E1 Kinship intensity ranges

Topic

There are two tiers of kinship intensity—the dimension that fundamentally drives *Inequality*, and partially influences *Population* and *Power*: the kin-intensive (or clan-based) tier and the individual-associative tier. What distinguishes one tier from the other is the effective unit of default trust and loyalty: the clan or lineage in the kin-intensive tier, and the individual or impersonal institution in the individual-associative tier.

This effective unit of default trust and loyalty is the variable that determines which kinship intensity tier a society occupies; it is revealed through how that society resolves disputes and fills positions of authority. When disputes are settled and authority positions filled by appealing to the clan or lineage, the effective unit of default trust and loyalty is the clan or lineage; conversely, when these processes rely on the individual or an impersonal institution, that unit becomes the individual or the impersonal institution.

A society transitions from one kinship intensity tier to the other only when the effective unit of default trust and loyalty changes in a sustained, widespread manner—and when that change persists beyond a single political cycle. This specific shift acts as the trigger for the transition in kinship intensity; furthermore, the effective unit of default trust and loyalty—manifested in dispute resolution and the recruitment for positions of authority—serves as the key indicator used to diagnose the tier and detect shifts in the logic of recruitment and loyalty, thereby determining which kinship intensity tier a society is in.

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