Pub. date: 2011 | Online Pub. Date: October 04, 2011 | DOI:
10.4135/9781412994163 | Print ISBN: 9781412959636 | Online ISBN:
9781412994163| Publisher:SAGE Publications, Inc.About this
encyclopedia Werner J. Patzelt The term opposition comes from
the Latin word opponere , meaning to put something in front of
something else. An actor's opponents are those who want to block
his way. Such a conflicting situation may be a game with
established rules in which the opponent accepts defeat. Some
opponents may, however, try to end the game and set up new rules
that work for their (exclusive) advantage. When the rules of
game allow everyone to enter and to compete under fair
conditions, players with limited skill may lose repeatedly or be
excluded for not abiding by the rules. In other cases, games may
exclude players arbitrarily, or the rules may be unfair. Against
this background, we can distinguish four types of fighting
against a competitor: 1. Opposition refers to those trying to
defeat a so far victorious competit