TRIBE II: a New Theory of Psychological Dysfunction

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Many of our modern social problems arise from the fact that there is a fundamental disconnect between the world as it is and the world as man was designed to live in it. This disconnect is nothing new; it is something of a continual obstacle for mankind to overcome. However, the degree to which this disconnect proves problematic has been growing steadily over time, and in recent generations, its rate of change has been rapidly accelerating (for reasons we will soon discuss). Now, whether we like it or not, our relationship with the world is almost entirely dysfunctional.

To some extent, it is an old story. For thousands of years ago, mankind experienced its first great environmental revolution- civilization, which relocated man from the tribe to the urban center; later, it experienced its second great environmental revolution- modernization, which resulted in a shockingly rapid creation and distribution of wealth and prosperity; finally, it is now experiencing its third great environmental revolution- digitization, which has resulted in large portions of human activity being relocated into the digital realm. Each of these revolutions resulted in a social environment that was radically different from what came before, and progressively more different than that of the last revolution. The next revolution will be the stars; the last revolution will be immortality, perhaps...

These revolutions created very different problems: the first, the problem of organizing individuals in order to provide and effectively distribute food, water, energy, and security; the second, the problem of managing the relationship between wealth, power, politics, and democracy; the third and final, the problem of maintaining a sense of organic connection with other human beings in a world that is becoming increasingly cold, distant, fragmented, and inorganic. And this organic connection that we are losing day by day is absolutely critical to human psychology. Without it, we lose our sense of being connected to other individuals, and with them, all sense of tribal context, which is- at least to some not-insignificant degree- the only context we are programmed to understand. Presently, we are suffering the consequences of this most recent revolution, whether we know it or not.

An exhaustive list of examples would be nearly endless, but this disconnection has resulted in long-term damage not only at the cultural level, but also at the personal level and at the professional level. We lack fulfillment; we share fewer ideals with our fellow citizens; we have less of an idea where we fit in our cultural framework; we create false lives online rather than living in reality; we develop digital relationships at the expense of personal relationships; we find our work un-meaningful; we find our families lacking in organic connection; we lack leadership; we find ourselves lost, lonely, frustrated, and fragmented. And all of these problems are interconnected. After all, we were designed to live in tribes rather than civilization, and tribal life was clearer, and less multi-faceted.

Our shared ancestral environment had fewer options, true; however, as a result, we had a much stronger sense of where we fit in the world. And this sense of belonging somewhere- in a particular time, among a particular people and for a particular purpose- is critical to cultivating a sense of psychological wellbeing. When we lack it, the very fabric of society itself begins to fray. The consequences of this fraying are profound: It results in crime, violence, mass incarceration, sex addiction, drug addiction, single mothers and fatherless children, not to mention a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and suicide.

Something must be done.

​The solution to the problem, however, cannot lie in moving forward without regards to the past, or to the deeply-embedded psychological patterns that form the very foundation of human behavior. We must take these patterns into account; we must turn them to our collective advantage. What we really long for is a revival of tribal dynamics in the modern world, so that we can maintain that critical sense of belonging that seems to be lacking today. And this is not an impossible dream.

Difficult, yes- but not impossible.

~ Joshua van Asakinda

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