SOCIAL TENSION AND ITS CAUSES :

Society Cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.

--Edmund Burk

Social tensions usually result from the conscious pursuit of exclusive values by individuals and/or social groups. The individual members and groups always widen or narrow their claims on society for life, liberty of movement,
property and other desirable things by competing against one another. Competitors become self-conscious rivals, opponents or even enemies. The relative position of an individual in relation to the current value in a society is controlled by influences of which he is mostly unaware. On the other hand, everyone believes in some measures that his personality and life can and should be protected from the encroachment by others and that it can be enhanced at the expense of others.

Our society is feudalistic and capitalistic. It is greatly stratified into classes, castes and religious, provincial, rural and encloses groups. In such a vastly stratified society, social tension is quite common.

Causes of Societal Tension

A single factor cannot create social tensions. Many factors together could

 bring the society under stress and strain. Today whole world wants to make economic progress through industrialization with the judicious use of modern technology and science. This has created deep cooled social tensions all over the world.

The main causes of social tensions are given hereunder.

Urbanization

Urbanization is a population shift from rural to urban areas, "the gradual increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas", and the ways in which each society adapts to the change. It is predominantly the process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more people begin living and working in central areas. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. It is predicted that by 2050 about 64% of the developing world and 86% of the developed world will be urbanized. That is equivalent to approximately 3 billion urbanites by 2050, much of which will occur in Africa and Asia. Notably, the United Nations has also recently projected that nearly all global population growth from 2016 to 2030 will be absorbed by cities, about 1.1 billion new urbanites over the next 14 years.

Unemployment

Unemployment occurs when people who are without work are actively seeking work. The unemployment rate is a measure of the prevalence of unemployment and it is calculated as a percentage by dividing the number of unemployed individuals by all individuals currently in the labour force. During periods of recession, an economy usually experiences a relatively high unemployment rate.

According to International Labour Organization report, more than 200 million people globally or 6% of the world's workforce were without a job in 2012. There remains considerable theoretical debate regarding the causes, consequences and solutions for unemployment. Classical economics, New classical economics, and the Austrian School of economics argue that market mechanisms are reliable means of resolving unemployment. These theories argue against interventions imposed on the labour market from the outside, such as unionisation, bureaucratic work rules, minimum wage laws, taxes, and other regulations that they claim discourage the hiring of workers.

Social stratification

Every society is divided into various groups and these groups enjoy different social statuses and privileges.

This division of society is called social stratification. The term social stratification refers to the division of a population into strata, one on the top of another, on the basis of possession of certain characteristics, like inborn qualities, material possessions and performances. It involves the distribution of unequal rights and privileges among the members of society. According to Melvin M. Tumin, social stratification refers to “arrangement of any social group or society into hierarchy of positions that unequal with regard to power, property, social evaluation, and / or psychic gratification.

Social stratification is universal. All societies exhibit some system of hierarchy whereby its members are placed in positions that are higher or lower, superior or inferior, in relation to each other. The quote Sorokin, “Unstratified society, with a real equality of its members, is a myth which has never been realized in the history of mankind”. Hence, the stratification system is a worldwide phenomenon.

Social Stratification in our society, commenced with the Chatur-varna system. Its origin remains unknown. It, however, gained prominence towards the end of the Rigvedic age. A person could be a Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaish, or Sudra. To be of one or the other order depended on one’s choosing the varna. Apparently, Varna divided the society; but it did not block the chances of social mobility. The caste in contrast is acquired on the basis of birth. The advanced industrial societies of the west are characterized by the “open class” system.

The social structure of India, on the other hand, is dominated by the “closed class”, that is, the caste system. Any careful observer will find two types of class hierarchy in the Indian social scene; the ‘traditional caste hierarchy’ which is articulated in religious terms and the ‘modern hierarchy’ ‘which is emergent

Political Corruption

It’s natural to think of elections when we think of political corruption. People or organizations with their own agendas can skew voting. They may secretly give parties big donations. Or parties and candidates can buy votes instead of winning them.

But political corruption isn’t just about election rigging. It can lead politicians in office to steer away from good government. Their decisions can benefit those who fund them. The public interest comes second. Political corruption can divert scarce resources from poor and disadvantaged people. This is especially common in countries where democratic institutions are weak or absent. Private rather than public interests dictate policy.

