# Submission to Hierarchy **Entity class:** Social behavior / comparative framework **Domain:** Ethology / ritual / political psychology **Maturity:** Developing ## Definition **Submission to hierarchy** is behavior that acknowledges a superior rank, reduces apparent threat, seeks protection or favor, or renews a relationship of dependence. Its forms can include posture, gaze, vocalization, deference, petition, and repeated ritual. ## Comparative Use [[blog/20261007 - The Prayers of Primates|The Prayers of Primates]] compares chimpanzee subordination signals with human prayer postures and petitions. The comparison becomes stronger when separated into mechanisms: [[wiki/Primate Rank-Maintenance|Primate Rank-Maintenance]] concerns enacted status, [[wiki/Mentalizing Network|Mentalizing Network]] concerns modeling an addressee, [[wiki/Social Grooming|Social Grooming]] concerns affiliation, and [[wiki/Big Gods|Big Gods]] concerns supernatural monitoring and norm enforcement. ## Evidence Boundary Shared form does not establish shared origin. Kneeling, bowing, prayer, obedience, respect, fear, and strategic compliance can overlap without being interchangeable. ## Relationships - [[wiki/Pant-Grunt|Pant-Grunt]] - [[wiki/Chimpanzee Politics|Chimpanzee Politics]] - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] - [[wiki/Hierarchy of Cognition|Hierarchy of Cognition]]