How social systems persist: learning to build a social network in an uncertain world

Abstract

Social organization is characterized by its stability. Researchers consistently observe distinct social relationships (e.g. mated pairs, friendships and rivalries) and higher-order social network structures (e.g. subgroups, transitivity and dominance hierarchies) across time and space. Nevertheless, group change is also ubiquitous, and the social composition of groups fluctuates over time and across generations. Despite this, little is known about the processes underlying the stability of social organization, especially across generations. This paper proposes that understanding the development of social relationships, or socialization, provides key insights into the stability and flexibility of group social organization. I propose that stable patterns of social organization can be conceptualized as a feedback system, where the social organization of groups renews itself by guiding the socialization of resilient species-normative relationships in juveniles. I outline a general framework of socialization that includes exploring, pruning and consolidating early social connections to form stable relationships. During this socialization process, outside influences from the group guide how juveniles explore their social environment, which social connections are reinforced and which behavioural skills are used to consolidate connections. When the social relationships that define the group's organization directly or indirectly guide the socialization of juveniles to recreate those relationships, the result is stable patterns of social organization. This developmental perspective provides mechanistic insights into how social organization persists in an uncertain world and highlights how developmental processes may be a crucial, and overlooked, factor in shaping the stability and flexibility of social organization.