Crime

In ordinary language, the term crime denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state. The term "crime" does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. The most popular view is that crime is a category created by law; in other words, something is a crime if declared as such by the relevant and applicable law. One proposed definition is that a crime or offence (or criminal offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual or individuals but also to a community, society or the state ("a public wrong"). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.

The notion that acts such as murder, rape and theft are to be prohibited exists worldwide. What precisely is a criminal offence is defined by criminal law of each country. While many have a catalogue of crimes called the criminal code, in some common law countries no such comprehensive statute exists.

The state (government) has the power to severely restrict one's liberty for committing a crime. In modern societies, there are procedures to which investigations and trials must adhere. If found guilty, an offender may be sentenced to a form of reparation such as a community sentence, or, depending on the nature of their offence, to undergo imprisonment, life imprisonment or, in some jurisdictions, execution.

Pollution

Factories and industries are being set up fast resulting in smoke and dust all over. This creates water, air and soil pollution so much that it threatens the existence of human life on earth.

 There can be no specific reason, which create social problem. However, industrialization; immobility; weak social institutions and controls cause great social tensions all over the society.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN THE SOCIETY

Bureaucracy and the technocracy all due to politocracy follow the general Indian situation with all its social disharmony, hostility, confrontation and great tension. But ultimately there must be some resolution of conflicting ideas for arriving at the truth.

Co-operation between the different sections of the society are the most elementary process of social life without which the existence of society is impossible. Individuals and groups work together to achieve their common objectives. Conflict on the other hand, is the reverse of co- operation. It is the process where individuals and groups try to prevent the achievements of certain objectives by others. This happens when interests are exclusive. Whenever physical force is involved in the process, it is violence.

Parker, the sociologist, was of the view that conflict is not necessary destructive, according to her, the most resolving conflict is integration in which the concerned parties thrash out the ways of achieving the goals of conflicting desires, elimination or compromise does not resolve conflicts. Authority is the root of evils. Most of the decisions are collective. Many sociologists believe that conflict is very essential for social progress and economic development as less. Capable persons are eliminated in the process. Competitions, oppositions are all very essential and beneficial for the society. Conflicts, competitions and oppositions are all very common in very organization all over the world. In some society, they become very predominant while in some others, conflict is very amiably settled.

Conflict Management and societal Responsibility

Conflict arises when men strive to attain mutually exclusive interests. Resources are limited. Supposing more food grains are needed, naturally new lands should be brought in under cultivation. Instead, if some fertile land grabbed from the weaker section, conflict is bound to occur. If man can understand their social responsibilities, if the can realize their ambitions within the framework of human co-operation, conflict becomes beneficial to the society. The members can have conflicts with natural obstacles that obstruct them from the attainment of their goals.

Of course, conflict in the mild from is never absent in any society. But if conflict creates violence and destruction, then it should be removed from the society. What is a really needed is the will to suppress it?

Conflict, when it exists may resolve it in many ways. Sometimes it ends with the defeat of one party. If the conflicting parties discover that they have harmonious interests, conflict is transformed to co-operation. As for example, to competing firms may pool their resources together to do business to avoid much waste if both the firm’s cooperative ideals.

Members should establish certain values in the society. Many conflicts arise due to differences in the values systems of individuals and groups in the society. Congruence between the ideals of the state and those of the individuals and groups is very essential.

Dignity of labour is another important societal, responsibility. If each member of the society realizes that efforts are given for the progress of the society, the country can take a big leap. A famous American president said, “Don’t ask what your country given you; ask what you give to your country.’’    

Members should lead a simple living with high thinking. Great Man like Einstein led a very simple life as a commoner but achieved great things in their life span. This should be the motto   of every member in the society.

