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Beta Quadra: The Complex of Subservience by Stratiyevskaya
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By
Vera Stratievskaya
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Introduction
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Beta - quadra complex of being subservient (or being a “satrap”), as any quadral complex, comes from a set of four information elements that predominate in this quadra – evolutionary logic of relations (+Ti), evolutionary ethics of emotions (+Fe), involutionary volitional sensing (-Se), and involutionary intuition of time (-Ni), and this, in turn, forms three dominant quadral features:
1. “Aristocratic” trait (rational aspects are evolutionary, with a plus sign; irrational aspects are involutionary, with a minus sign: +Fe, +Ti, -Se, -Ni)
In accordance with this trait, every person has the right 1) to create a hierarchy, establishing relations of subordination, to subordinate those below him and to comply with those above him 2) to support already established within the hierarchy traditions and rituals and monitor their observance 3) to put claims to the dominant positions within the system and to fight for one’s right to occupy them 4) to fight for positional advantages in accumulation of rights, privileges, and opportunities 5) to establish one’s own order within the system, consolidating power in one’s own hands, to interact with others from position of power 6) to suppress by own authority, by authority of personal opinion 7) to control and critique the statements of lower ranking members of the hierarchy, limiting their right to expression on any (or on forbidden) subjects 8) to authoritatively impose one’s own point of view, decisions, power, and will.
2. “Decisive” trait (predominance of involutionary irrational aspects -Ni -Se)
In accordance with this trait, every person has the right 1) to interact with others from the position of power 2) to interact with others from the position of advantage in rights, standing, and power 3) to use power methods to fight for an advantageous position within the system and have the right to put a claim to it 4) to operatively, in condensed periods of time, solve problems, his own and those of others, making responsible decisions and making others obey them 5) to win a dominating place in a system, to advantageously and operatively use own fighting qualities and particularities of the present moment 6) to authoritatively impose one’s own will, decisions, and opinions.
3. “Subjectivist” trait (predominance of evolutionary rational aspects +Ti +Fe)
In accordance with this trait, every person has the right 1) to subjective analysis of events, opinions, and actions 2) to search for “the culpable” and displace them from the system, at the same time resisting being displaced, fighting for one’s own place within the system 3) to contend the opinions and decisions of others and impose his own opinion as the final truth 4) to deliver his opinions firmly, sharply, unequivocally, displacing opponents out of the argument, out of the system of relations, out of the social system, and into the lower strata.
In early stages of civilization, the era of the second quadra – is an era of fierce and all overwhelming physical power that is maximally respected, – it is an era that lays down the foundations for a reliable and strong statehood and further consolidates and effectively develops it, creating authoritarian and theocratic states, mighty empires, and mega-civilizations.
Fears and concerns that arise from Beta quadral complex.
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From the combination of the properties of all predominant quadra traits listed above, in Beta Quadra society there arises a harsh struggle for power, for the dominant position in the system. Everyone strives upwards; all fight for the right of personal domination. Nobody wants to be on the margin or “behind” in this race. Everyone lives by the principle of “push and displace, so as not to get pushed out and displaced by others”, which creates a particular kind of tension in the existence within the hierarchy. Each pulls the privileges to himself or herself, each tries to choose a better part (especially when the resources are rationed). Nobody wants to get passed by when “the cake is served” and deprived of the benefits and privileges. Nobody wants to be pushed away from the “feeding trough”, ousted from the dominant positions – thrown off the pedestal, removed from office, unrooted from an established place, reduced in rank, forced into subservient roles, that have their own hierarchies.
Beta Quadra fears that there won’t be enough “sweet cake” for all, and those expelled to the lower levels will get a “stick” instead of “cake” – punishment instead of encouragement. In the lower layers of the hierarchy people don’t survive – especially the sensitive and soulful individuals, for whom words “honor” and “dignity” are not merely abstract notions, nor “empty words”. Being forced to the bottom of the hierarchy means saying goodbye to one’s dream and one’s soul: the soul will be ruined, the dream will be spit on.
