Page 16 - 2011 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - March 2011

Beyond The Super Computer BEYOND THE Barinaga, 1996; Kravitz, 1988; Adler, 1996), status symbols (Sahlins, 1986; Veblen, 1934; SUPERCOMPUTER: birds,2 and mammals. At each evolutionary Johnson and Earle, 1987: 219; Galbraith, 1976; Fraser, 1989: 50; Braudel, 1981: 333). level these internal and external sensors of In other words, the folks with the firmest SOCIAL GROUPS AS adaptation become more varied and complex. grasp on the challenges facing their group Are humans slaves to similarly implacable SELF-INVENTION biological impulses? become its opinion-makers. They are given the Through a variety of means, among MACHINES them a sense of control (Lefcourt, 1982: 3-18; privilege of steering the collective mind. The bumblers and wrong-guessers either submit to Continued from Page 15 Miller et al. 1977; Shors et al. 1989; Shavit, the leadership of others, or, if the community 1983; Davis et al. 1980; Buchsbaum et al. 1982; undergoes a severe lack of resources, succumb Sagan, 1988; Davis et al. 1979) over to disease or suicide. Additional diversity generators include impulses toward self-assertion, individuation, circumstance and the intake of social feedback This concept and the empirical data and youthful rebellion, not to mention Sigmund (Bloom 1995: 60-70, 140-145; Kemper, 1990: from which it is derived run directly counter to 7, 54, 197; Freedman, 1979: 100f; Kroeber, the tenets of individual selectionism and current Freud's "narcissism of minor 1952: 43-47; Holmes, 1979), comparator neo-Darwinism. In many instances, the victims differences"(Freud, 1989; Scherer and Ekman, mechanisms indicate to you and me our utility of self perceived failure damage or eliminate, 1984; Boorstin, 1953; Birenbaum and Lesieur, to the social group. A sense of being unneeded not only their own evolutionary interests, but 1982; Stevens and Price, 1996), Eric Erikson's "pseudospeciation," and the closely related leads to a collapse of our self esteem (Brown et also those of their kin. For example, a business failure can result either in suicide or other al. 1986; Price, 1988; Barkow, 1989; Festinger, ecological phenomenon of "character 1944; Aronson and Linder, 1965; Goleman, patterns of behavior equally damaging to both displacement" (Grant, 1994; Schluter, 1994). In 1988; Bloom, 1995: 47-72, 140-145; Maslow, spouse and offspring. The case of the all of these, fundamentally similar individuals 1973; I.H. Jones et al. 1995) and a range of hospitalized is even more illustrative. Studies seize on petty discrepancies and magnify them until they become insurmountable barriers physiological changes which, in the natural show that depressed patients become withdrawn world, would sharply increase the odds of death. (Zuckerman, 1995), cranky, inarticulate, lacking (Stevens and Price, 1996). Even in tribal Our immune system is impaired (Bower, 1986; in wit, and deprived of verbal flexibility (E.E. societies, the resulting differences of opinion Ader, 1983; Sapolsky, 1990; Sapolsky, 1988; Jones and Berglas, 1978; Paloutzian and easily overleap genetic barriers, turning brother Davidson, 1992; Bower, 1988); our perceptions Ellison, 1982; W.H. Jones et al. 1981). Even against brother (Johnson and Johnson, 1995; de are dulled (Miller et al. 1977; Gazzaniga, 1992: their facial gestures and body language drive Waal, 1989: 247f.). In the last two and a half 191-193); our sexual drive diminishes others away (Altman and Vinsel, 1977; Raven, millennia, these forces have often gone one step (Sapolsky, 1987; Miller et al. 1977); in males, 1983: 253, 685; Argyle, 1989: 60; Kalin, 1993; further and created camaraderie among those of wildly varying chromosomal background. sperm count and motility both fall; our appetite Clore and Byrne, 1974; Gotlib, 1992; Myers shrinks or is lost (Gallagher, 1992: 12-15; and Diener, 1995; Emmons, 1986; Myers, 1993; Human diversity generators are shifted Lefcourt, 1982: 10; Thomas and DeWald, 1977: Veenhoven, 1988; Seligman, 1990: 187-198; into high gear by precisely the type of signals 229; Seligman, 1990: 69); our social magnetism Bull, 1986: 121; Mehrabian and Williams, which trigger diversity generation among evaporates (Gilbert et al. 1994: 149-165; 1969; Kiritz 1971). The depressed also suffer bacteria signs that the environment is Bloom, 1995: 140-145); and we tend to from a severe reduction of immune function. overcrowded, under