Changing physical position

An individual tends to hold one physical position for only a limited period of time before shifting (an arm or leg, for example) to another. This is usually done because of a certain build up of tension which can best be released by relaxing into a new position. This process involves alternation between a limited number of positions. A similar situation occurs when two people are intertwined in an embrace during love-making. The couple will alternate amongst a set of positions.

A society can be usefully conceived as needing to modify its position from time to time in order to release tensions that build up. The alternatives then constitute a limited set. A similar situation obtains in the relationship between two societies.

The selection of the alternative position into which the shift is made is determined by what it is necessary to shift in order to release tension. There is a tendency to seek the most relaxed posture although once adopted an alternative is then progressively defined as relatively more relaxed.

There is no understanding of the set of positions that a society can adopt. Shifts between positions tend to be of a spastic nature, involving resistance and conflict.

Classification of the position in a set and the permissable transformation pathways between them. How and where tension builds up and how this defines the nature of the possible release.