Guided by Instinct: Feeling Evolutionary and Political Patterns

Part 8/10 – Unrestrained Power, Adrenaline and Domination

"If you're not the hunter, you'll become the prey."

-Royal Deluxe "In The Wild Now"

In this part of the series, I will be theorizing social domination from a philosophical perspective and how these kind of power relations influence the climate and health of our political atmosphere. I felt that this would be an appropriate theme to touch on because the mishandling of this form of power can not only lead to more inconspicuous violations of our animal rights but also the legitimacy of government authority in general and its principles of natural justice.

Because domination is linked to very primal human behaviour, it is important to have a honest interpretation of how these power dynamics play out in our contemporary social/political environments, particularly for citizens positioned on the more submissive end of these authoritative relationships. Basically, our national regime is a political relationship that we are essentially born into, or rather, under, because it is a dominion that has already been established (in most countries) before our entrance into the world. In other words, we do not initially have any participation in the designation of this supremacy, we are subjected to it. These dynamics force us into submission and conformity from the beginning which becomes our first indirect association with power relationships as humans. This association is indirect because our caregiver(s) will have already been socially impacted by this governing power and the various levels/forms of domination wielded by this authority before we make our entrance into the world. Consequently, this will not only impact how our caregiver(s) experience/respond to social domination in private/public political environments and their attitude towards authority in general, but it will also impact how we (their children) respond to authority as well. For example, if the majority of citizens respect the leadership that is

being maintained in any given state, those citizens will be more likely to value authoritative relationships in general and any other supporting, authoritative roles in their society as well (ex. influencers, mentors, bosses etc.) and through them, their children. However, marginalized individuals/families/groups may be more likely to inherit a negative attitude towards these same governing powers if they have been/felt mistreated and/or oppressed by their government, which will, of course, impact their children’s attitude about those political powers as well and all other authoritative figures yet to be introduced.

Social domination is a fascinating topic to think about because theoretical analysis of this subject is endless due to the metaphysical nature of this force. From my perspective, I see it as the driving force of politics in a sense because it is connected to our most natural animal instincts and urges. These are the same instincts and urges linked to our sexual desires because social domination closely resembles reproductive (mating) strategies practiced by our species for human survival. This is a strategy that has remained largely unchanged since the dawn of our genus (“homo”) approximately 1.5-2.5 million years ago, which means that we can confidently declare it to be a characteristic that is inherent to our species.

It is important for us to have a good basic understanding of our primal instincts because it can help us to explore the psychological motivations most intrinsic to our animal nature and how these desires are satisfied, from a political perspective. This discussion also links up well to my last post about sensory processing and how a healthy development of the human senses can prepare one’s body for a smoother processing of primal impulses and urges related to social domination and the evolution of this force. Once reproductive systems have developed to the point in which one is physically capable of reproducing, they/she/he have reached “sexual maturation” (in a technical sense) and healthy sensory processing will support a more effortless transition into the experience of any new urges that may arise during this time as well.

However, social domination is something that begins to occur much, much earlier than that, and can be detected as soon as any one human is beginning to show signs of dictating another’s behaviour. Since this feeling of control triggers a release of serotonin in the brain that contributes to our overall physical and mental health and well-being, it is a behaviour that will become habitual because our bodies will recognize that these social “interactions” influence these essential levels of serotonin in our body. Because of serotonin’s soothing effects, these dominant behaviours will impact the levels of calmness we are able to maintain in all of our political environments, which will then impact how we respond/act to/on our impulses. This will become a life-long cycle because serotonin is metabolized by the body, therefore, the body will always be looking for ways to receive a new burst of this chemical vital to our happiness. Once the body recognizes that asserting dominance over others is one way to achieve this goal, it will become a continuous behaviour that increases one’s chance of survival.

This discussion connects nicely with sovereign power because those roles have been achieved through/by social dominance and the hierarchical nature of this force. Social Dominance Theory (SDT) is an ideology that helps to explain the dynamics of group-based social hierarchies in politics and how these groups gain and maintain power from both a behavioural and psychological perspective. Since governing officials are assuming a dominant role within these regimes, they will be routinely asserting their dominance over others which will allow them to recharge their levels of serotonin on a regular basis which will contribute to their overall health and well being. This will not only help sustain their survival (and that of their family/group) but it will also help them to maintain their “higher status positions” from both a professional and economic standpoint. This will lead to an asymmetry in power that will make it difficult (if not impossible) for other (marginalized) groups to ever reach a level of status that will allow them to experience social domination over these “higher” groups, which affects their serotonin levels and the levels of health and wellbeing which have been limited by this lack of dominance assertion, shall we say. This will put those groups into a more powerless psychological state, which will compel them to assert their dominance over close family members and friends instead because they have not been able/allowed to achieve this dominance politically. These interpersonal relationships will be negatively affected by this misdirected dominance which will not only keep these families/groups somewhat locked at a lower hierarchical level, but it will also affect (lower) the levels of serotonin in the ones who are repeatedly frightened into submission by this dominance.

Many philosophers have already attempted to illuminate the importance of connectivity between a town and its citizens and typically recognize these connections as being the result of healthy political participation, in which citizens can sense the effects of their participation because of their ongoing and active engagement in community decisions. These habitual acts of political social dominance will bring them a sense of satisfaction because these experiences will enable them to fulfill their purpose on earth (to be political beings) by asserting/articulating their opinions, which will support healthy levels of serotonin in these individuals/families/groups in a manner that is not at the expense of their loved ones mental and physical health.

From a primal perspective, social domination remains a ruling force in nature since a higher dominance ranking will further the reproduction and survival of a group/species because that group/species will be able to attain a greater level of control over their food sources in addition to having increased access to mating opportunities. Moreover, it is a force that encourages the release of other hormones/neurotransmitters like adrenaline that also contribute to human survival because these surges of energy will prime the body for its response to perceived danger, which can sometimes result in greater rewards for those who are able to successfully combat these threats. The human senses are also heightened by this chemical release which can make one more alert to their natural surroundings which can also be helpful in situations that call for sharp physical reaction times.

English author, poet, and journalist, Angela Carter (1940-1992) found language itself, to be one of the most powerful agencies of domination which could lead to greater autonomy and freedom, from a political perspective. She boldly stated that “language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation” which seems to align well with Aristotle’s opinions about speech and reason too. The main point here, is that language helps us to express our political opinions in a manner that brings us (humans) a sense of fulfillment, whether we express these opinions verbally or non-verbally. This political expression will nurture our mind, body and soul because these thoughts and perspectives will be a unique contribution to our political society because they have been inspired by our particular identity that is never quite the same as any other human on earth. This type of variation is beneficial because it strengthens our chances of survival as a species as some humans within the group may possess traits that will assist the population in adapting more easily to unpredictable and/or changing environments (such as a global pandemic) or other local/national threats. More generally, variation is the beautiful diversity that allows for natural selection, which moves parallel to the evolution of our earth. It is something to be cherished and to be celebrated because these special differences among us is the only thing that can really and truly ever signify our success as a species.

By: Heather Sakaki

Date: March 13th, 2021

Note: In nature, "the chase" is also an exhilarating way for animals to get the dopamine release they crave as this chemical is also essential to health and wellbeing. This release happens when animals get that which they are chasing, or even just sense that their prey is finally within their reach. Furthermore, the intensity and excitement of this chase will trigger huge bursts of adrenaline in the body of that animal, which will heighten the end experience for those who manage to catch their prey. This "catch" can sometimes also lead to a serotonin release too if they dominate their prey in a manner that brings them a sense of satisfaction and/or liberation in the end.