The change of cultural complexes and their elements as shown is stimulated by the need of adaptation of the ethnical units. But this broad statement can be dissected. First of all, there are permanently acting sources of impulses, i.e., the adaptation to the seasonal variation of weather, the periodical variations of climate, the consummation of food, and the wearing out of utensils, clothing, dwellings, etc. However, the adaptation in the given conditions, including variations of weather and climate, may be so perfect and flexible that there will be no need of changing anything in the system. Yet the system of the supply of food, utensils, clothing, and dwellings may also be so perfect and regular that no impulse of change will appear. But there is an important factor of unavoidable change; namely, increase of population. The increase, even at a small rate, requires the readaptation of the unit, for a need of a new territory or that of a new way of division of work appears which would allow the maintaining of the existence of an increasing number of members forming the unit. The pressure of population is a permanently functioning stimulus if the unit is in the process of growth. Since the change of the economical organization or the simple regrouping of the elements is implied by this factor, the other elements of the ethnographical complex must also be readapted. Then a series of continuous changes follows.
Yet there is one more important source of variation; namely, the change of primary milieu, which may take place either as a result of a sudden change of climate, periodically occurring, or owing to the migration of the unit, total or partial, which is a common case with growing units. The readaptation in these cases is implied by the need of survival and it must proceed immediately. This process is very often correlated with the change of the physical adaptation of the ethnical groups.
At last a great source of change is the interethnical milieu; i.e., the surrounding ethnical groups. The necessity of change is implied by the pressure on the part of the neighbours who in the process of numerical increase tend to occupy new territory. In order to oppose this pressure, which often takes on a military form, the unit has to produce effort for a certain increase of its population or for the perfection of the military and other technique. Another way of pressure operates through the imitation of cultural complexes and elements found amongst the neighbours. The importance of this source of change may be realized if we remember that there is no one ethnical group which would be beyond the interethnical pressure.
The effect of the interethnical pressure may be better seen when the difference of the ethnical value of the units is considered. The ethnoses are found under the pressure of all other units. So if the
ethnical value of the ethnos is defined as shown, f = Iq/ω, and its interethnical actual value is increased, owing to the impulsive pressure of all neighbouring ethnical units, i. e., ε = Iq/ωΣ, where Σ is the
sum of all impulses of variations active amongst these units, then the intensity of the interethnical pressure and its effectiveness may be realized.
The possible forms and sources of impulses of variations may be classed into three groups conditioned by the quantitative change, either of population, or culture (and in general adaptation), or territory, which imply the change of other elements forming the ethnical equilibrium of the unit. The impulses of this type I have called «impulses of variations,» from the formula of the constant of ethnical equilibrium ω = q/ST, whence the impulses of variations may be understood as proportional to the relative increase of some of the elements for Δq/ΔSΔT = ω. The impulses of variations considered as shown hold good so long as the ethnos is isolated and where physical changes do not affect the unit. However, as we have already seen, the ethnos cannot be regarded as an isolated unit—this is a mere abstraction — and thus the processes cannot be observed as they actually are.
The impulses of variation may originate owing to the pressure of interethnical equilibrium, so the ethnos may be compelled to change, for instance, its cultural adaptation, the positive outcome of which may be totally consumed by the needs of opposing the increase of the interethnical pressure (for maintaining the equilibrium); or if the reaction of implied change may show an excess, the latter will produce further impulsive variations of other elements of ethnical equilibrium as it goes on in the isolated ethnoses. The same effects may be observed in the case of the change of population implied by the interethnical pressure.
It is evident that we meet with the same situation when the source of the impulse of variation is the pressure of change of the primary milieu. However, the situation is different when there are involved changes of the physical (particularly physiological) adaptation. In fact, the latter as shown is the element to which are adapted all elements of the secondary milieu (culture). If the variations of milieu, both primary and interethnical, imply a change of physical characters in the process of adaptation of the ethnos, the whole system of ethnical equilibrium must be rearranged. In the process of rearrangement the unit may lose its ethnical equilibrium and naturally collapse or slowly disintegrate under the interethnical pressure [19].
It is impossible to enumerate here all the cases of impulses of variations and their combinations; yet for our purpose — as an introduction to the processes of variations in language — it is also not necessary. What is stated in the above lines may suffice to show how these processes are complex and how they may be analysed.
Now we may proceed to the problem of intensity and tempo of variations of cultural complexes and elements. We have already seen that in the ethnoses the variations may have a different intensity, tension, and tempo, which depend on a great number of various conditions. Let us suppose that there are no impulses of variations, which certainly would be an ideal case, then there will be naturally no variations. If the impulses appear, and if the ethnos wants to survive in its former integrity, it has to produce certain changes, which it does proportionally to the impulses of variations. Naturally, the greater the impulses of variations, the greater the intensity of implied variations.
