Tinderboxes [conflicts of interest and social change]

Conflict doesn´t have to be outright violence, it also includes: tension, hostility, competition and disagreement over goals and values. This is because society and, thus, individuals are in a constant state of change as their various needs and wants ebb and flow. According to conflict theorists, the only constant in life is conflict. It is a continuing and inevitable part of economic reality. People desire power, wealth and prestige; all are resources in short supply. And even when there seems to be enough to go around, an internal drive causes some individuals to want additional control. More is never enough. Those who control these resources are at an advantage in protecting their interests at other people´s expense. Theorists claim that the powerful pressure the rest of the population into conforming compliance. Social order is maintained by force or its implied threat not by popular agreement. In other words, might makes right