What the study of psychology can show is that the inner and outer pressures which contribute to the formation of an individual are often analogous to the inner and outer pressures of the formation of a society, and that enough individuals connecting together on a similar frequency form a sort of harmonic resonance which amplifies the frequency, which establishes a tension that holds in place a given frequency for some time.
So it is that a civilization contains within it civilizations, which themselves contain civilizations of their own, all passing through cyclic patterns at speeds which are proportional to their size and scope: a civilization takes a thousand years (on average; could be more or less) to pass through its cycles to its terminal state, whereas individuals can take 50-100 years, give or take, depending on a host of factors.
There is a good reason we are so dazzled and entranced by kaleidoscopes and fractal, spiralling geometric patterns.