There should be sincere and proper administration in the rural sectors where rural people should be made to understand their duties. For this a strong structure of general education is needed to reach grass root-end level. There is nothing    in the world to substitute education. Education give culture, high thinking and great principles to the people. It makes people healthy physically and mentally. Prof Raja Ramanna says that in India we respect authority more than knowledge. This is the reason for all our troubles. There is a need for making educational institutions more autonomous with clear-cut laid down allocation of funds and continuous monitoring  and appraisal of entire specialists who work in the country through multi -channel control and integrated computerized data processing system.                                                                  

SOCIOLOGY: IS IT SCIENCE OR ART:

There is a great controversy about the nature of sociology as a science. Some critics deny sociology to be claimed as science while other argues that it is a science. Before explaining whether “sociology” is a science or not it would be proper to know the meaning of science. Science is a systematized body of knowledge concerning cause and effect of a particular phenomenon. Science refers to logical and systematic methods of which knowledge of the universe is obtained and to the actual body of knowledge produced by these methods.

The sciences are conventionally divided into two parts – Natural sciences and Social sciences. Natural science deals with the physical and biological phenomenon and the social science studies various aspects of human behaviour. There is important difference between two.
Sociology is social science. Now the question arises what constitute natural science and if at all sociology should be called natural science then what those grounds are?

To support sociology is a science we give following points:

1) A sociologist is bound to be methodological and systematic in his approach. His question need to be clear, precise. The questions are to be specific and not ambiguous.

2) Data which sociologist collect are best suited for future predictions.

3) Data collected by sociologist are based on observations and they are classified in letter stages of research.

4) Carefully concluded results of a sociologist have universal application. These results can be tested under all circumstances and at all times.

5) Relationship between cause and effect is fully and well recognized in the study of sociology. The only difference is that sociological concepts cannot be tested in the lab as done in case of physical sciences because they deal with human behaviour which changes from time to time.

RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIOLOGY WITH OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES:

Sociology and Economics

Economics study the vital process of a country. It deals with both micro and macro aspects. The vital process is production, distribution and exchange of goods and services. It also examines how prices are determined or what affects prices will have on the consumption and production pattern of economy. The basic similarity between the two is that both deal with problems of human beings which have common nature.

Sociology and Political science

The study of political science covers two broad areas. These are political philosophy and actual forms of government

with special emphasis on how they are two related. In recent years, this discipline of knowledge has been strongly influenced by political sociology. Political sociology involves the social interaction in the process of government. Political scientist is now asking more and more sociological questions and masses. These questions are why people vote the way they do, why some people are more likely to take part in politics than others, or what happens ‘’behind the scenes ‘’, in the informal manipulation of power. Sociological research is also being apply used for shaping the government.   A politician cannot win the public opinion till he does not understand people’s sociological problems.

Sociology & Psychology

Psychology studies mental and human process such as emotion, Memory, Wideness and intelligence. It finds its roots in natural sciences such as biology. Sociology is interrelated to psychology. Psychology shares with major field of interest with sociology – social psychology, the study which explains how personality and behaviour are influenced by social context. According to Robert Morrison MacIver

 " Sociology is a special aid of psychology because between the two what we find common is that both the sciences deal with study of human beings. Not only that, without understanding a person’s mind psychologically, it is difficult to understand his social behaviour "

Sociology & Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of mankind. It studies man with regard to his origin, nature, races, customs and other developments. We can state that it is the sister discipline of sociology. A sociologist always wants ethnographic evidences (cultural evidences) when he compares the cultural aspects of one society with the other. sociologist and cultural anthropologist draw many things from each other’s work.

Sociology & Geography

Geography studies weather and environmental conditions of the world in general and countries in particular. The differences between sociology and geography exits as (a) geographical, climate and environmental conditions do change whereas sociologist improves upon social and environmental conditions in which human beings live. (b) changes in society are not affected by its geographical boundaries. Regarding similarities both sociology and geography affect the social life of man living in a society, besides this, sociologist has to take into account geographical conditions as these effect men’s ways of life.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION

Development is a complex process with many of its components intricately connected. For example, Economic development can either promote or distort the pace and direction of social development. But both the economic and the social developments are vital for a total development.

In both the developed and the developing Countries, efforts to achieve quick results in economic development have damaged the natural resources. Intensive cultivation, deforestation, Wet-land exploration, coastal zones and over fishing all due to population growth, had affected the ability of renewable resources to renew themselves. The future generation needs these resources for their living. Talking more now from the nature leaves less for the future. This leads disastrous situation. The present generations cannot take away completely all the natural resources without leaving for the future generations.
The developmental activities, therefore, should be altered, while nature provides what is needed for the present generation, it should retain the productive capacity for the future.

