INTRODUCTION

Human beings are social animals and more often than not live in groups such as families. This makes interaction inevitable and as a result differences and conflicts are part of human lives. Moreover, civilization which made humans distinct social creatures different from any other organism created all sorts of sources of conflict may it be political, economic, sports, believes, religion, ethics, racial among many other sources. However, though it created the various distinctions, the society had already established social norms. They enable the society to co-exist with every member not only preserving their distinction but also without affecting the distinction of the other. Emotions on the other hand create short term or immediate solutions to existing conflicts or challenges. Such as the expression of sympathy to a hurt person makes him feel part of the society without even expressing a word.

This paper seeks to analyze the various sources of conflict in the society and identify how positive social norms and emotions contribute to avoiding and resolving the conflicts if they arise.

                        CONFLICT

Conflict is the state of discord between individuals or groups of persons working or living together that stems from a variety of factors. Another definition used by most scholars define the term conflict in relation to power with the most direct one being ‘conflict is the confrontation of powers’ (Rummel, 1976). The power can either be altruistic and manipulative, coercive and physical or assertive and identive (1976).

In the society that we live in there are a number of sources of conflict, key among them is situations (Mendoza & Manson, 1993). Most minor conflicts that develop among individuals are a product of the situations that the various parties find themselves in. This may arise as a result of the failure to get the expected satisfaction from a particular engagement (1993). This may be in form of services, achievement or compassion. This form of conflict may also emanate from heated face to face arguments which may have emerged from a common point of view but the involved parties have different approaches.

Conflict may also emerge from the struggle of social status. This is commonly referred as the class struggle that was extensively discussed by Karl Marx. This is the conflict that emerges between the haves and the have nots (Feinberg & Soltis, 2004). Therefore the have nots hold the view that the haves are exploiting them to be in the position that they are in and as a result creating a conflict. It is also important to note that conflict can also arise out of the social context of individuals or due to social disorganization (Mendoza & Manson, 1993).

SOCIAL NORMS AND EMOTIONS

Social norms which are the cues and behaviors within a society or a group play a very crucial role in shaping the behavior of the society that we live in. Various scholars have given various explanations on why norms exist with the most common being that they are efficient way of achieving social welfare (Akerlof, 1976). This view is in line with the social identity theory and the self categorization theory which comprehensively explain why group norms have a high probability of serving as behavioral standards (Christensen, 2004). But what are exactly these social norms that the scholars write about?

Social norms are the activities that we carry out not only for our own sake but also for the sake of other humans for instance, wearing clothes, brushing your teeth, using respectful language, following traffic rules, smiling back, being respectful to others. This are just examples of the three major types of norms classified by William Graham Sumner (1840 – 1910) one of the first Sociology lecturers. He classified norms into either

• Folkways – these are relatively weak norms and only slightly enforced by the society. It includes correct manners, proper eating behavior and appropriate dressing.
• Mores – these are strong and important norms of the society whose violation attracts severe punishments. Examples are bigamy, incest and cannibalism.
• Laws – these are norms made, maintained and enforced by the political authority of the specific society whose violation is referred to as a crime. This maybe in form of speeding, murder, stealing among others.

The application of social norms in resolving or avoiding conflict has also been analyzed by one of the most renowned sociologist known as Karl Marx. The Marxism theory is based on the relationship between the way people think, feel and perceive (consciousness) and the mode of production. They believe that the basic concepts by which we organize our ethical, aesthetic and conceptual worlds can be understood by recognizing the connection to the productive possibilities of the society that we live in (Feinberg & Soltis, 2004). For instance taking two elements that we organize our world with, time and space they are part of our consciousness and form the basis of truth and false. They allow us to locate events and objects which would be otherwise a mystery to do so thus forming part of our norms (2004). Therefore it’s through the understanding the elements of our live that conflict can be avoided. It is through the relationship of these elements that norms which determine what is wrong or right are created. The realization of the norms therefore helps us prevent conflict.

