In every system, forces are acting as an undercurrent. They are forces, just like an undercurrent in the water, that are felt but not always seen. They may be experienced as inhibiting or propelling movement. Such ordering forces govern behavior in human systems.
Four of them are highlighted in a body of work called systemic constellations. They are time, belonging, place, and exchange.
Time stands for the tension between the residue of the past and the anticipation of the future. This tension is an energy impacting the present.
Belonging is the sense that results from the norms people internalize and how they form loyalties. It is a felt sense of security that aligns with a sense resulting from the felt inclusion and exclusion.
Place consists of the set of relationships and responsibilities and true hierarchy in a group that has been found to best serve the system’s purpose.
Exchange builds cohesion and loyalty over time as a consequence of the balance found between giving and getting. It is a delicate balance that is learned through one’s experience of giving and getting into that system.
It seems that out of the four, it is belonging that has the most impact and force.
It is interesting to note how these ordering forces and the priority of belonging align with Gabor Maté’s ideas. He reflects on how children handle the two core needs every human has. According to him, attachment needs always have priority for the infant. He will let go of his other need, authenticity, when necessary.
For babies, the attachment need is how they’ll experience belonging and feel secure in their relationship with their caregivers. It is the contact, the connection, and the love they experience as well as how they experience it. The need for authenticity consists of the baby’s ability to know what to feel, be in touch with their body, express who they are, and manifest who they are in their relationships, which resembles the idea of place as one of the organizing forces.
It may be less important to have an exact match than to see how these individual organizing forces can contribute to the state of being of a larger system.
