How do Perceptions of Power Contribute to Conflict?
The conflict or dispute between the black community and police officers is a matter of concern that has acquired national attention due to the increasing number of these disputes in recent years. In the United States, 13% of black people contribute to the population, and police assassinated one-quarter of these people in 2018. Black people are the most common victims of police. It is reported that black people are killed by police three times more than white people (Campbell & Valera, 2020). Studies have shown that police killing is a significant cause of death for black people (Samuels-Wortley, 2021). The leading cause of this violence is the perception of power. White police officers are in greater numbers in the United States, and they are so arrogant by possessing the ability to hold people. Most of the time, they negatively use authority by considering black people inferior, and this perception of power forced them to behave rudely.
They think that white people are superior due to acquiring wealth and power. Whenever there is a conflict, both parties are considered to contribute to it. Police officers are unfair to black people, but some African Americans are also involved in causing the dispute. Whatever the cause of violence, the perception of power leads to violent encounters (Calvert et al., 2020). Most police officers negatively use power, but many African Americans also indulge in conflict due to their perception of power. Some black people think that everyone with power or authority behaves similarly, so they consider every police officer harsh and unfair. Likewise, some African Americans think power does not mean controlling others. Due to this perception, they break the laws and breach the policies. Additionally, some young black men indulge in different crimes because they think no one can interfere in their lives. All these perceptions of black people resulted in violent encounters and serious conflicts in the United States.
Relational Theory of Power
The relational theory of power describes that possession of power results from an individual’s effort and experience in a relationship with time. It is not provided at the start of a relationship. Furthermore, power is not an individual’s characteristic but the belonging of social relationships. The theory describes that the degree of power is not set and changes with time depending upon the person’s need for resources another person offers. The relational theory of power directly impacts the perception of power between law enforcement and community members. It explains the particular characteristics of a relationship, such as financial resources, networking skills, and courtesy in one group providing power to the other group involved in a conflict. In short, power is the artifact of a communication bond. According to the relational theory of power, power is not a personal characteristic, so there must be flexibility in the behavior of every person having power. The change of perception only would create a big difference. If someone with power thinks that the power is given to manage things and maintain discipline and not to control people, then it positively impacts society (Cambridge University Press, 2018). The police officers must take the perception according to the relational theory of power. It would make them responsible and prevents them from a violent encounter.
Conflict Resolution Strategies
In order to reduce the number of conflicts in the United States, there must be some conflict resolution strategies to establish a peaceful society where every person gets equal human rights. As black people do not want to interact with police and become arrogant when communicating, they must learn how to communicate with police officers. African Americans fear the police, so they must know about using adaptive leadership to change fear with power for reducing the chances of violent encounters (Jefferson-McDonald, 2022). African Americans must gain knowledge of self-regulating their behavior by obeying all orders given by the police officers so, they must follow all the laws and not talk back to the police.
NUR FPX 3700 Assessment 3 Conflict and Power
They must not be aggressive while communicating with police in any way that the police officers could get the wrong idea and use their weapons against them. It would result in less chance of disputes between both communities. Social media and newspapers must show a positive image of black people and not promote discrimination. It would likely encourage the police to behave nicely with black people. In case of conflict, social media must show the opinions from both sides of the conflict that would help to resolve the issue. The police officers have to change their conce
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