Social processes refer to the repetitive forms of behavior that occur recurrently in social interaction. While associative processes like cooperation, accommodation, and assimilation foster social integration, dissociative or non-cooperative social processes—primarily competition and conflict—lead to division, opposition, and struggle.
- Etymological Roots: The term competition is derived from the Latin 'competere', meaning 'to strive together' or 'to strive for the same object'. Conflict comes from the Latin 'conflictus', meaning 'a striking together' or 'a clash'.
- MacIver and Page's Typology: In their monumental work 'Society: An Introductory Analysis' (1949), Robert M. MacIver and Charles H. Page systematically classified social processes into cooperation and conflict, emphasizing that conflict is a universal, conscious opposition between individuals or groups for scarce values, statuses, or resources.
- Georg Simmel’s Formal Sociology: Simmel viewed conflict not merely as a destructive force, but as a form of socialization (Vergesellschaftung). In his seminal work 'Soziologie' (1908), Simmel argued that conflict helps establish group boundaries, resolve inner tensions, and forge alliances.
- Karl Marx and Class Conflict: For Marx, historical change is driven by non-cooperative processes par excellence—class struggle. As famously stated in 'The Communist Manifesto' (1848) with Friedrich Engels, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."
- Lewis A. Coser’s Functional Theory of Conflict: In 'The Functions of Social Conflict' (1956), Coser utilized Simmel's ideas to demonstrate that conflict can strengthen group cohesion, establish safety-valve mechanisms, and prevent the rigid ossification of social structures.