Conflict Or Order Essay, Research Paper

Crystal Weigel

November 7, 2000

?Conflict or Order: Satisfaction With Everyday Life in the US?

Introduction

The motivation of this attitude survey is to test structural-functional model and the social conflict model for how society works in the United States. The social-functional paradigm is ?a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability?. Basically this is an idea that our lives are guided by stable patterns of social patterns which are determined by the consequences for the operation of society. The social-conflict paradigm is a ?framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change?. This paradigm highlights division based on inequalities instead of solidarity. By looking at Americans satisfaction with the United States society and life reflect support for the social-functional model, indicating high levels of satisfaction, or support for the social-conflict model, indicating high levels of dissatisfaction with US society.

Methods

The questionnaire for this survey is attached under the label APPENDIX I. The questionnaire included questions pertaining to the subject?s satisfaction with their current work, family and with the educational and medical care systems of the United States. The research is divided into two sections. The first is a sample of six people and the second is a collaboration of a class of eighty-four student?s results.

Results

Results for the classes results are shown in Table 1. Regarding satisfaction with salary, 38% of the subjects were satisfied. In regards to the second issue, again, 38% of those questioned were in act satisfied. Concerning satisfaction with the third issue, class results show that f46 % of the subjects were satisfied. Regarding issue number four, satisfaction was found with 48% of those asked. Issue number five shows that 75% of the subjects were satisfied. Dealing with the sixth issue, 76% were satisfied. The seventh issue resulted in a 32% satisfactory rate. When asked if the subjects were satisfied with the educational system in America, 38% replied they were satisfied.

*The results of the six people interviewed are included in Table 1 for purposes of reliability analysis. They vary greatly from the class data and show a much lower satisfaction level than the class data.

TABLE 1

Life Areas

Class Sample Personal sample

Salary Satisfaction 38% 0%

Work Satisfaction 38% 0%

Work Satisfaction 46% 17%

Work Satisfaction 48% 67%

Family-intangible Satisfaction 75% 67%

Family-intangible Satisfaction 76% 67%

Objective-social relations Satisfaction 32% 0%

Educational Satisfaction 38% 0%

Over-all Total Satisfaction 49% 19%

Number of Subjects 6 84