selves against the more developed European technol ogy of warfare, and an entire people was wiped out.
5. Providing and maintaining a sense of purpose. Peo feel motivated to continue as members of a society in order to fulfill the previous four re quirements. The behavior of U.S. prisoners of war (POWs) while in confinement during the war in Vietnam is a testament to the importance of main- taining a sense of purpose, While in prison camps, some of these men mentally made elaborate plans for marriage, family, children, reunions, and new careers. A few even built houses in their minds-- right down to the last doorknob or water faucet. By holding on to a sense of purpose-their intense desire to return to their homeland and live normal lives--the POWs refused to allow the agony of confinement to destroy their mental health. Many aspects of a society can assist people in developing and maintaining a sense of purpose. For people, religious values or personal moral codes are most crucial; for others, national or tribal identities are especially meaningful. What ever these differences, in any society there remains one common and critical reality. If an individual does not have a sense of purpose, he or she has little reason to contribute to a society's survivasl.
This list of functional prerequisites does not specify how a society its corresponding social institutions will perform each task. For example,one society may protect itself from external by amassing a frightening arsenal