Social complexity components

With increases in group size and social complexity, and the consequent expansion of diversity in communication, there is presumably selection pressure for unambiguous signals. Over time, evolutionary change may reduce unwanted complexity and act to refine specificity. Whether this results in reliance on the properties of a single component rather than those of the pattern provided by a complex mixture is conjectural. A reasonable expectation is that emitted semiochemical(s) can be reliably produced, and that their contents are acted upon by selection. The improvements in control which can thus be attained are seen in the operation of stereospecificity (Miiller-Schwarze et al, 1976). 

As we saw with HIV, individual behavior, particularly high-risk behaviors such as unprotected sex and illicit drug use, has the ability to spawn epidemics. According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 340 million cases of sexually transmitted infections a year worldwide (World Health Organization, 2003 a). These preventable diseases can result in illness, infertility, and disability, as well as death. It is imperative for infectious disease prevention programs and interventions to take these complex social-behavioral components into consideration (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2003). 

As our understanding of primate societies has deepened, the expression social complexity occurs more and more frequently. However, it has not been subjected to systematic analysis. Tom Sambrook and I have begun an assault on this task, attempting as far as possible to identify components of social complexity that in principle could be independently measured, even where this is currently difficult in practice (e.g. A. Whiten T. Sambrook, unpublished paper, Am Soc Primatol, July 1994, Sambrook 1995). 

The Davidson hypothesis is complex because it has not just two but four components the left vs. the right and top (cortex) vs. the bottom (limbic areas). Oversimplifying for the sake of clarity, preferential activation of the left prefrontal area is associated with positive dispositional affects like affections and optimism, whereas preferential activation of the right prefrontal area is associated with negative dispositional affects like social fearfulness and pessimism. 

Social responsibility under the present conditions of globalization reflects the whole complex of relations within the framework of a market economy. The most important component of social responsibility is the essence of business and its contribution to economy. But, business cannot exist isolated from society. It depends on a multitude of factors, important among which are human, organizational, and financial resources. Eventually, recognition of the economic potential of a country as a main element of the NSS will be the norm. 

---