Maynard1985c
| Maynard1985c | |
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| BibType | ARTICLE |
| Key | Maynard1985c |
| Author(s) | Douglas W. Maynard |
| Title | On the functions of social conflict among children |
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| Tag(s) | EMCA, Children, Conflict |
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| Year | 1985 |
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| Journal | American Sociological Review |
| Volume | 50 |
| Number | 2 |
| Pages | 207–223 |
| URL | Link |
| DOI | 10.2307/2095410 |
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Abstract
This paper is an analysis of conflict episodes that were videotaped during reading groups of first-grade children. Prior research on children's disputes and arguments has mapped their structure, but neglected how they function. The concept of function here refers to features of interaction that occur as participants use conversational devices in precise ways. The manifest function of social conflict among children is to build their small-group society and its structure. That is, when disputing and arguing, children produce social organization, create political alignments, and thereby realize their practical interests within a changing set of social relationships. Studying the manifest functions of conflict can be a prelude to tracing latent functions. Disputes and arguments among peers represent a way that children acquire a sense of social structure. Conflict may also aid in the reproduction of authority, friendship, and other social patterns that transcend single episodes of interaction.
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