Beta Quadra is afraid of:
having to part with their honor and dignity, a privileged position in society;
being plunged into poverty, to a position without rights, being lowered in rank;
being forced out of the privileged strata and thrown to the bottom of society;
being demoted, deprived of rank, title, privileges and powers;
humiliating reprisals and punishments;
dependency on someone else’s evil will;
uncertainty concerning own social status and position, slander, libel, false accusations;
afraid of collusions and conspiracies behind his back, of rumors, gossip, backstabbing, intrigues and betrayal;
afraid of all that would obstruct him from surviving and restoring own social status under extreme circumstances.
Beta Quadra doesn’t tolerate attacks on their social standing, on their rank, position, rights and privileges: they don’t tolerate when their rights and rank advantages are being challenged, they don’t tolerate familiarity in attitudes of others, in jest or serious, and can’t stand ridicule that could create false impression of their inability to fend for themselves.
Beta Quadra doesn’t tolerate:
confusion in the chain of command and subordinate relations;
departures from etiquette and protocol;
disrespect for position and rank - deliberately derogatory or humorously familiar attitudes;
infringement on their personal rights, goals, ambitions, desecration of their honor and dignity;
misconduct, disobedience, insubordination, disrespectful or unacceptable behavior within the hierarchy, society, system.
In resistance, in acts of disrespect and disobedience to their will, Beta Quadra (mainly sensing types) see a danger to themselves – an attempt to oust them from the system, to push them away from leading positions, which they counter with reciprocal aggression and respond with an affirmative push. Aggression for them is an effective form of expeditious attainment of desired goals (-Se↑; -Ni↑), an opportunity to seize power within the system*, to head it and keep in dominating positions, not allowing oneself to get displaced (+Ti↑; +Fe↑).
By definition: heterogeneity of individuals in aggressiveness traits allows for all members of the community to self-organize into hierarchies; most aggressive seize power and remain on top of the pyramid, least aggressive - meek and compliant - get pushed into the lower layers of the hierarchy.
Beta Quadra does not tolerate the destruction of the familiar and comfortable for them order of things, and cannot imagine existence outside of the familiar to them hierarchical system. In the absence of such a system, they seek to create an alternative hierarchy from a hastily gathered team (as it usually happens in a homogeneous, classless society, in schools, in institutions, in barracks, in closed organizations, in criminal world of pariahs and outcasts).
The fear of being excluded from the system and thrown to the lower layers of the hierarchy, in this essay we will conventionally call the COMPLEX OF BEING SUBSERVIENT – being a person entirely dependent on the will of the dominants – the “second” person in the system, who may be very well the last within it.
The system of priorities of Beta Quadra.
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Four aspects structure the society of Beta Quadra:
The aspect of evolutionary logic of relations (+Ti) – Creates a subordinate system of relations, creates an authoritative autocratic system of power (“a vertical”). Brings order to this hierarchical structure, protects and supports it. Creates a foundation of rights under this “vertical structure”, creates “a table of ranks” and a system of rewards and punishments, defines the extent of rights and responsibilities, establishes a system of benefits and privileges.
The aspect of evolutionary ethics of emotions (+Fe) – Creates ideological hierarchies that support the current autocratic apparatus. Creates a theocratic system of power. Sets prospective goals and targets for existing social structures, acting as their spiritual and ideological leader – “the forward” and “forward-looking”.
The aspect of involutionary volitional sensing (-Se) – Creates new power structures that are alternative to already existing ones, spontaneously creates “a vertical” of power. Ensures combat readiness and defensive capability of the spearheaded system.
The aspect of involutionary intuition of time (-Ni) – Tacitly and unnoticeably ensures the security of the system; in advance covers up the “rear points” of the dominants of the hierarchy, forewarns them of impending dangers, but can also replace them (discreetly and unobtrusively) if they are recognized as weak and incompetent leaders.
The fate of the marginalized and the outcasts in Beta Quadra.
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Due to the harsh and uncompromising struggle for power, in Beta Quadra it is shameful and dangerous to be weak – the weak are always to blame already by the fact that they are weak, always and everywhere a nuisance as the vulnerable and burdensome (and therefore unneeded) link in the system. The weak are always pushed out. The weak are already in the wrong by the fact that they have allowed themselves to get displaced. The weak person has no strength to stand up for himself, no strength to “get heard by the judges”, no strength to defend his honor and to prove his rightness in an argument or with arms in a duel. And of course, the weak person is powerless to resist collective hounding, collective pressure and collusion.
