. it is profitable to support society such forms of conflict as market competition, political selections, creative competition, scientific dispute, sport competitions. For this purpose state fights with those participants in the conflict, who knew how to conquer all their rivals and to attain sole position on the market, it    opposition in the political sphere is supported and it follows the observance of political freedoms. For example, the President of the USA    F. D. Roosevelt was obtained nickname “the destroyer of the trusts”, which became monopolists in the American economy. As the answer these trusts created the transnational corporations, when central office is located in the USA, and assembly plants ‐  in the countries of the third peace. As a result it is very difficult to draw a similar company to the law court and to divide on the part of the based on a court decision one country; furthermore, a similar company obtains the possibility to exploit cheap labor of the countries of the third peace. The system of the separation of authorities is built during the maintenance to a certain degree of the competitor relations between the branches of authority.

Two of the type of conflicts

                Conflicts are divided into two types:     • The conflicts, which are conducted without the rules and without the arbiter. They are conducted before the complete physical destruction of the lost side of conflict sometimes.  

• The conflicts according to the rules, where there is an arbiter, who follows for the observance of the rules of game and    an arbiter sentences the victory. Such conflicts finish with the destruction of the lost side of conflict never.        It is applied only first type conflict in living nature. Hunting finishes with death of animals from the hands of man most frequently, but it is very rare, that hunting finishes by the placement of animals into the zoo. The rules are introduced  even in the sphere of hunting and fishing  today, this rules forbid the hunting on the rare animals, carried into the Red Book, this rules forbid hunting and fishing in the specific periods of time ‐ period of the spawning of fish, nesting of birds and so on. The most barbarous types of weapon of mass‐destruction were forbidden or limited in 20 centuries, and the rules of treatment with the prisoners of war were accepted. Knightly duel or duel was passed according to the rules, sekundanties followed for observance of this rules. Usurpers destroy the thrown down rulers after palace coup or after plot for the purpose of the assumption of power usually, because   the thrown down rulers    present too great a danger for the conspirators in the case of its return to the power. For example, such scars as Lie‐Dmitri 1, Peter 3, Ivan Antonovich,    Pavel 1, Nikolai 2 were killed in the course or after revolution in Russia. As the exception from the general rule, scar Vasily Szujski was sent for the monastery, Khrushchev and Gorbachev   was sent   to the pension. The fight of bureaucratic cliques goes on without rules, because it goes secretly, winners do not destroy the lost rivals, but winners dismiss the lost rivals. The small group is arbiter in the moral quarrel,   the small group sentences victory. The rules of game and law court exist in the elections, the market, the religious conflict, creative competition and scientific dispute. The development of society conducts to reduction of the sphere for the propagation of fight without the rules and to the expansion of the sphere of the propagation of those forms of the conflict, where there are an arbiter and rules of game.    As the conclusion it should be noted that my answers to all debatable questions in conflictology were represented above.