Cohesion
Sustaining the Institution
Societal institution is the name for a type of Arena based on the associating of inhabitants within a sovereign territory: PH'5Q4. Like any enduring group, institutions require and possess a shared reality. That reality is primarily comprised of interests, preferences and beliefs about meeting important human needs. Membership activities then flow from the customary and legal rights and duties of individuals and organisations.
As explained in the Architecture Room [LINK], any societal institution is constituted under a pressure for well-being. However, the operation of component bodies and individual members of the institution experiences a pressure for autonomy. Given that an institution likely contains thousands of autonomy-demanding and autonomy-expecting members, group cohesion becomes an issue.
The effective cohesion of any group, and therefore its sustenance, depends on its members contributing to certain social forces and generating needed personal states.
It appears that groups becomesmore difficult to sustain 
as we ascend the PH'5Q-Arenas (see thumbnail):
Family-households-Q1 seem to be the foundation of all societies and form readily. Formal organisations-Q2 as a means to get things done while respecting economic forces are now prevalent and readily created in modern societies but they can be shut down or collapse rather easily. Academic disciplines-Q3 are more complicated and require advanced education and research facilities invariably provided by governments. Societal institutions-Q4 are far more complex and depend on political maturation of the society.
The cohesion of groups within each Arena primarily depends on a particular social force and a particular personal state.
Societal institutions noticeably contain families-Q1, organisation-Q2s, and disciplines-Q3, which may be why their forces and states are also necessary. Forces and states intrinsic to higher level arenas—doctrines-Q5, spiritualities-Q6, art events-Q7—do not seem to contribute in a significant way, except perhaps in special situations.
Cohesion via Social Forces
Societal institutions fundamentally require consent from those involved for cohesion and effective functioning.
However, institutions also must demonstrate:
- credibility (which characterizes functioning in Disciplines-Q3)
- accountability (which characterizes functioning in Organizations-Q2)
- responsiveness (which characterizes functioning in Families-Q1).
The final three forces... as yet only provisionally assigned, do not appear to be critical for institutions. These are orthodoxy (Schools Q5), connection (Spiritualities Q6), and dedication (Artistic Events Q7).
There is an expectation that the appropriate parts of an institution will be responsive to individuals in need in a suitable way, and with a time-lag that makes sense. This is why extended waiting-times for an ambulance, for a bad-weather warning, for a court appearance are so commonly used to criticize services.
Responsiveness between parts of an institution are also expected.
Example: Handling Refugees
If a society experiences a flood of refugees, it is expected that the welfare system will respond to this and not continue as if nothing has changed. This response is not simply a governmental response which may be more or less constructive. It will involve adjustments in relevant charitable bodies, formation of new voluntary groups, activation of academics to study processes, and so on.
Accountability applies in the broad sense that an individual or organization is expected to perform in a certain way and to a certain standard. However, accountability as a cohesive force is primarily to the public as a whole.
If schools are not handling bullying, the public at large wants to know why, not just the parents of pupils. If the weather bureau does not warn of the likelihood of flooding, not only those affected but also the wider public starts asking questions.
The media plays a role in asking for explanations and in publishing the response. Governments should play a role in vocally supporting public expectations rather than defensively ignoring or suppressing reporting.
Institutions invariably have many failings: there are gaps in services, poor quality delivery, and sometimes incompetence or corruption. However, the institution will be sustained and supported if it maintains credibility through sufficient transparency, public processes to channel improvement, readiness to benchmark and innovate, and demonstrations of responsiveness and accountability.
Example: Toxicity of Power
The Australian parliament appeared to support a toxic in-house culture of alcohol-fuelled bullying and sexual harassment. Naturally the public wondered what was going on and in 2021 an independent review into the Australian Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces was set up. The dysfunction was confirmed in painful detail. The associated loss of credibility by politicians corrodes government (as an institution) and so weakens society generally. In this case, insensitive handling of the issues primarily weakened the party in power and probably contributed to its subsequent election debacle.
Consent is the characteristic cohesive force. Dissent is the associated challenge which must be limited or constructively handled for an institution to be viewed as satisfactory.
Consent will be examined in more detail in a later topic.
