Basic patterns of social interaction

Abstract

Natural selection imposes behavioral patterns on us in order to ensure that certain crucial adaptive tasks will be carried out effectively. Intrinsic mechanisms arouse emotions urging the individual to accomplish these tasks. This inborn biogrammar is at the subjective roots of the organism’s behavior and neuroendocrine state (Tiger and Fox, 1972). Three such major patterns can be discerned in all mammals. The first is the recognition of leadership. It is not only in the human social system that distinctions between individuals and between their control of access to desiderata, such as food, water, and shelter, are found. Even in the simple rodent society, an order of precedence usually permits discrimination of dominants from subordinates. When such precedence is accepted by various members of a mammalian group, a stable social order ensues. When each knows his place, role competition wasteful to the species is avoided.