Introduction
Human beings are social and interactive at various levels; patterns of social interaction differ and often result in the occurrence of conflicts between various groups. For instance, religious groups in various parts of the world rise against each other; this occurs due to differences in ideologies, practices and belief systems. Attempts to solve various social conflicts fail; this is results from several factors. If not handled appropriately, the factors persist and facilitate the existence of conflicts between groups for years. It results in the emergence of conflicts and existence throughout several generations of the conflicting groups.
Social interaction
It is a way in which social concepts are transferred from generation to generation; among the concepts, are long-standing conflicts. It is evident that conflicts that existed between distinct groups several years back find a way of persisting through the subsequent generations. The social interaction process involves everyday encounters between various individuals; these encounters facilitate communication, interpretation and response to each other’s ideas and opinions (Ferrante, 36).
Thus, a group that exhibits enmity towards another group will make their stand evident through their actions; members of that group maintain their views by passing them on to the next generations. In a case where a conflict is not solved, members of each group tend to make the younger members aware of the feuds and how to handle them. They pass on ideas to the young ones and develop in them the same spirit of conflict. Thus, the following generations in both groups grow up believing in and supporting the factors that caused the conflicts; this results in its progress through the groups’ generations.
The role of social interaction in long-standing conflicts, between groups, is evident through an analysis of the symbolic interactionism perspective. Through its study on people’s engagement in social interaction, it shows how communication transfers knowledge, experiences and the ideas of the preceding generation. The shared factors make the transfer of conflict-causing ideas easy through the generations.
Social and cultural settings
Long-standing conflicts between groups can also be passed down from generation to generation through the influence of social and cultural settings. Studies show the influence of environment and experiences on human behavior; the social experiences and contextual circumstances they live in influence their ideas, perspectives, and actions. People are born into unique and well-defined cultural and social settings; these include families, social classes, communities and religions. The provisions, rules and expectations presented by the settings shape every person’s worldviews. People thus develop around the provisions of their cultural and social settings.
The development of society members around defined beliefs makes them different from other groups. Other groups may live based on different beliefs, ideas, morals and so on. The evident differences may cause conflicts between the groups; for instance, global conflicts between Christian and Muslim groups have existed for years. The differences in religion, law, and the way of life results in enmity.
Social rules within a group are permanent, and rarely change; thus, there is little influence by external factors on the way members of a group live. Through generations, the group members maintain their beliefs; this results in a constant view of other groups as different. As long as groups continue exhibiting varying patterns of life, they are likely to exhibit hostility towards each other. It depicts the hereditary acquisition of social practices and beliefs as an influential factor in the continuation of conflicts between groups; this can last through several generations unless social rules change and become accommodative of other groups’ perspectives (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2).
Economic differences
The society depicts differences between various groups; among these is the economic gap between rich and poor groups. In various parts of the world, the distance between the two groups is evident and continues to widen. It shows in the ever-growing wealth of the high class while the population in slum areas continues increasing. According to sociology, large societies depict distinct differences based on social class; among this are the economic abilities of the groups.
The existence of social distinctions in many communities is interpreted as unfair and undesirable. Despite the fact that this is a salient part of many cultures, it creates conflicts and ill-feelings between groups, within the community. For instance, in many societies, the poor perceive the rich as greedy and exploitative. They blame their deprived conditions on the rich people’s actions and wealth acquisition; many rich people take advantage of the poor in their attempt to acquire wealth. It occurs through land grabbing, low wages, work in poor conditions and so on. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, workers mine diamonds under hostile conditions and low wages, whereas, the rich buy the diamonds at very high and extravagant prices (Ferrante, 18).As long as poverty increases and the wealthy continue ignoring the plight of the poor and vulnerable members of society, the conflict is likely to progress for generations (AAAS, 3). As long as the poor continue associating their deprived status with the wealthy people’s actions, the conflict is likely to continue
Conclusion
Generational existence of conflicts between groups is an unavoidable factor in today’s society. Tracing back to decades ago, conflicts have been carried on through generations, to the modern times. The lack of solutions to conflicts relates to factors such as; social interactions, cultures, and economic differences.. As new generations come into existence, they adopt the same perspectives (Ferrante, 202).
Works Cited
American Association of the Advancement of Science. Human Society- Chapter 7. (2013): Web. Available from: <www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap7.htm>
Ferrante, Joan. Sociology: A global perspective. 8th Edition (2012): Print.
