Theories of Conflict: Nature vs Nurture

Theories of Conflict

• Human behavior is either driven by nature or learned through social interaction.
• Different theories explain the causes of conflict in peace and conflict studies.
• Two main categories of theories:
  • Human Nature and Conflict: This theory looks at the underlying causes of conflict in human beings or their inherent nature.
  • Society and Conflict: This theory analyzes the factors leading to conflict in groups, considering factors such as:
    • Social interaction patterns: How people interact with each other in society.
    • Socio-structural conditions: How society is organized and the role of social divisions in causing conflict.

The 'Nature versus Nurture' Debate

• Theories are often categorized under nature or nurture.
• Nature theorists (Trait Theory):
  • Argue that human behavior is primarily influenced by genetics.
  • Believe violence is inevitable, widespread, and inherent to human beings.
• Nurture theorists (Social Structural Theories):
  • Assert conflict is external to the individual, relying on factors outside the human being.

Interactionist Theories

• Combine elements from trait and structural theories.
• View human behavior as a combination of genetics and social factors.
• Recognize human needs as driving forces, but acknowledge the social context for satisfying those needs.

Biological Theories

• Trace the sources of conflict and violence to human genes.
• Emphasize biological factors and inborn traits.
• Biologically determined factors are involved in interpersonal and intergroup violence.
• Biological theories focus on aggression as a genetically programmed aspect of the human nervous system.

Darwinism and Social Darwinism

• Charles Darwin's concept of "survival of the fittest" is a key component.
• Suggests a universal struggle for survival where more individuals are born than can survive.
• Fitness for survival involves concepts like competition, fighting, and aggression.
• Natural selection promotes competitive forces within human nature and produces an instinct for aggression.
• Social Darwinism applies this idea to conflict in human society, positing survival of the fittest in terms of inherent aggression.

Genetic Basis of Social Behavior

• Human nature is profoundly shaped by competitive conditions during species emergence.
• Aggression may be a natural response in a competitive environment.
• Violent behavior originates in our animal past and is genetically programmed.
• Violent impulses often result from fixed biological predispositions, such as survival, species preservation, and rivalry over resources.

Ethology and Sociobiology

• Ethology studies animal behavior in natural settings.
• Argues aggression is innate in both humans and other life forms.
• Ethologists note strong inherited patterns in species behaviour.
• All organisms, including humans, are products of evolution, where survival fitness is determined by mutations and natural selection.
• Emphasizes that within a species, behaviour can vary based on evolutionary factors.
• Sociobiologists also agree that aggression is genetic but emphasizes its variability among species and social organization patterns.

Psychological Roots of Human Aggression (Freud)

• Human behavior is governed by instincts like the life instinct and the death instinct.
• Violence is rooted in basic human nature.
• The death instinct drives aggressive and destructive tendencies.
• Complex behavior involves blended tendencies and variations on basic instincts.

Criticisms on Trait Theories

• War and aggression are learned traits reflected in cultural heritage.
• Social experience largely affects individual behavior.
• Cooperation is equally common as competition in many societies.
• If aggression is innate in humans, then societal control mechanisms are needed.

The Seville Statement on Violence

• A statement developed by international specialists in response to concerns about violent behavior.
• Concludes that violence is not an innate human trait or instinct, but rather can be a result of learned behavior.
• Scientifically incorrect to say that we inherited tendencies for warfare from our ancestors or that violent behavior is genetically programmed.
• Scientifically incorrect to assume that aggressive behavior has been selected for more than other behaviors throughout human evolution.

Explore the theories of conflict through the lens of human nature and social interactions. This quiz delves into the nature versus nurture debate, examining how inherent traits and societal structures contribute to conflict. Test your understanding of these foundational concepts in peace studies.