Normative and Deviant Violence from a Conflict Perspective

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Abstract
My aim in this paper is to propose ways of overcoming obstacles to the development of a theory of violence that can bridge previously fragmented domains of inquiry. The solutions proposed are to (1) neutralize the definition of violence by (2) locating the phenomenon of violence within the conceptual framework of conflict such that (3) the same set of basic assumptions may be employed to analyze instances of violence exhibited by the powerful or the powerless—instances which vary in their degree of social acceptability. The assumptions presented move progressively from purported relations between 1) unequal distribution of resources, 2) asymmetric social relations, and 3) conflict—to the conditions that affect a transition from a) latent to manifest conflict, b) nonviolent to violent manifest conflict, and c) from normative to deviant violence. Conditions that limit the applicability of these assumptions are discussed, followed by illustrative applications of the approach to two forms of interpersonal violence—parental violence and differential rates of male and female violence.

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