Causes of Conflict
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- Category: Politics: Political Science
- Date Submitted: 06/14/2011 05:11 AM
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Causes of conflict
By
Malizu Solomon
If we fail to understand the forces that shape people, we can never comprehend the direction that conflict may take. We know conflict as a strain in relationship that goes with emotion. It is also pursuit of incompatible interest by different groups.
But in a real sense, conflict is those actions, behaviours, attitudes and processes that introduce strains in relationship between different groups in a struggle for a goal or interest.
The question for us to answer is what are those actions, attitudes, behaviours and processes that introduce strain in relationship? These questions will lead us to the causes of conflict.
Hence, since theory is the lens through which we view the world and a scholar without a theory is like a blind man. Using Frustration-Aggression theory which stated that the frustrated people attack the believed source of their frustration which is not necessary the real source of their frustration and if the attack refuses to remove their frustration, violent aggression occur. This is because in social life, men come to value many things such as wealth, food, shelter, freedom etc and the frustration of these basic needs lead to violent aggression. The theory highlight four steps toward conflict viz- activation of demand; frustration of demand, mental process and action.
Finally, since change is the basic subject of every conflict, the frustrated people attacked the believed source of their frustration in a search for a change in their predicament which thereby leads to conflict.
By
Malizu Solomon
If we fail to understand the forces that shape people, we can never comprehend the direction that conflict may take. We know conflict as a strain in relationship that goes with emotion. It is also pursuit of incompatible interest by different groups.
But in a real sense, conflict is those actions, behaviours, attitudes and processes that introduce strains in relationship between different groups in a struggle for a goal or interest.
The question for us to answer is what are those actions, attitudes, behaviours and processes that introduce strain in relationship? These questions will lead us to the causes of conflict.
Hence, since theory is the lens through which we view the world and a scholar without a theory is like a blind man. Using Frustration-Aggression theory which stated that the frustrated people attack the believed source of their frustration which is not necessary the real source of their frustration and if the attack refuses to remove their frustration, violent aggression occur. This is because in social life, men come to value many things such as wealth, food, shelter, freedom etc and the frustration of these basic needs lead to violent aggression. The theory highlight four steps toward conflict viz- activation of demand; frustration of demand, mental process and action.
Finally, since change is the basic subject of every conflict, the frustrated people attacked the believed source of their frustration in a search for a change in their predicament which thereby leads to conflict.