Emotions on the other hand are supposed to fit the circumstances and therefore becoming part of the social norms. For instance in a funeral, an individual has to conceal joyful emotions and he or she may not express joyful emotions unto others as this is deviance from emotional norms which dictate that we express sorrow. In a biological explanation by Darwin (1872/1965) the expression of emotions by people is not just a product of the instinctive response of the animal within to certain predicaments but it is a product of intelligent guide of feelings and display of emotions to fit the expected (Heise & Calhan, 1995). Expressions of right emotions such as sorrow in funerals, hope in dire situations or love to a member of the opposite sex help us live harmoniously.

Lots of efforts have gone into the development and understanding of emotions. However a simple typology of emotions can help us understand emotions better by having words used to express them indicated just beside. The various emotions are empathy which can be expressed as sympathy, kindness or respect, affection which can be expressed as love, admiration or dreaminess, optimism which can be expressed as hope or anticipation among other emotions. Therefore what matters is the expression either in terms of symbols such as facial expression, actions or words.

The relationship between emotions and cooperation forms an interesting and insightful analysis of the application of emotions in the process of conflict avoidance. A recent study indicated that emotions experienced just before the cooperative activity have a possible influence on the resulting cooperation. Positive and negative emotions affected the decision making process which in turn influenced the level of cooperation (Thompson, 2013). Positive emotions tend to influence individuals to greater following of social norms and hence more cooperation. This also leads to reduced conflicts as individuals tend to follow social norms.

The emotions of joy and guilt also tend to be more than just emotions but they also influence the behavior of the individual. Guilt which can also be defined as self conscious emotion which is evoked by self evaluation and self reflection rather than just a moral emotion has the potential to encourage constructive and proactive pursuits towards others (Thompson, 2013). This type of reaction will lead to more positive interaction and relationships among the members of the society. The impact of joy on the other hand is not directly ascertained but it tends to increase the sense of common in group identity (Thompson, 2013). The influence of joy is therefore indirect as it increases self-directed embracement of social norms thus influence the society positively.

To most people, conflict may be seen as a limitation to interaction but this is not actually the case. According to Georg Simmel conflict is a positive interaction and it has the ability to strengthen social relations (1904). He argues from the basis that every reaction among men is referred to as socialization and in effect conflict should be treated in the same manner. He continues to argue that if we did not have the right or power to rebel against tyranny, moodiness, tactlessness, we could not bear to have relationship with the people from whose characters we suffer (Simmel, 1904). Therefore conflicts avoid future conflicts only if they are resolved since they define values and morals and strengthen group ties.

CONCLUSION

Interaction forms a very important part of our lives and can be termed as what defined us as human beings. However, conflict poses a major challenge to the effectiveness of this crucial aspect. The solution to the challenge is however at our disposal, through understanding and adoption of social norms and positive emotions interaction becomes effective as it should be. It is however important to note that conflict is not entirely an enemy to interaction but can be referred to as a necessary evil, as it tends to perfect and identify the forgotten aspects of our interaction which once perfected interaction  becomes perfect.

 REFERENCE

1. Christensen, P. N. (2004). Social Norms And Identity Relevance: A Motivational Approach To Normative Behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(10), 1295-1309.
2. Feinberg, W., & Soltis, J. F. (2004).School and society(4. ed.). New York, Ny.: Teachers college press.
3. Heise, D. R., & Calhan, C. (1995). Emotion Norms in Interpersonal Events.Social Psychology Quarterly, 58(4), 223. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2787125
4. Mason, W. A., & Mendoza, S. P. (1993).Primate social conflict. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press.
5. Rummel, R. J. (19751981). Understanding conflict and war. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications ;. (Original work published 1975)
6. Simmel, G. (1904). The Sociology of Conflict. I. American Journal of Sociology,9(4), 490.
7. Thompson S. (2013) Exploring the impact of positive and negative emotions on cooperative behavior in a Prisoner’s Dilemma Game. PeerJ1:e231 Retrieved 5 May 2014 from http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.231

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