Order and Conflict Theories of Social Problems as Competing Ideologies

Abstract

Theories of social problems and deviant behavior are normative; they interpret facts within the context of ideological assumptions about the nature of man and society. Normative theories can be classified as variants of two ideal types- order and conflict theories. As an exercise in the use of these models, American sociological approaches to the Negro question are examined with the following conclusions: (1) they are similar to politically liberal interpretations; (2) both sociological and liberal approaches to the race question represent conservative variants of order theory.