Prepared By Manu Melwin Joy
Assistant ProfessorIlahia School of Management Studies
Kerala, India.Phone – 9744551114
Mail – [email protected]
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Competitive symbiosis
What happens when two
people meet who both
want to take up the same
symbiotic role? If they
both want to be Parents,
or both seek to act Child?
Competitive symbiosis
When this is so, the
parties will begin
“jockeying for position”
in the hope of taking up
their preferred symbiotic
role.
Competitive symbiosis
For example, you may
have heard this kind of
exchange in a restaurant
as two people prepare to
pay up after the meal.
Competitive symbiosis
A: “Now, put that money
away. I will pay for this”
B : “No, no, come on, I
will pay”.
A : “ I absolutely insist!
Not another word!”
Competitive symbiosis
These transactions may go on for some time, with each party escalating insistence on paying. Each is seeking to be Parent to the other. They are in competitive symbiosis – in this case, competing for the parent position.
Competitive symbiosis
By its nature,
competitive symbiosis is
unstable. Exchanges like
this usually last only for
a relatively short time.
They may conclude in
two possible ways.
Competitive symbiosis
The parties may storm away from each other, slamming doors as they go. Or one of them may back down and yield the desired symbiotic position to the other. The one who has backed down then takes the complementary position in the symbiosis.
Competitive symbiosis
For instance, the
exchange in the
restaurant might end
with one of the parties
saying: “ Ah, well, if you
insist…” and putting
away his wallet with a
show of reluctance.
Competitive symbiosis
He has backed down to
the Child position,
allowing himself to be
“looked after” by the
other person.