Addiction, Cultism and the Belief in Statism - a Liminal Perspective
The role of liminal steps in the process of overcoming addiction, cultism, and belief in the legitimacy of the State.
The concept of “liminal” - a short intro
A “liminal space” generally refers to a transition space. A physical example is a hallway, which is used to “transition” from one room to another. In psychology the term is also used in the process of transitioning from one idea to another. “Liminal steps” describe a series of changing ideas; each involves a small change in an idea or perspective; cumulatively they lead to a significant change in belief, perspective, and/or behavior.
Whether guided by intent or not, liminal steps are part of the process of any change of ideas, large or small. Understanding why 2 plus 2 equal 4 happens in a child’s mind via liminal steps. The particular steps differ from person to person, but the steps occur nonetheless.
Major life decisions also happen via liminal steps. Again, they differ for each person. But more to the point, the steps generally occur with little conscious awareness.
In psychology, overcoming unhealthy behaviors or mental states can be guided by an understanding of the role of liminal steps.
Examples of unhealthy behaviors or mental states
Two of the subjects of this essay are severely unhealthy human conditions: addiction and cultism.
Addiction (highly simplified) involves mindsets, experience, and physiology, which combine and lead to destructive behavior.
Cultism combines mindsets, experience, and psychological influence. These lead to the subordination of the self to others, to a degree that is destructive to the individual.
The third subject of this essay is the harmful belief that the State is a legitimate institution 1. Its psychological roots have similarities to cultism, and it likewise leads to the subordination of the self to the authority of others.
Overcoming addiction by liminal steps
There are many small steps out of addiction, with varying degrees of conscious awareness along the way. Using conscious liminal steps involves taking a measure of control over thought processes.
It involves breaking down the individual’s problems into pieces, such as specific assumptions and behaviors. It focuses their attention on those pieces, and helps them gain an understanding of their nature. The purpose is to guide and aid the subconscious mind. As the mind processes these understandings “in the background”, it recognizes a lack of internal coherence; this helps influence the person’s observations and behavior for the better. The cumulative goal is to guide their behavior out of the addiction in a psychologically permanent way.
Overcoming cultism by liminal steps
Generally the liminal steps out of cultism are far less guided by conscious effort, as compared to addiction. A person overcoming cultism may describe it as a single shocking step, as if they suddenly “wake up”. In fact this is merely the most significant conscious step, and thus the most memorable.
Most often the person has made many unconscious observations about their cult thinking and environment. In liminal steps, their subconscious mind, again, recognizes a lack of internal coherence between these observations and more healthy values they learned elsewhere. These build up to a point where their mind can no longer accommodate these cohabiting and contradictory values. The conflict manifests in the person’s conscious mind. They experience the discomfort of psychological struggle which, hopefully, culminates in critical thinking toward the cult.
Overcoming the belief in Statism by liminal steps
Anarchists likely recognize the common experience of having observed others overcome their belief in the legitimacy of the State. Almost invariably it is described as an “ah-ha” moment.
Psychologically, this process is somewhat comparable to the process of overcoming addiction, and remarkably comparable to the process of overcoming cultism.
Each attempt to persuade others that the State is illegitimate is one of a series of liminal steps for the listener. They are generally unaware these steps are building blocks that may eventually lead to a clearer understanding of the nature of the State. They are incremental challenges to learned thinking.
Each step carries a measure of psychological discomfort; their focused mind is asked to challenge deeply rooted assumptions. Once again, their mind is being asked to recognize a lack of internal coherence. In this case, a conflict between their assumptions about the nature of the State, and their own morality (that interactions between people must always be strictly consensual).
An immediate abandonment of the myth of the State is highly unlikely, simply because there is a lifetime of indoctrination to overcome. It is less an intellectual journey, and more a psychological one.
Conclusion
I believe we can help improve our own success in messaging the ideas of liberty. We can see our efforts from the perspective of our audience, reminding ourselves they are highly indoctrinated. They will need many steps before they can overcome the indoctrinated belief in the legitimacy of the State.
Each time we communicate, we are providing a liminal step for others. As with addiction or cultism, their own mind must overcome its psychological impediments. The better we guide their thoughts at each step, the better we equip their own mind to do its part.
This is an important reason that our messaging must at minimum maintain consistency…that in some way, the underlying message (that the State is illegitimate) is as evident as possible.
Because this point superficially appears to differ from the first two (addiction and cultism), I should make clear that as an anarchist I hold several presuppositions regarding this belief:
The belief arises solely from indoctrination. That is, in a free society, the notion would never take hold that any class of men could gain the legitimate right to coercively rule others.
The indoctrination is ubiquitous. The belief is reinforced by family and community, the education system, media, entertainment, religion, and of course the State itself.
The results of the indoctrination are unhealthy both for the individual and for society at large. The individual suspends critical thinking from the most important issues that pertain to themselves and others; and society itself struggles mightily in its progress toward peace and prosperity.