No upvotes or downvotes from me. I think things are probably too nuanced to really be able to explain with any one underlying theory.

The idea that conflict arises from people attempting to be more like that which they find desirable may describe the pathological motivations of some, but it seems like a leap to say it is an underpinning of all society.

Different people have different motivations related to identity, material conditions, familial relations, etc.

The way societies organize themselves culminates in social structures based on the motivations of its members, but those motivations are too diverse to simplify into a single overarching framework.