Features / Characteristics of Conflict
The key characteristics of conflict are given below –
1. Conflict is Universal: Conflict of interests is universal and varies in intensity in all societies. Thinkers like Karl Marx highlighted its importance in social life. Marx believed history is the story of class struggle, with capitalists and laborers having opposing interests.
2. Conflict is a conscious action: Individuals and groups know they are Conflicting. As Park and Burgess have pointed out, conflict is always conscious and evokes the deepest emotions and stronger passions.
3. Conflict is personalized by competition: When competition is personalized, it leads to conflict. In the struggle to overcome the other person or group, the goal is temporarily related to a level of secondary importance.
4. Conflict is not continuous but intermittent: Conflict never takes place continuously. It takes place occasionally. No society can sustain itself in a state of continuous Conflict.
5. Conflict is conditioned by culture: Conflict is influenced by group nature and culture. It arises over property, power, freedom, or valued ideals. Political conflicts emerge when stability is at risk. Cultural values shape societal battles, and regional conflict can arise from sectarianism.
6. Conflict and norms: Not only culture modifies conflict and its forms, but it also controls and governs it. When conflict is infrequent and no adequate techniques have been worked out, more violent and unpredictable sorts of Conflict, such as race and riots, arise.
7. Frustration and insecurity promote Conflict: Conflict can also arise from factors like frustration and insecurity within a society. Frustration stems from unmet goals like power or wealth, while insecurity can result from economic crises or unemployment. In societies with widespread insecurity, the potential for conflict is high, sometimes leading to severe consequences like mental instability or even suicide.
These characteristics highlight the complex nature of conflict, which can manifest in various forms and contexts, impacting individuals and societies in diverse ways.
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