In my reading about hunter-gatherer societies one of the things that interested me was that tribes were actively egalitarian [1]. By being so, they continually ensured that strong egos were diluted or tempered and that humility was promoted.
It is my opinion that promoting humility (and, in turn, disfavouring boastful or arrogant behaviour) could only happen in a group of people where a critical mass among them are sufficiently intelligent – see towards the end of this post – to do that. That is, intelligent enough to be self-confident and possess a deep inner sense of security – both of which, I believe anyway, require humility.
Humility in hunter-gatherer tribes is usually promoted by teasing and a kind of light ridicule, what we might call slagging in Ireland. Once again, I believe that the humorous teasing that has this effect is possible only in a group that has secure identity, high self-confidence, and good relationship – but particularly good relationship.
One anthropologist proposed the theory of reverse dominance [2]. In all modern societies, a few people dominate the vast majority. In hunter-gatherer societies, the overall ethos of the group seems to dominate any individuals who begin to develop an ego that rises above an unspoken, implicitly agreed level.
(Actually this reminded me of what we in Ireland call begrudgery – which I think comes from a slightly less communitarian standpoint… but…. perhaps it has distant origins in reverse dominance-type teasing)!
The more extreme sanction, (that is, if teasing doesn’t work) is actually ignoring, or shunning. This is seen to be a very powerful way of keeping someone’s behaviour in line with the norms of the tribe. Being ignored, in such a small, closely knit and inter-dependent community is experienced as being quite devastating. For example, showing strong emotions is not favoured among some Eskimo peoples. This is because losing one’s temper has the power to manipulate and control others.
Think about this and look around you.
Do you think that it is true – i.e. do you know anyone who is able to control others because they have a bit of a reputation, or are known to be people who might lose the rag?
The fact that the vast majority of the hunter-gatherer group adhere to the sanction of shunning makes it very effective against upstartism, as it is called by some. If the person moves to another tribe, the same practice is carried out again – so his choice is limited really [3].
(When I was reading this it reminded me of what is fashionable nowadays in the world of disciplining children i.e. putting them on the bold step).
The reverse dominance has implications for leadership in particular invitational leadership. (This will be described in the next Section in the Chapter on Leadership).
Having humility when in charge invites others into trying to find a solution to a difficult problem – whereas domination (and sometimes even simple assertiveness) doesn’t do this.
This is why (I believe anyway) that the high esteem in which assertiveness is held is very much a developed world phenomenon – it doesn’t seem to hold too much attractiveness – in fact, it struggles to have meaning – in cultures where dominance is shared and not confined to one strong person or a small group of dominant decision makers.
Also, it is obvious (and worthy of note for those of us who wish for a more equal society) that in a culture where decision making is shared, it is far more difficult for one person or a small group to control resources, accumulate wealth and then dispense it on their terms only.
[1]. An egalitarian society is a kind of ideal, where there is genuine equality and democracy, and care for fellow man trumps profit, greed etc. It is a place where people, as well as being legally free, actually feel free.
[2]. This term is used by Christopher Boehm; in his book Hierarchy in the Forest (1999) – a very interesting read!
[3]. Reading Boehm’s book I was wondering in the modern day, if such a person did not fit in, he might move to a non-hunter-gatherer society where his egocentricity might be appreciated, and where he’d feel more at home.