| a one dimensional theory of character |
[Sep. 8th, 2007|08:38 pm] |
From Cats and Dogs:
There are two basic roles in a human dominance hierarchy. The roles are not "dominance" and "submission", at least not precisely. To avoid the baggage those words hold, I'll instead use an animal metaphor:
Cat: Scratch my ear. Ex-cellent. May I use your leg as a scratching post? No? Hmm, how about I sit on you instead. Do not move. ... Well done. Now feed me.
Dog: Hello, let's do something. What should we do? ... Yes, the stick fetching game would be acceptable. ... However I find that stick you are holding uninteresting. Try again. ... Ah, yes, yes! That stick I find quite exciting! Ok, I will fetch the stick. ... That was fun!
The distinction is this: cats propose things to do, dogs either accept or veto these proposals. In a hierarchy, whenever two people talk one will play the cat and one the dog. In larger hierarchies someone in the middle of the hierarchy may play the dog or the cat depending on who they are talking to. |
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