Conflict Theory
The emergence of social anxiety worldwide is one of the significant effects of the Coronavirus epidemic. This has contributed to significant problems to societies, including in countries not affected by the virus. The feeling of deceit, particularly in the younger generation, reflects the susceptibility of our communities to casualties. Hazard culture is an essential part of our daily lives. The German sociologist Ulrich Beck describes it as a "systemic solution to the threats and insecurities of modernization itself." He refers to it as the farsighted reform that is labeled "reflective modernization," which brings into doubt the foundations of its meaning, unintentional and unexpected side effects of modern existence blowback. The outbreak of Coronavirus reveals a weak social organization during epidemics (Cano, Morales, & Bendtsen, 2020). During the event of epidemics of Corona, all the populations thought they were in danger. However, the marginalized groupsand citizens on low incomes experienced disproportionate harm. That is why, in risk culture, major forces should primarily be geared towards societal conflict management and cooperation in order to "manage" opposing views about the extent of the risks in order to create society's anxiety. Therefore, this paper utilizes conflict theory to discuss the issues surrounding COVID-19.
Conflict ideology regards society as a struggle for limited-resource. This view is a macro-level viewpoint often associated with the works of the German philosopher and sociologist Karl Marx (1818–1883), who saw society as consisting of individuals in various social groups who had to struggle for financial, economic, and political capital such as food and housing, jobs, schooling, and leisure time. Social structures such as government, schooling, and religion embody this rivalry in their intrinsic inequality and help to perpetuate the unequal social system (Joas, Knobl, & Skinner). Some people and organizations are in a position to obtain and retain more wealth than others and these "contenders." Variations on this first material possession have been proposed by many theorists. Among them is Ludwig Gumplowicz (1838–1909), a Polish-Austrian sociologist, extended Marx's theory, he argues that war and conquest is the foundation of civilizations. He claimed that cultural and ethnic tensions contributed to the creation and description of States by a dominant group with control over other groups.
Much as structural functionalism was criticized for relying too much on social equilibrium, conflict theory has been criticized by scholars as conflict-oriented approach that major on exclusion of natural stability and sustainability. Some social systems are relatively stable or evolved instead of suddenly erupting as the theory of conflicts implies.
Example of theorists
George Herbert Mead
First is George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), who is considered to be a pioneer of symbolic interactionism, although he never published his work there. Mead's pupil, Herbert Bulmer, invented and outlined these basic principles of the word "symbolic interaction": humans communicate with objects based on the senses provided to these objects; the ascribed significance of things is generated from our contact with others and society. For instance, the love books, a relational interactionist, may say you discovered that books are valuable or essential through your social relationship context; prior exposure to activities that require book will rational form your attitude towards reading. For instance, maybe your family had a specific writing period every week, your library card was deemed to be a special thing, or bedtime stories were connected to warmth and comfort.
Herman and Reynolds
Theorists Herman and Reynolds (1994) consider that people perceive the experience as involved in influencing the social system rather than as performers. Symbolic interaction is a theory of micro-levels that focuses on the connections between individuals in society. The way people interpretation of meaning through words and symbols is believed to be a reflection of their sense of their social realities.
Constructivism theory
Constructivism is an application of the symbolic theory of connection, which argues that reality is what is commonly people believe to be true. We establish social structures dependent on encounters with others, and those which, over time, have defined items that are universally understood or commonly adopted by the majority of society. This method is also used to understand what a culture considers deviant. There is no clear concept of deviance, so different cultures have developed specific significances for deviance so as to incorporate numerous behaviors.
Critical theory
German sociologist Max Weber identified with Marx but felt that the differences between state forces and the social system, in addition to the cultural disparities, triggered the conflict. Weber observed that multiple classes are influenced in a particular way on the grounds of experience, ethnicity, and gender and that the responses of citizens to injustice are moderated by economic equality and social-cultural equalities as well as the authority of government policies. Georg additionally considered that conflict could help transform and sustain a community. He said that the dispute severity differs based on the parties' emotional participation, the degree of unity within the competing factions, and the specificity and restricted existence of the goals, these aspects create a balance in the society and are essential to societal development. Weber has also demonstrated that communities’ function towards creating internal unity, centralizing authority, and growing conflict.
Conflict settlement could reduce conflict and aggression and prepare the way for potential negotiations. German theorists, identified as the Frankfurt School, founded critical theory as a study on Marxist ideas in the 1930s and 1940s. Critical theory is an extension of the theory of conflict, which is more general than sociology, covering other research aspects philosophy and human science. The critical theory seeks to answer systemic problems that create inequality; it will expound what is wrong with social fact, identify those that should improve, and establish concrete targets for social progress.
