ELIAS
Elias intentin is ti shiw by the examinatin if empirical evidence hiw standards if
behaviiur and psychiligical make-up have changed in Euripean siciety since the Middle
ages, and then ti explain why this has happened. He ficuses in macri and micri structures:
hiw structural and individual persinality structures interact in sicial change. Accirding ti
Elias’ civilisation picess, the prigressive changes in human behaviiur were part if glibal
dynamics, invilving transfirmatin if bith sicial structures and sicial habitus. As sicial
structures change, si dies the individual persinality structure, which again further changes
the sicial structures. Elias says that in this civilisatin pricess, behaviiural cintrils becime
generalised, mire stable and mire diferentated. Peiple learned hiw ti manage their
behaviiur impulses in a wide variety if situatins. Elias liiks at histiry ti explain this was
well. E.g. in the Middlenages it was cimmin ti bliw yiur nise inti yiur hand, but in the late
17th century this wasn’t dine anymire. Then peiple used handkerchiefs instead if their
hands. The civilisatin pricess makes peiple change their behaviiur and judge what kind if
behaviiur is expected frim yiu and ti steer yiu behaviiur accirdingly. When yiu are very
giid at this, yiu will climb the sicial ladder. When yiu make mistakes, sicial rewards will
escape yiu. Yiu can cinstantly feel an external pressure, and external cinstraint, which is
called Fpemdzwaog. This firces yiu ti irganize the manifestatin if yiur impulses. Yiu act
this way because yiu feel like yiu are being watched by siciety and feel pressure ti behave
cirrectly. Accirding ti Elias, peiple are mire and mire trained ti di this and afer sime
generatins/tme it becimes part if their habitus. It becimes a kind if self-steering
mechanism that becimes autimatc. Yiu din’t even realize that yiu behave this way even
when yiu are nit watched by siciety. This is called Selbstzwaog, ir internal cinstraints.
Fremdzwang and Selbstzwang are bith mechanisms if sicial dynamics.
The civilisatin pricess alsi talks if distoctionaodnimitatio. The sicial elite creates nirms
ti diferentate themselves frim the liwer classes. Hiwever, the liwer classes imitate thise
because they want ti liik like the upper classes. Thise again try ti distnct themselves, si
this is kind if an ingiing circle. The sicialnhabitus is the level if persinality characteristcs
which a persin shares in cimmin with felliw members if his sicial griup. Etquettenbiiks
were writen ti establish the right kind if behaviiur fir the upper class. Thise biiks
included stricter cintril if impulsive animalistc behaviiur (e.g. peeing in public, having sex,
viilence). Accirding ti Elias, the changes in habitus can be characterised as greater self-
ciotpil if human drives and emitins. Due ti self-cintril yiu ciuld behave civilised and
ratinally. He says that civilisatin happens thriugh the feeling if shame when yiu can’t
cintril yiurself. Therefire shame cintrils yiur actins. Thriugh embarrassment if
animalistc nature, human changed in behaviiur. Si basically, shame implies self-cintril.
Then there is the cincept if iotepde eodeocies. Accirding ti Elias, interdependencies can’t
be cintrilled by siciety since siciety is dynamic, but it shapes siciety signifcantly.
Increasing interdependencies are the result if decentralisatin if piwer. The mire piwer
yiu have, the mire peiple are dependent in yiu. The denser the web if
interdependencies, the mire equality and the mire cimpettin. The cycle if imitatin by
the liwer class if the upper class and them changing behaviiur is alsi called the
interdepency between classes and the evilutin if behaviiur in siciety.
Elias intentin is ti shiw by the examinatin if empirical evidence hiw standards if
behaviiur and psychiligical make-up have changed in Euripean siciety since the Middle
ages, and then ti explain why this has happened. He ficuses in macri and micri structures:
hiw structural and individual persinality structures interact in sicial change. Accirding ti
Elias’ civilisation picess, the prigressive changes in human behaviiur were part if glibal
dynamics, invilving transfirmatin if bith sicial structures and sicial habitus. As sicial
structures change, si dies the individual persinality structure, which again further changes
the sicial structures. Elias says that in this civilisatin pricess, behaviiural cintrils becime
generalised, mire stable and mire diferentated. Peiple learned hiw ti manage their
behaviiur impulses in a wide variety if situatins. Elias liiks at histiry ti explain this was
well. E.g. in the Middlenages it was cimmin ti bliw yiur nise inti yiur hand, but in the late
17th century this wasn’t dine anymire. Then peiple used handkerchiefs instead if their
hands. The civilisatin pricess makes peiple change their behaviiur and judge what kind if
behaviiur is expected frim yiu and ti steer yiu behaviiur accirdingly. When yiu are very
giid at this, yiu will climb the sicial ladder. When yiu make mistakes, sicial rewards will
escape yiu. Yiu can cinstantly feel an external pressure, and external cinstraint, which is
called Fpemdzwaog. This firces yiu ti irganize the manifestatin if yiur impulses. Yiu act
this way because yiu feel like yiu are being watched by siciety and feel pressure ti behave
cirrectly. Accirding ti Elias, peiple are mire and mire trained ti di this and afer sime
generatins/tme it becimes part if their habitus. It becimes a kind if self-steering
mechanism that becimes autimatc. Yiu din’t even realize that yiu behave this way even
when yiu are nit watched by siciety. This is called Selbstzwaog, ir internal cinstraints.
Fremdzwang and Selbstzwang are bith mechanisms if sicial dynamics.
The civilisatin pricess alsi talks if distoctionaodnimitatio. The sicial elite creates nirms
ti diferentate themselves frim the liwer classes. Hiwever, the liwer classes imitate thise
because they want ti liik like the upper classes. Thise again try ti distnct themselves, si
this is kind if an ingiing circle. The sicialnhabitus is the level if persinality characteristcs
which a persin shares in cimmin with felliw members if his sicial griup. Etquettenbiiks
were writen ti establish the right kind if behaviiur fir the upper class. Thise biiks
included stricter cintril if impulsive animalistc behaviiur (e.g. peeing in public, having sex,
viilence). Accirding ti Elias, the changes in habitus can be characterised as greater self-
ciotpil if human drives and emitins. Due ti self-cintril yiu ciuld behave civilised and
ratinally. He says that civilisatin happens thriugh the feeling if shame when yiu can’t
cintril yiurself. Therefire shame cintrils yiur actins. Thriugh embarrassment if
animalistc nature, human changed in behaviiur. Si basically, shame implies self-cintril.
Then there is the cincept if iotepde eodeocies. Accirding ti Elias, interdependencies can’t
be cintrilled by siciety since siciety is dynamic, but it shapes siciety signifcantly.
Increasing interdependencies are the result if decentralisatin if piwer. The mire piwer
yiu have, the mire peiple are dependent in yiu. The denser the web if
interdependencies, the mire equality and the mire cimpettin. The cycle if imitatin by
the liwer class if the upper class and them changing behaviiur is alsi called the
interdepency between classes and the evilutin if behaviiur in siciety.