Since the impulses of variations are permanently acting, and since some of them are permanently increasing, the intensity of variations increases with them. True, there is a limit of increase; namely, when the change requires the effort which does not compensate the results achieved by the change, then the change not only becomes useless, but becomes harmful for the existence of the unit. However, the change as such means very little, for the essential condition is the tempo of changes, or changes occurring at the unit of time. This is very important, for every change must oass through the mechanism of a psychomental complex, which has to reflect the process and adapt itself for the act of change, ante or post factum. From the observation of facts, we know that the psycho-mental ability of ethnoses in tension, which must be proportional to the tempo of variations, is different. Yet there is also a certain limit of tension that cannot be passed over. In fact, the existence of cultural elements is possible only on the condition of their being recognized by the ethnical unit which underlies the mechanism of their transmission to the succeeding generations. If there is a negative reaction on the cultural element the latter cannot be included into the complex. On the other hand, the attachment to the existing elements and complexes may also obstruct the changes up to the degree when the unit may suffer from the lack of adaptiveness. In case there is no reaction on the elements and complexes the tension will be very weak, for it will require only the mental effort of logical reasoning to bring the unit to the idea that a certain change must be produced; but at the same time it will not be stabilized and economically used in the old complex. But if there is an absolute refusal to carry out a change, the changes implied may produce a dangerous effect; namely, a kind of psychic disequilibrium of the unit in which the minor changes may absorb the attention and creative power of the unit too much, in this way depriving it of the economical use of its faculties for further adaptation. So the tension cannot pass over the limit when it begins to threaten the psychic equilibrium of the unit.
From this analysis of the process of changes, we may see that some elements may be changed without producing harmful effects upon the equilibrium and the functional productivity of the complexes. On the other hand, we have seen that the adoption of certain elements brings immediate variations and are promptly recognized, while some other elements can be accomplished only after a long process of assimilation and adaptation. Yet, in some cases, no tension is required for producing a change, while in some other cases a tension is required to pass over the limit of ethnical ability to the tension itself. Moreover, we have seen that the elements to be introduced are almost always found ready in the complexes of their neighbours, or they may be created within the unit itself if they are greatly needed [20].
So that we may now conclude: the mechanism of the preservation and introduction, creation included, of new elements and complexes is such that it may be favourable or unfavourable for the continuity of elements regardless of complexes, and it may be favourable or unfavourable to the preservation of complexes, regardless of elements, the chief reason of which is that culture comprising elements and their complexes is functional adaptation. In this aspect, it is included as one of the elements of the constant of ethnical equilibrium and thus it is subject to variations, as any other elements constituting ethnical equilibrium.
The only reason for the existence of elements and complexes is that they are needed as a method of adaptation and the ethnoses do not hesitate to choose the way to receive and introduce them if they can be adapted to the complexes, and they are not rejected till they threaten the existing equilibrium.
19. It should be here pointed out that the pressure of population has its own peculiarities; namely, in ethnoses, in other animals and plants as well, the potential increase of population greatly exceeds the practical possibility of change of cultural adaptation and extension of the area occupied. This calls to life a complex mechanism checking the growth of population beyond the limits put by the given equilibrium. In man this must pass through the process of adaptation of the psycho-mental complex. If the ethnos loses its ability of maintaining its equilibrium, there may occur an uncontrolled increase of population which cannot be followed by the variation of the secondary milieu (culture), and thus the only way of adaptation will be the change of physical characters. Practically, it takes the form of pauperism and physical «degeneration.» It is evident that in this process the interethnical value of the ethnos is reduced, and it is doomed to perish under the interethnical pressure. On the other hand, the overgrowth of the secondary milieu, which is not followed by a balanced increase of population, and which is not implied by the interethnical pressure, may also result in the loss of equilibrium and physical changes. Practically, however, the interethnical milieu does not leave, for the completion of the process of decline and ethnos as an independent unit perishes much earlier, very often through the process ol anthropological substitution. Furthermore, the loss of elasticity in the regulation of the self-reproductive function, balanced with the growth of 5, may also result in the inability of adaptation to the growing interethnical pressure (e. g., the case of ethnoses practising for a long time artificial methods of birth control), and thus loss ot interethnical value, a further disintegration, and the death of the unit.
20. As a matter of fact, most of the new, promptly needed elements are usually discovered by one of thousands of existing units, whence they spread over other units which need such an element. However, investigators usually pay great attention to those units which are in the process of great creative adaptation. This function is observed chiefly in leading ethnical units. The mechanism of adaptation by the creation of new elements is very complex, so it will not be discussed here; for it would require too extensive a treatment, while a great majority of units never use it, for they can borrow needed elements from their neighbours, so that the ethnical unit merely draws elements from the interethnical milieu and creates only in cases of a great need of adaptation. Of course, I am far away from the idea of minimizing the importance of the creative ability of ethnoses, bat it has practically a relatively minor importance in the history of adaptation of individual units. It begins to work only when borrowing is more difficult than creation, or when borrowing is impossible. In my further works I shall devote more attention to the mechanism of creation in leading ethnoses which may survive only on the condition of the creation of new elements and new complexes. I shall also show why investigators are so much interested in this problem. This is one of the curious ethnographical phenomena.