Disparities in who has been affected by COVID,
The epidemic of Coronavirus shows how physical and psychologically fragile modern societies are. It is not on genetics but on the mental, social, and spiritual level where we need to develop resilience. Most health problems are correlated explicitly with human activity in the ecosystem as an antimicrobial-resistant epidemic (AMR). The relentless wrecking activity on earth over the last century has significantly affected the climate. An informed conversation on the biological and social aspects of human interaction and how to protect the ecosystem should be started in our communities. Also, in this new outbreak of Corona, diet and social activities are suspected of playing a significant part in the promotion of viral mutation. We need a radical cross-disciplinary strategy to adjust our attitudes towards the world and our behavior in the sense of a crisis.
Public health response has become the most successful and effective technique among States confronted with the virus. Campaigns for hand washing and cough are widely used in enhancing the capability of clinics and hospitals and stringent quarantines of sick patients (Williams & Dye, 2018). Several ordinary day practices have been impacted, this has dramatically changed social norms, but it also made its little contribution to the settlement of the societal conflict. Using conflict theory, the following strategies can be adopted in order to tackle issues brought about by the virus.
Firstly, to encourage understanding of the aspects that the damaging way we currently view contradictory knowledge about the virus is risking our future. The challenges that must be overcome as part of any efforts to reduce the destructive viral threat must be clarified. Second, encourage the solving of social issues focused on shared knowledge, consideration, and the joint development of wise and equitable approaches to common problems(Williams & Dye, 2018). Promote proactive political approaches that use a more comprehensive view of disease trends to help the parties change their life while upholding other people's interests.
Besides, constructive conflict strategies are being developed to work on the full scale of modern society utilizing existing vibrant mass media environment, and the social networks. Stop "divide and conquer" strategies whereby manipulative forces seek to force their agendas across culture and through corporate governance structures. Finally, intensify conflict analysis and development to tackle genuine societal concerns critics and encourage attempts to resolve the severe problems at the confrontation frontier, which is perception. Convince vast numbers to support more pragmatic solutions to fight the epidemic and to provide appropriate preparation for them to establish the strategic foundation for such concerns.
On one side, conflict theories contend that individuals often battle one another in society, by nature. On the other side, their structuralism perspective indicates that the societal system creates and maintains social order (Structuralism in Sociology and Other Social Sciences,2016). Structural-functional approach to the topic coronavirus pandemic might be interested in the role of the social behavior within the nation and how this has changed from the early days of the virus. Another examination might study the different functions that are involved in fighting the virus, from government policies to health workers in the field. A conflict theorist will be interested in the power differentials present in the regulation of the pandemic, by exploring where people's rights and government policies intersect and how the government mediates their interests. Alternatively, a conflict theorist might be interested in the power and powerlessness experienced by local citizens to visive the rich in society. This show that conflict theory offers a better option in tackling issues related to the epidemic that the structural-functional approach
Conclusion
In summary, the pandemic of Coronavirus has transformed the way society works. It will develop new incentives for collaboration and conflicts, but the epidemic would, more importantly, affect the most basic social experiences (Joas, Knobl, & Skinner, 2017). These adjustments are more harmful to humans. In order to win the war against the Coronavirus, the eccentric socialist ecological policy is the knowledge and art of rejecting relations of power, relations of subordination, oppression, and exploitation of humans, human beings, and the rest of nature, which have been created over the past 10,000 years (Joas, Knobl, & Skinner, 2017). Therefore, non-capitalist fights against the subordination of various people's strata and a democratic movement that aims to end anthropocentrism in all its forms can be supplanted with Marx's social ties and class conflicts, which are rightly put central to their theoretical and realistic issues. The struggle for class, ethnic identity, gender identity, and national origin equality must be seen as necessary to facilitate societal cohesion.
References
Cano, O. B., Morales, S. C., & Bendtsen, C. (2020). COVID-19 Modelling: the Effects of Social Distancing. doi: 10.1101/2020.03.29.20046870
Joas, H., Knobl, W., & Skinner, A. (2017). Conflict sociology and conflict theory. Social Theory, 174–198. doi: 10.1017/cbo9781139878432.009
“Structuralism in Sociology and Other Social Sciences”. (2016). Contemporary Sociological Thinkers and Theories, 327–347. doi: 10.4324/9781315573946-15
Williams, B. G., & Dye, C. (2018). Dynamics and control of infections on social networks of population types. Epidemics, 23, 11–18. doi: 10.1016/j.epidem.2017.10.002