Anthropologist Gregory Bateson highlighted that often, culture is based on oppositional behavior.
And it can spiral.
They say “up” and the easy thing is to say “down.”
Literally, “the creation of division.”
Your competitor launches a product and you work to undermine it with a different approach. Find small gaps and amplify them.
Schismogenesis is based on perceptions of scarcity, and is amplified by the simplicity of not having to think very hard about our next step. A little gap turns into a large one, which becomes our identity.
It’s really useful for teenagers, but it might be worth outgrowing.
The narcissism of small differences, at a tribal level.
The alternative to schismogenesis is the hard work of creating a movement. Showing up to do work that matters for people who care. When we know where we are going, we don’t have to focus on what others are doing to figure out what we should do next.
It pays to ask: “What kind of people are we?” instead of letting our opponents decide for us.
[thanks Cory.]