Strengths And Limitations Of Karl Marx's Conflict Theory

Karl Marx, considered to be a founding father of sociology, was a theorist who posits that social conflict between differing entities would ultimately generate social change of norms and ideals. According to Marx, the battle of values and interests between two groups manifests tension; with time this tension would result in the groups desire to share power, whether it is power of material things such as wealth or land, or wealth of knowledge like control or greater understanding for a society (Coser, 1957). Although Marx frequently talks about groups within a society, his theory could also be applied to individuals against other individuals, groups, or even larger entities like employment agencies. Denise like everyone else in society has experienced some form of societal conflict. However, a memorable moment for her is when she face conflict within her workplace. At 40 years old, Denise was one of the oldest nurses at her hospital. She quickly realized that at her current position advancement was going to be difficult. Those who were promoted around her had very similar traits to one another, and Denise quickly realized that her age …show more content…
Marx’s conflict theory has its own strengths and limitations when applying it to an individual’s life, like Denise’s. His strength lies in his theory’s ability to define and describe an individual’s process and reasoning for developing social change in their lives. His theory gives purpose to an individual’s decisions to alter their state of current being. Overall the theory identifies human behaviors effect on life course changes. Social change theory provides an understanding of how conflict drives individuals to alter their current situations in order to find or make better circumstances for their own happiness and satisfaction. Due to the conflict that Denise experiences this propels her to seek a new job with more opportunities and better advancement. The notions of Karl Marx best explain her