Cohesion via Personal States
Societal institutions fundamentally require the socialization of members because this ensures that they automatically understand, accept, support and use them.
However, institutions also require members to experience:
- enthusiasm (which characterizes participation in Disciplines-Q3)
- obligation (which characterizes participation in Organizations-Q2)
- attachment (which characterizes participation in Families-Q1)
The final three states... as yet only provisionally assigned, do not appear to be critical for institutions. These are belief (Schools Q5), attunement (Spiritualities Q6), and faith (Artistic Events Q7).
People become deeply attached to the systems and structures of their societal institutions once socialized into them. Despite all the deficiencies that may be present, only piecemeal change is possible. Attachment naturally supports vested interests and poses difficulty for major reforms, even if justified by successes in another country or even by common-sense.
While there is no contractual obligation as found in an organization, the sustenance and improvement of institutions are matters of civic duty. That means citizens share an obligation to constructively participate in institutions, especially where they are involved (i.e. have a vested interest). A free society does not remain free if too many free-ride to benefit from the efforts of others, reject the idea of community, wilfully attack or deny the public interest, refuse to follow events, or exploit the institution criminally.
A progressive liberal society appears to require enthusiasm for the various institutions, specifically to enable the tackling of problems through goodwill, tolerance and innovation. Enthusiasm appears to depend on economic progress, even if its development is mysterious, uneven and dependent on myriads of contributions. By contrast, passive acquiescence by the public and submission to existing inadequate systems and conventions are hallmarks of authoritarian regimes.
Variations in Social Mood
It seems likely, but currently unproven, that human beings are subject to biological rhythms that determine their energy and mood. The socionomic hypothesis holds that people herd and this results in swings in social mood from positive to negative and back. When positive, constructive energetic behaviour results and institutions thrive. When negative, forces of destruction are released and institutions are neglected or damaged.
If people are to use and try to improve societal institutions, it is essential that they become socialized into them. This simplifies acceptance of the status quo and enables tolerance of imperfections, complexity, and incompleteness. Socialization fosters attachment and orients youngsters to their societal obligations.
Socialization has a side-effect in that anyone who violates institutional norms will be actively frustrated, even if the choice is objectively correct or reasonable. For example, a judge whose sentencing flouts institutional norms may be retired, a doctor who provides unorthodox treatments may be disciplined, a journalist who provides information where discretion is expected may be dismissed.
A society may build on existing socialization to develop institutions in a new direction as happened in Japan after WW II. However, attempts at a wholesale transfer of an alien system of values and beliefs invariably fail, as happened in Russia after the breakup of the USSR.
Member Exclusion
Disruption occurs when institutions are actively destabilized, sabotaged or undermined by disturbed individuals or extremists, or malicious organisations, or by corrupt authoritarian leaders. Regulations are commonly put in place by authorities to safeguard individuals and the system: breaking those rules is disruptive and often leads to penalties.
Examples: Various
Education: A child who disrupts classes is eventually expelled from school. Health: A patient who disrupts hospital services will eventually be removed from the premises.
The Economy: A business that defrauds the public disrupts the trust required by commerce and will be pursued and shut down by authorities.
The bases for exclusion from lower level Arenas also apply to institutions as follows:
- deceit (which characterizes rejection by Disciplines-Q3)
- incompetence (which characterizes dismissal from Organizations-Q2)
- irresponsibility (which characterizes breakdown of Families-Q1)
Details
Irresponsibility shows up in a myriad of ways: violence in protests, minor infractions of laws, lack of consideration for others, failure to preserve documents, frivolous use of services, monopolistic malpractice. Some punitive measures may be appropriate.
Incompetence is always possible in institutional investigations or inquiries, within key organisations in the institution or in their interactions, or in formulation of regulations. There needs to be dismissals or re-training to avoid the system falling into disrepute.
Deceit is naturally serious. Deceptive journalism, fraudulent complaints, lying to official inquiries, improper claims of expertise and similar dishonesty can all lead to exclusion and prosecution.
There are two institutions that stand out as particularly significant in a progressive society:
Before examining these, it will help to consider how members can actually impact on their societal institutions.
Originally posted: 8-Nov-2022. Last updated: 30 Apr-2023.
