Arenas for Governing : PH'6Q

Orientation

The RL6/PH6-Purpose Domain is dominated by the pressure for Autonomyand meets the Primal Need for governing.

As explained, Governing Arenas (PH'6Q) are mobilized by hope and they lead to the expectation of benefits. It follows that these Arenas have profound political significance.

We all seek benefits from society, so all Arenas may be subject to intense concern by everyone from time to time, which is in contrast with other Domains.
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The PH'2Q-Knowing Arenas can be and often are mostly ignored or avoided. PH'4Q-individualizing Arenas are similar. When results are important in organizations, attention may need to be paid to all or most PH'1Q-Achieving Arenas. A person may be involved in a few of the PH'5Q-Associating Arenas, but rarely all.

The Arenas

Q1-Arena generates a hoped-for political benefit that is based in solving problems (L'1-Rationalist) subject to preservation of the society's traditions (L'2-Conventionalist).

That means it is about meeting desired social goals in a ways that are enabled and shaped by custom. Everything depends here on the quality and timeliness of results, so the primary psychosocial pressure appears to be for performance.

Proposed THEE Name:  Progress

Q2-Arena generates a hoped-for political benefit that is based in preservation of society (L'2-Conventionalist) subject to responding to the interests of the most powerful groups (L'3-Pluralist).

That means it is about respecting social values and shaping the status quo by developments that are compromises broadly favoring the existing power structure. The risks here are that society will be taken in unexpected directions or its structure disrupted, so the primary psychosocial pressure appears to be for certainty that this will not happen.

Proposed THEE Name:  Leadership

Q3-Arena generates a hoped-for political benefit that is based in respecting the interests of powerful groups (L'3-Pluralist) subject to the call for self-reliance and resilience of each member of society (L'4-Individualist).

That means it is about the necessity for a diversity of groups as the foundation for personal thriving in society, and for individual self-interest to be used to empower a preferred group. The power structure is a given, but individuals have some choice of groups to join and how to operate within their social position. The primary psychosocial pressure appears to be for acceptability in relation to the structure and the availability of personal choice.

Proposed THEE Name:  Harmony

Q4-Arena generates a hoped-for political benefit that is based in self-reliance and the pursuit of self-interest (L'4-Individualist) subject to the necessity of social interaction and the needs flowing from living within a community (L'5-Communalist).

That means it is about personally benefiting from interacting with others. As self-interest is a necessity for surviving and community participation is vital to thriving, the primary psychosocial pressure appears to be for well-being.

Proposed THEE Name:  Prosperity

Q5-Arena generates a hoped-for political benefit that is based in the necessity of social interaction and community living (L'5-Communalist) subject to the necessity of rules accepted by all to provide protection and predictability (L'6-Legitimist).

That means the setting of widely followed rules that ensure the goods emerging from social life are not stolen, exploited or cornered by those willing to exercise brute force. As breaking rules is easy and personally beneficial, the primary psychosocial pressure appears to be for understanding of their necessity.

Proposed THEE Name:  Security

Q6-Arena generates a hoped-for political benefit that is based in the acceptance of rules to provide fairness and protection (L'6-Legitimist) subject to recognition of the role of inspiration and inner conviction in deciding what is right and good (L'7-Transcendentalist).

That means it is about ensuring that regulations respect the uniqueness and inalienable rights of every member of society. Given the rule-following is ultimately optional and convictions about what is good are a private matter, the primary psychosocial pressure appears to be for autonomy.

Proposed THEE Name:  Morality

Q7-Arena generates a hoped-for political benefit that is based in every person having an inner sense about what is right and good (L'7-Transcendentalist) subject to recognition that there are real problems that can and should be solved by reason and effort (L'1-Rationalist).

That means it is about ensuring that personal ability can be freely used for self-evidently required social development. Putting social needs ahead of self-interest suggests that the primary psychosocial pressure is selflessness

Proposed THEE Name:  Liberty

Secondary Psychosocial Pressures

In the PH'6-Governing Arenas, the Q Arenas are mobilized by hope that provides for significantbenefits. As we ascend the Q's, the Arenas become progressively more abstract.

Q1-Progress

This Arena has performance as its primary pressure as explained above.

Reviewing the constituent perspectives—member concerns, authority systems, expert judgements, activist convictions, majority view, minority needs, cultural factors—there appears to be a secondary pressure for understanding without which none of the processes will be well-handled.

Other pressures may be involved but they are not so crucial.
Details

• I exclude performance, because that is the primary pressure.
• Not certainty, because all components and significant changes are inherently uncertain.
• Not acceptability, because some components may well be unacceptable to many, and pursued despite that.
• Not well-being, because people will be affected in various ways, that are not always evident.
• Not autonomy, because there is no focus on actions or choices by any particular person.
• Not selflessness, because while this may apply to some people, concerns about progress tend to be self-centred.