To disempower the strong (“by hook or by crook” – if not by strength then by tenacity), to make the strong weak and push them out of the system – is the “easiest” method to deal with competition – the most “invisible” and “unobtrusive” way. The “guilty” one will be whoever is weak, not the one who has made him so.
The fate of the weak is unenviable in the society of Beta Quadra. The weak is doomed to extinction, to the role of a victim of social contempt, condemned to expulsion from the system to the bottom of society – into “the waste material”, into “the re-sorting pile” – to the position of a pariah, an outcast, an errand-boy. And from this fate no one is immune in Beta Quadra, and no one wishes it upon himself. Due to this, Beta Quadra members maximally employ most combat-worthy features and qualities of their TIMs – the will to win, ruthlessness towards the enemy, determination, perseverance, sense of goal or purpose, and tenacity. Under any conditions one needs to be able to live, to survive, to raise a family, to defend one’s rights and interests, and be able to fight for them, to set ambitious goals and know how to reach them.
Practiced for centuries, tempered and honed in struggles, the willful competitive qualities of the dominant here TIMs allow Beta Quadra to be environmentally successful under any conditions – under any dictatorship, under any changes of ruling powers to strive upward, to occupy advantageous places in a society, to protect themselves and their interests. Those who cannot or do not wish to do so, end up in subservient positions, as pariahs, and become “blameworthy of their own misfortunes”, do not evoke any pity and compassion, but become an instructive example for others – an example of whom not to be in the authoritarian society of Beta Quadra, whose fate and whose example is not to be repeated.
In Beta Quadra it is dangerous to become “the guilty one”. The “guilty” person pays for everything and for everyone – he takes on the blame for all the misfortunes that befell his companions. He is put before a maximum of charges from all that could be possibly presented (no matter how absurd they may seem), so that later on, with the combination of all these “crimes”, he can be condemned for everything at once, with a maximum of austerity “to discourage others”. The “guilty” person turns into a “scapegoat” in the full sense of the word: if someone has some sins of their soul or wrongdoings on their conscience, they all unabashedly dump them on him, and he gets blamed for all the atrocities and wrong-doings – today he’s the “hero of the day” and none want to take his place at the “pillar of shame”. At the same time, he’s not allowed to justify himself – for he may try to shift his blame on the shoulders of others or point to his associates among them. So it is better that he keeps silent under the weight of all the charges – others still need to live on, and for him it no longer matters, as he’s going to perish in any case: “Seven problems - one answer,” - so does it matter what kind of misdeed he will be paying for? He is to blame by the sheer fact that he is “caught”, that he turned out to be the “fool” and the “weak one” who succumbed to the onslaught, did not manage to divert suspicions and was unable to defend himself.
The role of the “guilty party” is usually given to the “compliant” Beta types and representatives of other quadra, who, from confusion, accept the charges presented to them hoping that later they will be able to justify themselves. But this opportunity is not given to them by the “obstinate” and thorough (rational) Beta types: “The first word is more important than the second. You have to be consistent to the end. If you know even something, then you’re already involved in it - and a suspect. If you got caught, then you’re already guilty. If you couldn’t stand up for yourself, you’re to blame for it: you have proven yourself to be “weak”. And now you’ll pay for everyone!”
In Beta Quadra – the quadra of “decisive” types – it is very important:
to stand up for oneself in time (-Ni↑);
to stand up for oneself proactively and resolutely (-Se↑);
to operatively and in timely manner occupy the dominant positions (+Ti↑, +Fe↑), - “you snooze, you lose” and can be eliminated from the system as a pariah, “appointed” to be “blamed for everything”.