This type of development is termed as ‘SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ‘.   It is a development, which involves both the economics and the social criteria without destroying 

the natural system, that is environmental protection forms a component of development.

It is quite clear that long-term economic development is inter-linked with environmental protection. It is the common observation also that continued economic development requires adequate safe water supplies, efficient energy use, continued productivity of forests and farm lands and preservation of natural areas.  Practising sustainable development paradigm assures

a lovable future. This concept of development poses a challenge because people must learn to live on the ' world ecological interest ' and not on the ' ecological capital ‘. To accomplish sustainable development, a number of areas, as detailed below, have to be organized.

1. Improving energy efficiencies
2. Saving Forest 

3. Safeguarding biodiversity

4. Adopting water resource management 

5. Managing coastal zones and ocean fisheries 

6. Arresting pollution

7. Planning cities better

8. Accomplishing the second green revolution

9. Stabilizing world population & Stopping environmentally destructive subsidies.

DEFINITION AND CONCEPT 

Commission On Environment and development brought the term sustainable development into common use in its seminal report called '' Our Common Future ''.

Despite a wide acceptance of the concept of sustainable development, no single definition

  is yet available which everybody accepts. Most of the definition are built upon view expressed by the ' Brandtian Commission ‘, which defines sustainable development is a type of development that meets the needs of present generation without compromising the ability of  

  future generation to meet their own needs.

   There are three basic components of sustainable development & those are

   I)  economic system,

   ii) social system, and

  iii) environmental system.

Usually there are two principles of sustainable development, namely, 1) life style improvement, and 2) environment protection.

Life Style Improvement

Both the economic and social systems are responsible for the improvement of life style. The economic component of sustainability requires that society pursue the growth path that generates optimal flow income while maintaining the basic stock of man – made capital, human capital and natural capital. There are three are three basic goals of an economic system, namely, I) increasing production of goods, ii) satisfying basic need and iii) improving equity.

The economic development of a particular area should not be considered as a total development of the area. Economic development is an only a part of the total development and it should not be the ultimate aim. The main aim or objective should be such that the improvement in the life style of human beings gives the dignity and fulfillment to the life. To get this development, along with economic progress, the social development is also required.

The social dimension of sustainable development is built on the twin principles of ‘’ justice and equity ‘’.

The justice principle is indicating that all citizens should have access to minimum standard of security, human right and social benefits, such as, food, health, education, shelter and opportunity of self – development.

Environment Protection

The development should be always based on the conservation of the ecological and the environment systems.  All kind of living organisms including human beings depend directly or indirectly upon the environment for their existence. So it is quite necessary to conserve the quality of environment. No development becomes sustainable without the proper conservation of both natural resource and bio-diversity.

RULES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 The basic implication of the concept of sustainable development that one may comprehend from definition involving inter generation a stock of ‘quality of life ‘assets no less than those we have inherited. This can be interpreted to mean the followings.

1. The next generation should inherit a stock of wealth, comprising man-made assets and environmental assets.
2. The next generation should have a stock of environmental assets no less than that inherited by the previous generation.

3. The components of the inherited stock should be man-made assets, natural assets and human assets.

The first interpretation stresses all capital assets, man-made and natural. The second emphasizes on natural capital only and third includes human capital besides natural and man-made capital. Based on the classification of capital sustainability of development process me be verified. The dilemma or conflict here is weather sustainability rule should be defined in terms of natural capital alone or in terms of aggregate capital stock, where aggregate capital stock includes the followings.

I) Man made capital

ii)  Human capital

iii) natural capital

                     An essential condition for sustainable development is that a nation’s stock of capital should not declaim through time. There are two variants to this rule. For a week sustainability, the rules are non-declining through time.

                                             environmental economist Kerry Turner has argued that literally, there can be no such thing as overall 'sustainable development' in an industrialized world economy that remains heavily dependent on the extraction of Earth's finite stock of exhaustible mineral resources:

“

It makes no sense to talk about the sustainable use of a non-renewable resource (even with substantial recycling effort and use rates). Any positive rate of exploitation will eventually lead to exhaustion of the finite stock

”