Why do advanced societies repeatedly enter cycles of escalation even when alternatives exist? This white paper examines structural dynamics that shape collective perception and policy formation under perceived threat. Drawing on Johan Galtung’s framework of chosenness, myth, and trauma (CMT), alongside John McMurtry’s concept of the “ruling group-mind,” the paper proposes that unexamined identity narratives, unprocessed historical trauma, institutional framing, and emotional mobilization interact to narrow deliberative space during crisis.
Rather than assigning individual blame or advancing partisan critique, the analysis operates at the structural level. It explores how collective subconscious patterns can influence public discourse, how institutional norms shape what becomes thinkable, and how rapid emotional consensus may compress policy alternatives.
The paper concludes by outlining cultural and institutional practices that may interrupt recursive cycles of projection and escalation. In an era of globalized power and accelerated crisis, reflective governance is presented as a necessary condition for long-term stability.
