Conflict Theory In My Family

The majority of individuals have acquired their own ideas surrounding what the social structure of a family is. Yet, whilst each individual experiences family life in a variety of ways, we as people cannot fathom how our experiences exist, without obtaining a broad understanding of how our personal relationships integrate into a more prodigious social context. C. Wright Mills has demonstrated this idea by inventing the sociological imagination, defined as "the ability to recognize how apparently personal issues reflect broader social structures, at least partly" (Mills 1959, 15) (Brinkerhoff 2). This concept allows us to recognize that a handful of our personal hardships are conventional instances that occur regularly within a functioning society.

When analyzing my family from a sociological lens in reference to the conflict theory, the question of who benefits is present throughout. Although conflict arises from stressful instances of rivaling interests, the conceptual ideas of conflict aid sociologists in determining how the presence of conflict is beneficial to a society overall. The core make-up of my family is designed through the use of competing interests. My father was born into a family where wealth is a promise; this is a part of his ascribed statuses in society. On the other hand, my mother was spawn from people who have to fight to make ends meet. Upon meeting one another, both my mother and my father had to assimilate to the major differences in their status sets in society. Conflict theorists would assume that the competing statuses amongst both families are helpful in determining who will benefit from this conjunction, and how each member will preserve their position in their personal lives and in society (Brinkerhoff

For instance, due to many bumps and bruises, I currently suffer from a severely broken nose. How can a broken nose possibly relate to conflict in a household? One day my sister came home from school devastated by the actions of her peers; they made fun of her perfectly sufficient nose. With no hesitation, my mother acquired with a plastic surgeon and had my sister 's nose fixed. In contrast, when the doctor ordered my mother to have my nose fixed for breathing function, she responded with, "no thank you, she will be just fine". This example is one, among many instances where my mother has discrimanted between my sister and I. My mother 's actions contribute to the structural inequality of my family, which causes tension between not only my mother and I, but with my sister as well. Conflict theorists would assume that the competition over scarce resources (money, plastic surgery, etc.) is beneficial for my sister 's success. The structural inequality based on reward in this circumstance is, my sister 's beauty accelerating from plastic surgery, as my nose remains aesthetically and internally damaged. As a result, social change bolsters through the competeing interests of my sister, my mother, and I (Brinkerhoff