Thus in Beta Quadra it is very difficult to feel oneself invulnerable and protected. In Beta, a single mistake is enough to perish. Sometimes it is enough to stumble once to fall, and then never get up again. One disciplinary remark may be enough to get onto the “black list”, to become a candidate for elimination, to be dismissed “during downsizing”, according to “the will and the decision of the team”: “We have talked and decided that it is necessary to fire you – you are often late, have to travel far for work. We decided that this would be more convenient for all … ” – and this is in the best case. In the worst case, the person will go through all the circles of hell and all the stages of humiliation – because someone took note of him (he was “penciled in”) and wrote him into the “black list” of “terrible offenders” of the rules of the system. (The rules and regulations in Beta Quadra society can be savage in themselves. Suffice it to recall the brutal forms of administrative punishment for being fifteen minutes late for work, with a possibility of imprisonment of up to three years, widely practiced in the Stalin period in the USSR).
“Selections”, “cleanings”, “purges”, displacements of the weakest on the principle of “push those who are already falling” are carried out at all levels of the hierarchy. This struggle for dominant positions burns with the fiercest flame in the elite strata. And the “guilty one” (the offender) in this system of relations – is a very important and much needed person: by perishing and dying himself, he “saves” others and helps them to remain in the system.
The fate of a “pariah” no one wants for himself, but one can draw this part by lot. And so that “goods aren’t wasted”, so that this person doesn’t go empty-handed into nowhere, this part is made even heavier: “You already will perish, thus take onto yourself this sin, and that sin, and also that one.”
The number of people that need to be “sifted out” in Beta Quadra society is often determined by a directive, in accordance with a “given plan”. So it was during the times of Inquisition, when, for the implementation of the plan of burning “heretics” accusations were made against young children who haven’t yet learned how to speak. And no reasoning bothered the theocratic hierarchs: “What does it matter if an innocent child dies? An innocent child will go to heaven as an innocent!” Another version – and a famous statement made by one of the prelates of the Church: “Why try to distinguish the righteous from the unrighteous? Execute them all. The Lord himself will recognize his own!” (Of Christian charity and the seventh commandment “thou shalt not kill” they have forgotten at that moment.)
In periods of all-pervasive repressions and “cleansing”, the society itself becomes a criminal and inhumane hierarchy. From the protector and defender of the right of its citizens, it turns into an “empire of evil ” that serves its own repressive (and regressive) apparatus of social system. So it was in the time of Stalin’s repressions, when the “highest measure” (execution by gunfire) was applied to twelve year old kids. So it happens in our times, in countries with theocratic and authoritarian regimes.
In the society of Beta Quadra, a person cannot not sense himself a potential victim, a potential outcast, “a candidate for elimination”. If he happens to forget about it, he will be reminded of it by the kind and good people from Beta Quadra – sincere well-wishers and friends. He will be taken aside and told: “What is this bickering that you have allowed yourself with the lecturer on political studies? Have you forgotten who you are and who he is?” And you can be absolutely sure that this warning will be provided only out of best friendly intentions: do not forget where you live – in what kind of society, at what time, in what kind of era.
The fear of being repressed into the lower layers of the hierarchy does not allow Beta Quadra to become overly compliant and vulnerable, does not let them to relax and come out of the state of readiness, does not allow them to forget about the need to protect themselves and to deflect attacks aimed at them onto the “weakest links” – the most vulnerable and therefore “unnecessary”, “dangerous” and “burdensome” elements of the system, getting rid of which in advance is considered to be an appropriate measure. Such person gets thrown down, as a ballast, sent to “sloppy bottom”, weighed down by false and true charges, marred by his own and others’ sins, passed through him is all the dirt that has stagnated at the bottom and all the “junk” that had accumulated in the bowels of the system.
Development of precautionary measures on quadral traits.
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The fear of displacement to the lower layers of the hierarchy (quadral “complex of being subservient”) stimulates the development of methods and measures on the predominant quadral traits, in accordance to which:
On “Subjectivist” trait: Beta Quadra fears being subjectively accused – “recognized as guilty” on basis of a personal opinion, defamation, libel or slander, accusations of some real or alleged crimes or misdemeanors;
On “Aristocratic” trait: fears not only getting pushed out of the system, but namely deposed, overthrown, thrown into the abyss, into the pit of misery and despair, of suffering and humiliation (thus Beta Quadra tries to quickly and firmly curb any manifestation of disrespect coming from others);
On “Decisive” trait: fears any extreme and irreparable harshness of the expected punishment.
