easuring ntrafamily Conflict and Violence

Confl ic t theorists present a convincing case showing that conflict is an inevitable part of all human association (Adams, 1965; Coser, 1956; Dahrendorf, 1959; Scanzoni, 1972; Simmel, 1955; Sprey, 1969). They further hold that without the changes brought about by conflict, a social unit-be it a nation, an academic department, or a family-runs a high risk of collapse. If conflict is suppressed, it can result in stagnation and failure to adapt to changed circumstances andlor erode the bond of group solidarity because of an accumulation of hostility. Despite the above, most people fear conflict and try to avoid it. Professionals concerned with the family also tend to take an almost opposite view to that of conflict theorists. They treat conflict as something to be avoided. Sociologists and psychologists do research to find out why conflict occurs, implicitly to be able to provide information which will enable people to avoid conflict. Marriage counselors, with a few exceptions such as Bach and Wyden (1968) and Shostroin and Kavanaugh (1971), focus much of their efforts on helping families avoid conflict. There are a number of factors involved in creating this hiatus between the truths revealed to us by sociological conflict theorists and those revealed by our daily experience and emotional reactions to conflict. However, since this paper is concerned with methods of measuring conflict rather than with the important theoretical questions raised by this hiatus, the available space permits only a discussion of one of the factors. This is the conceptual confusion which characterizes analyses of conflict.