resourced, or lacking in experience a profound sense of lethargy, They become sitting ducks for illness. In a other critical requirements for survival. A large negativity, and hopelessness (Dabbs and hospital setting, studies show that depressed body of studies demonstrates how stressors Leventhal, 1966; Gilbert and Allan, 1994). patients' avoidance cues are nearly suicidal. ranging from a rapid rise in taxes to a dramatic A multitude of psychophysiological and Those in the throes of depression receive far increase or drop in temperature and even an psychoneuroimmunological deactivators less care than others with a more cheerful intolerable noise level can break down group contribute to these effects, among them "learned demeanor (H. Hall, 1989; Lerner, 1980; Tavris, cohesion, increase conflict, and encourage helplessness" and the chronic secretion of 1982: 233f). restlessness. The result is often a group split glucocorticoids and endogenous opiates. A What causes depression in humans and which provokes dissenters to search for a new persistent bath of glucocorticoids, for example, other vertebrates? Two factors...an isolation environment, a new world view, and/or a new literally kills tissue in the hippocampus--a part which signals that one is socially dispensable modus operandi (Griffitt, 1970; Griffitt and of the brain vital to memory. (Raven and Rubin, 1983: 56f; Stolzenberg et al. Veitch 1971; Weber et al. 1988: 129, 341; Comparator mechanisms in those who 1995: 85; Lynch, 1979; Lynch and McCarthy, Horney et al. 1995; Roberts, 1983: 558-562; feel un-needed go a step further. They produce a 1967; Lynch and McCarthy, 1969; House et al. Ferguson and Rogers 1981: 141; Dollard et al. variety of subtle and not-so-subtle signals which 1988; Pelletier, 1983; Sarason and Pierce, 1988; 1957: 44; Braudel, 1981: 144f; Weber, 1968: drive others away, thus marginalizing the victim Cohen et al. 1992: 301; Durkheim, 1951: 217, xxiii; Russ et al. 1979). These mechanisms and as thoroughly as the bacteria whose quest has 241; Martin, 1968; Phillips, 1979; Phillips and their effects eerily parallel the chemotactic failed (De Vries et al. 1994: 108; Bloom, 1995: Lu, 1980); and the loss of control which repulsers which drive stressed bacteria apart, turning human migrants, malcontents, and 47-49, 55-56, 60-66, 110-115, 325). indicates that one is not capable of coping--that represented hypothesis the By contrast, those of us who've one's by rebels into feelers who scour the technical, continuously had a handle on our fate: "personality" is inappropriate to current social, and geographic landscape in search of a - are blessed with chemical tonics like circumstance. The result: depressive humans new way forward for the wider group. androgens and serotonin, which boost health, suffer the utility sorter's most extreme negative sexual appetite, and energy (Sapolsky, 1988); effects and are those most likely to die. UTILITY SORTERS. - experience heightened acuity and (Depressive monkeys, rats, grouse, and independence of perception (Triandis 1993, numerous other creatures are subject to a similar The evidence, at this point, is not looking good for the selfish gene and its Hollander 1958, Kandel and Hawkins 1992, fate.) Herskovits 1965: 39, Ezzell 1992); promoter, the individual selectionist. Among - become socially captivating (Thibaut Continued on Page 18 bacteria, a built-in comparator mechanism and Riecken, 1995; Freedman, 1979: 68; requires each forager to let the world know Hurwitz et al. 1953; Torrance 1954); and THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO SHOW whether it has succeeded or failed. If its quest WITH - send out variants of the successful has been productive, physiology drives the bacterium's chemotactic "gather round and ROB McCONNELL bacillus to broadcast the message "follow me." follow my ways," using such devices as postural If its expedition has failed, it has no choice but cues, verbal subtleties (Erikson et al. 1978), MONDAY - FRIDAY to signal "leave me to my fate." Voluminous body languages (Henley, 1977; Thayer, 1989: 10 PM - 2 AM EST evidence indicates that comparator mechanisms 22; Hurwitz et al. 1953; Strodtbeck, 1957; 2 AM - 6 AM EST are virtually standard equipment in all social Freedman, 1979: 96; K.R.L. Hall, 1967: 270; 6 PM - 10 PM EST animals, from the microbial level (Ameisen, McGinley et al. 1975; Mehrabian 1981), and AT 1996) to that of crustaceans (Lange, 1996; WWW.XZONERADIOTV.COM