Tag: Social Complexity

Frustration

In physics, the term “frustration” refers to an entity that is subject to conflicting forces and there is uncertainty about which option it will settle upon. Professor Giorgio Parisi has carried out Nobel Prize winning work on frustration in spin-glasses, i.e., materials in which the magnetic orientation of the components are random, can alter below a particular temperature, but are frozen above it. This results in an amorphous structure that is one example of a complex system. Professor Parisi’s work has shown that reliable predictions on the statistical properties of a complex system can be obtained by modelling it several times and comparing how the different models behave.

Further details can be found in the following article in The Conversation online magazine: https://theconversation.com/my-phd-supervisor-just-won-the-nobel-prize-in-physics-heres-how-his-research-on-complex-systems-changed-science-169297

Professor Parisi’s website is at http://chimera.roma1.infn.it/GIORGIO/index.html and many of his papers can be downloaded free of charge from Academia.

The concept of frustration can be applied to society. It occurs when we are faced with situations in which different cultures apply. Different values and beliefs, forming a part of those cultures, will dictate different behaviours. This leads to cultural or ethical dilemmas that we must manage. In such circumstances the behaviour of an individual or organisation is unpredictable. However, whatever choice we make propagates through society and this is the principal cause of social complexity.

If we were all to behave in the same manner according to the same values and beliefs then, like a crystalline material such as diamond, society would be simple and relatively predictable. However, differing values and beliefs mean that we do not, and so, society is more like an amorphous material such as glass. It is complex and unpredictable.

Individuals or organisations often agree with the values and beliefs that prevail in their environment, e.g., with those of the business in which they work or the nation in which they live or operate. If so, they will usually remain within that environment and support it. However, they also often disagree with the prevailing values and beliefs. For example, in a vertical interaction, the rights given up by an individual or organisation may be thought too great or too little. Thus, the culture of an individual may conflict with that of a business in which he or she works. Also, for example, the culture of a business organisation may conflict with that of a nation in which it operates. In these circumstances “frustration” exists and the individual and business must find ways of dealing with it. There are several ways of doing so, and this leads to the complexity and unpredictability of society.

The individual may, for example, attempt to leave the business or the business may attempt to move to a culturally more compatible nation. However, if they are unable to do so, then the following alternatives exist.

• We have true values and beliefs that have become internalised over time. We are also capable of presenting apparent values and beliefs to those with whom we interact, i.e., we wear a mask. This is true not only of individuals but also of organisations of any size. Thus, we may wear a mask for one aspect of the dilemma but act in accordance with the other. For example, we may give an outward display of compliance but, if safe to do so, practice non-compliance. For example, when Stalin died many Russians put up blackout curtains but celebrated behind them.
• Alternatively, we may rationalize in favour of the value and belief system in which we are obliged to operate, attempt to internalize those values and beliefs, and thus, remove the dilemma.
• Alternatively again, we may attempt to alter the culture in which we are obliged to operate. For example, organisations that disagree with the values and beliefs of the nation in which they operate can propagandise in favour of their own values and beliefs, thus altering the nation’s culture over time and removing the dilemma.

It is worth noting that a dissenting organisation will, knowingly or not, attract members who agree with its values and beliefs, thereby reinforcing them.

Cultural Evolution

Frustration in society has an evolutionary basis, and it is highly unlikely that it will ever be totally eliminated. It serves an evolutionary function and so it may, in fact, be undesirable to do so. Utopias stagnate.

An important aspect of biological evolution is random mutation. This gives us a variable genome that causes individuals to differ. These differences, in combination with differences in our environment, cause our cultures, and hence our values and beliefs, to differ. As explained above, these differences in values cause social complexity, part of which comprises dissenting sub-cultures. These sub-cultures are random mutations of a social nature and form an important aspect of cultural evolution. However, just like random mutation in biological evolution, social mutations are most often harmful, often neutral, and only occasionally beneficial. They exist within a broader social environment and, if they are seen to be harmful, they will become extinct. If they are neutral they will probably persist and perhaps become beneficial if the environment changes. However, if they are seen to be successful in satisfying human needs, then, because culture is information, they will propagate, ultimately altering the parent culture. Thus, providing frustration exists, society evolves in a similar way to biological organisms. Just as isolation and random mutation account for the great biodiversity in the world, isolation and frustration account for its great cultural diversity.

Points to note, however, are:

• Success and failure can be falsified.
• Success for one organisation can be failure for another.
• If new values are consistent with those we already hold they will propagate more readily (Bartlett). If they are inconsistent, they will propagate more slowly (Kuhn).

Frustration is inevitable therefore, and something that we must learn to live with if society is to progress. Idealists should note however, that an ideal global society is neither possible nor desirable. Pragmatists, on the other hand, should note that this is not an excuse for failing to strive for one. This is a difficult concept to come to terms with but nevertheless represents the reality of the human situation.