Propensity of the “decisive” types to act operatively, effectively and quickly, to be “brutal” and “swift” in retaliation (to act rashly and bluntly), allows for all possible and extremely harsh punishments for the convicted. In Beta Quadra he won’t get off by mere ostracism (expulsion from the community). Penalties viewed as severe in Alpha Quadra here are considered to be too soft. In a closed and self-sufficient society of Beta Quadra the “enemies of the system” are not released into an exile (“this is too great a gift for them!”), but finished off on the spot, decisively and harshly, as a warning to others. Because too much is at stake. Namely, - the social and political well-being of the system, its combat capability and resilience, its unity and its solidarity – that is, all guarantees of its current existence and future development are at stake.
“They that stand high have many blasts to shake them; And if they fall, they dash themselves to pieces - William Shakespeare, “Richard III” - this point is also taken into account: Beta Quadra is afraid of getting carried away and moving too high, thus they don’t try to “sit down not in their own sleigh” or “put claims to a place that’s not theirs” (“every cricket has its own pole”), they try not to provoke jealousy and resentment in others.
Reasonable and prudent members of Beta Quadra try not to make enemies. Or at least try to keep them in check or under control, in the field of view (“in target”), to be able to neutralize them in a timely manner. Choosing a convenient time, remove them from the game – drop them off to lower positions, marginalize them in a risky and dangerous game, lead them “to the monastery”, direct them under the wrath of the crowd, opening up a door for each and every person to blame them for all their troubles.
In the ancient, archaic times, all the higher misfortunes that befell to a society were written off to such “marginalized people” – for example, the blame for natural disasters would be pinned on them along with accusations that they have “angered the gods”, after which they would be sent to the “gods”, be killed, which made an indelible impression on the rest of the community. Since the “gods” were soon accepting a sacrifice, the whole ceremony was heralded with such sophistication and celebrity, that in itself it was already an expected and welcome sight. Society wanted and needed this – it was addicted to the spectacle as if a drug and arranged for its procession effectively and theatrically – so that the audience could satiate its demands for revenge and hatred for the “enemies of the system” and get aesthetic pleasure from the kinds of punishments that befell to them.
Later, in ancient Rome, all these spectacles were turned into a show. For the participants in these “performances” costumes were made, roles were assigned, and lush, richly ornamented “props” were crafted. For greater exoticism, regal animals, such as lions and tigers, participated, playing the role of the executioner. Society, depraved by such spectacles and constantly craving for some new, some spectacularly arranged entertainment, would make sure that the number of victims in the arena would not go down, that the flow of convicts “sent to death” would not decrease. At the same time, every person watching could justify these deaths by some or other historical or social necessity.
Similarly, in recent times, the vast majority of Stalin’s “conscious citizens” justified mass repressions, referencing the saying: “When wood gets chopped, chips and splinters fly”. Society was consolidated and actively cooperating with authorities in helping them track down the “guilty”. Informants (“secret collaborators”) of all ages were recruited from all walks of the population – from young and old, from students and from workers. First graders, who have just learned how to write, were made to draft “black” lists with the names of the “naughty” and “disobedient” children – those who would run around on recess, instead of politely and peacefully walking in a circle along the wall. (And how could it be otherwise? - let them know why they were taught how to read and write!) In those days, only the informants felt themselves safe, only they could say what they thought, and thereby provoke others to honesty. Each of them lived on the principle of: “You die today, and I - tomorrow”. And this principle is also fueled by Beta quadral “complex of subservience” – the fear of being forced out into the lower layers of the hierarchy – as a pariah, an outcast of society.)
In such harsh and tough times, when one could perish for nothing, the “complex of subservience” would not only makes Beta Quadra be especially cautious and prudent in their views and actions (± Te ↓), but it also allowed them to survive in difficult situations, taught them how to value and get by with the little that they had been able to win in the fierce struggle for existence and a privileged place in the system created under such conditions.
All predominant aspects in Beta Quadra work to mute the “complex of subservience”:
The conformist, autocratic logic of relations (+Ti) – the EGO “program” of LSI Maxim, postulating the principle “who has the power in the yard, has the right”, capable of getting along with any authority, and finding for himself a convenient eco-niche in the privileged layers of the hierarchy of any autocratic structure.
