Conflict Containment And Resolution Essay, Research Paper
Boundaries of acceptable social behaviour that are
institutionalised are called laws; those that are informal are
called norms. Norms and laws protect the social order, without
which societies could not exist. Still, they are often ignored or
violated, and the result may be conflict- the disruption of
social order. Sanctions are reactions by society? to approved or disapproved
behaviour. Reactions to approved behaviour are called positive
sanctions; reactions to disapproved behaviour are called negative
sanctions. Laws are always backed up by sanctions. Diffused sanction- a spontaneous expression of either approval
or disapproval
Ostracism- a diffused sanction in which the offender is
shunned.
Organised sanction- a formalised and institutionalised expression
of approval or disapproval
? Courts and Judges
In many societies, the identification of wrongdoers, the decision
to punish them or not, and the method of punishment to be used
are duties of the court. A court"s members are not directly involved in the
dispute. The head of a court is usually a judge, who acts on
behalf o the community of a higher politically authority. In
societies with centralised political systems, the judge is
typically backed up by the weight of the entire political system,
because his office is a political position. In Central Africa, a judge of the Lozi chiefdom relies in his
decision making on a concept familiar to Westerners: that of the
reasonable man.? The Lozi judge asks himself whether an accused
person behaved reasonably and in conformity with custom. If the
offence involves an action that the defendant committed in his
capacity as a father, for instance, the judge compares the
defendant"s behaviour against Lozi norms for paternal
behaviour. Standards of accepted behaviour are familiar to each
Lozi individual and deviants know that if they are brought to
court they will be judged according to their degree of conformity
to these standards. Fear of the court serves as a sanction
against deviant behaviour- even behaviour that does not actually
break the law.