Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Collected Essays in Anthropology, Psychiatry, Evolution, and Epistemology

Bateson critiques the approach taken by a Social Sciences Research Council Memorandum on cultural contact. He challenges its use of oversimplified categorizations, such as dividing cultural traits into economic, religious, or political functions. Bateson argues that these categories are artificial abstractions rather than accurate reflections of the interconnected nature of cultural traits, which often serve multiple purposes simultaneously. Drawing on anthropological work by British-Polish anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, he argues that cultural phenomena overlap and interact dynamically, rendering rigid classification systems inadequate.

Bateson calls for an alternative approach to studying cultural contact. Rather than starting with abstract categories, he suggests formulating clear, specific questions to guide investigations. He expands the traditional understanding of cultural contact, including not only interactions between distinct communities but also within differentiated groups in a single society, such as social classes or age groups. These internal dynamics, he argues, can illuminate the broader processes of cultural change.

Central to Bateson’s analysis in Part 2 is the concept of schismogenesis, the process by which interactions between groups amplify differentiation and destabilize relationships. He identifies two types: symmetrical schismogenesis, in which similar behaviors (e.g., boasting) escalate rivalry, and complementary schismogenesis, where contrasting behaviors (e.