And the heavily assertive volitional sensing of Beta Quadra (-Se) that forces others to subordinate and obey – the EGO “program” of SLE Zhukov, that is capable of pressing down with the weight of guilt an innocent person, and of suppressing an opponent by the gravity of his own authoritarian subjective opinion, leaving the last word always to himself.
Not yielding to them are their duals: EIE Hamlet, who fiercely attacks an opponent from the position of “obstinate” and authoritarian ethics of emotions (+Fe) – an eloquent orator, a consummate public denouncer, having no equal in this in the entire socion – the EIE knows how to captivate his listeners with ardent fervor of his statements, and does not give a break to anyone in a dispute. He protects himself fiercely and aggressively, saying things that sound extremely convincing, while in actuality having few “trump cards” or even in complete absence of them. That’s who will defend his point of view to the very end, to the last breath, and will never consider himself guilty. Defending himself, the EIE always attacks (as is typical of an “obstinate” determined “strategic” type). If he cannot find an appropriate logical argument, he often gets personal, switches things around, and moves the blame to someone else’s shoulders, trying to divert suspicions from himself. (Arguments of “decisive” resolute “subjectivists” are akin to a war – to win all methods suffice).
Not far behind the EIE on creative ethics of emotion (+Fe) is the prudent and cautious IEI Yesenin (who is even ahead of the EIE on the “program” of intuition of time: -Ni). As a “farsighted” “tactical” type, long before the start of a dispute, the IEI thinks of a system of “traps”, “mines”, and “catches” that would disarm and neutralize an opponent. In a dispute the IEI remains by the sidelines. If the IEI doesn’t feel him/herself personally attacked or challenged, he or she remains unnoticed, observing from the the sidelines. Following his intuitive program, the IEI can discreetly bring the opponent toward the “trap” at the right time, can baffle and slay him with glaring absurdity of his counter-arguments, turning a defense into an attack. As a “tactician”, the IEI works great on the defensive, and often seems invulnerable in a dispute, despite the fact that all of his/her supposedly devastatingly crushing counter-arguments at closer inspection look to be “woven out of nothing” – out of a “mirage”, out of “emotional foam”, from absurd conclusions and “soap bubbles”.
Tempered in battles, the Beta Quadra does not allow anyone to push them out of the system, or even to its peripheries. All of Beta Quadra TIMs are protected (and armed to the teeth) by the set of predominating aspects in their quadra and in their TIM models. When Beta Quadra types are “on top of their horse” – in their own environment, in their element – they are often unapproachable. However, they often allow themselves to be defeated through a deal. There, where someone tries to “negotiate” with them and convinces them to admit to at least a part of the blame, in order to obtain for themselves (or their loved ones) an easier fate or a lighter penalty, they surrender. As soon as it comes to making deals, the advantages characteristic of them on the trait of “subjectivism” – become lost, as does the logic of relations (Ti) that gets displaced by pragmatic logic of actions (Te) of the succeeding Gamma Quadra (±Te↑, ±Ti↓) – the quadra of “decisive” “democratic” “objectivists” that displace Beta Quadra from their dominating positions by the use of new “trade relations”.
In an effort to save and preserve more at the cost of a small loss, Beta Quadra agrees to conditions proposed to them (on logic of relations) and then they lose everything, as they find themselves in another system of relations, in a different reality, in a different era and under other circumstances – they find themselves in a pragmatic world of benefit and the calculation of “decisive” business “objectivists” of Gamma Quadra.
Additional Links
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Quadra
Quadral Estafette: Silhouettes of Time Through Progression of Types by Victor Gulenko
The Clock of the Socion: Energy Dynamics of Quadra and Benefit Rings
Alpha Quadra: The Complex of Closed Mouth by Stratiyevskaya
Beta Quadra: The Complex of Subservience by Stratiyevskaya
Gamma Quadra: The Complex of Tied Hands by Stratiyevskaya
Delta Quadra: The Complex of Clipped Wings by Stratiyevskaya