Conflict Theory And Social Learning Theory

This paper will further discuss two prevailing theories that can be found in every family through television, movies, and actual families all across the nation. To understand the behaviors of a family you have to look at each individual and understand the contributing factors to their actions and social skills. “In the social learning system, new patterns of behavior can be acquired through direct experience or by observing the behavior of others.” This is explained through the social learning theory. The social learning theory explains socialization through the individual learning process and its effect on the development of the self as well as the influence of society in socializing individuals. There are primary factors that contribute to
This theory observes how social structure promotes divisions and inequalities within and between groups. Different social institutions can contribute to this conflict such as political, religious, educational, economical or family systems. There are two questions that conflict theory surrounds, the reactions to these questions are what influences the person moving forward. They are who benefits from this family arrangement and who is disadvantaged by this family arrangement? Conflicts can arise both within the family as well as outside of the family. On a large scale, families can have conflict as a class system. For example, how does employment affect a family life? How does racial discrimination affect the family life? These are important conflicts that can arise specially through larger systems of political and economical inequalities. Conflicts within the family exist too. Families have inequalities through gender and ages. Differences in those can cause benefits for one family member over the other. Other inequalities could form between parents and children, men and women, boys and girls (Thornes & Yalom, 1982 back of the book). Conflicts can arise over many issues within and every family has them. In the reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians issues come up every day between family members. There are fights over cleaning the house, fashion, work, meals, spending time with one another, ect. The Kardashian family has five girls so naturally there is competition amongst them, especially because they are constantly being compared in the media. Three of the sisters are much older than the two younger sisters (and also have a different father) so the older sisters have more benefits than the younger sisters. This theory is a natural part of a family life and not perceived as bad, but rather normal.