Disaster aid distribution and social conflicts

Abstract

Mainstream psychological coping theories that are predominantly individualistic and apolitical tend to neglect diverging interests and social conflicts. Sociological approaches to social conflicts and their resolution and social capital approaches are able to capture these universal features of post-disaster contexts. However, socioculturally distinctive features, specific imbalances of power, and diverging personal and shared ways of dealing with disasters and related aid probably contribute to a locally specific way of coping with disaster aid goods and associated social conflicts. For instance, does the social standard for maintaining harmony (rukun) counter the development of social bitterness? In what way may it hinder resolutions of social conflicts? This chapter explores contributing elements of conflict dynamics and subsequently demonstrates the variety of ways of coping with conflicts. Identified coping styles ranged on a continuum with confrontational, clarifying, and direct (assimilative) strategies on one pole, subversive strategies in the middle, and indirect, accommodative, accepting strategies on the other pole. Several situational elements, such as sense of entitlement, social standing within the community as well as timing issues, that is, the probability of whether justice may still be achieved or not in the short or long term, seemed to moderate which strategy is enacted.