Q2-Leadership

This Arena has certainty as its primary pressure as explained above. However, there is an expectation here for achieving consensus of some sort in relation to what is to be done.

Reviewing the constituent perspectives—popular choice, customary expectations, group interests, social consensus, situational demands, change requirements, authority—there appears to be a secondary pressure for performance. Where achievement is unsatisfactory, leaders are removed.

Other pressures may be involved but they are not so crucial.
Details

• I exclude certainty, because that is the primary pressure.
• Not acceptability, because the relevant values and many other factors already acceptable.
• Not well-being, because the leadership may involve taking hard decisions.
• Not understanding, because this about long-standing values and power structures that are part of the culture.
• Not autonomy, because this is about groups and a person's idiosyncratic choices do not play a part
• Not selflessness, because it is natural for self-interest and group interests to be relevant.

Q3-Harmony

This Arena has acceptability as its primary pressure as explained above. However, daily life depends on a stable social structure and each is dependent on their group.

Reviewing the constituent perspectives—engagement, sectional ideals, politicking, class status, individual, authority, merit—there appears to be a secondary pressure for selflessness without which none of the processes will be well-handled.

Other pressures may be involved but they are not so crucial.
Details

• Not performance, because there is no orientation here to action or achievement.
• Not certainty, because the situation is constantly changing in unpredictable ways.
• I exclude acceptability, because that is the primary pressure.
• Not well-being, because group membership is a necessity for political life regardless of comfort.
• Not understanding, because there are no major issues
• Not autonomy, because that is potentially disruptive.

Q4-Prosperity

This Arena has well-being as its primary pressure as explained above.

Reviewing the constituent perspectives—markets, power, causes, community, kinship, perspective, reality—there appears to be a secondary pressure for autonomy. Prospering requires a freedom and a responsibility to find well-being and to be productive in a personally preferred way.

Other pressures may be involved but they are not so crucial.
Details

• Not performance, because prospering is not just about achieving.
• Not certainty, because life is an adventure and managing its uncertainty is intrinsic to prospering.
• Not acceptability, because there is no call for conformity to a group and yet it may be necessary to accept the unacceptable to prosper.
• I exclude well-being, because that is the primary pressure.
• Not understanding, because many relevant factors cannot be understood.
• Not selflessness, because personal interests and preferences are at the centre of attention.

Q5-Security

This Arena has understanding as its primary pressure as explained above.

Reviewing the constituent perspectives—needs, resources, loyalties, development, entitlement, duty, justice—there appears to be a secondary pressure for certainty. Ensuring security involves realizing the world is filled with potential dangers but that it is worth reducing the uncertainty surrounding these.

ever, there are numerous threats not all of which can be addressed easily, and efforts for security generate a range of costs and even harms. Therefore it appears there is a secondary pressure for acceptability.

Other pressures may be involved but they are not so crucial.
Details

• Not performance, because that seems too dynamic.
• Not well-being, because the focus is on social goods and community benefit.
• I exclude understanding, because that is the primary pressure.
• Not understanding, because security can never be absolute and efforts for certainty quickly become counter-productive.
• Not autonomy, because its assertion can disrupt a focus on the common good.
• Not selflessness, because a focus on the self is required to assess security initiatives.

Q6-Morality

This Arena has autonomy as its primary pressure as explained above.

Reviewing the constituent perspectives—duties, purposes, autonomy, conformity, doctrine, identity, time—there appears to be a secondary pressure for well-being. While morality demands a concern for the rights and needs of others and also the well-being of the community, each person is expected to develop their own personal position and be able to feel good about maintaining it.

Other pressures may be involved but they are not so crucial.
Details

• Not performance, because this arena is about how to live in society.
• Not certainty, because morality is tends to be impervious to doubt, or if doubted, impervious to proofs.
• Not acceptability, because what
• Not understanding, because morality is a matter of habit and custom.
• I exclude autonomy, because that is the primary pressure.
• Not selflessness, because there is a large personal component.

Q7-Liberty

This  Arena has selflessness as its primary pressure as explained above.

Reviewing the constituent perspectives—self-based, obligation-based, opportunity-based, integrity-based, desire-based, plan-based, destiny-based—there appears to be a secondary pressure for acceptability. Liberty in any society entails pursuit of communal betterment. This involves acknowledging social membership and sharing the reality of the group.

Other pressures may be involved but they are not so crucial.
Details

• Not performance, because this is again a way of living and there are no specific tasks.
• Not certainty, because living freely is inherently uncertain.
• Not well-being, because that would be too self-focussed.
• Not understanding, because .
• Not autonomy, because its assertion can disrupt the necessary selflessness.
• I exclude selflessness, because that is the primary pressure.

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It is now evident that there is a particular pattern of secondary pressures.

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• Now review the psychosocial pressures in the Q-expansion.

Originally posted:  24-Sep-2022. Last updated: 12-Mar-2023.