Treason and the Traitor

The capacity for betrayal, treachery, or treason seems to be as old as the development of human relationships and to have arisen as a consequence of jealousy and envy almost as early as the family emerged as a social unit, focussed presumably by the helplessness of the young. Before that, there may have been no allegiance strong enough to warrant violation. With the family triangle furnishing the basic setting for sustained jealousy, the prolongation and development of the family ties beyond those of the original triangle to include other siblings than the first born and the growth of the clan of related families must have enormously increased the number of situations giving rise to jealousy and rivalry.*

Animals, too, seem to show jealousy and rivalry. This is seen in the pecking order among some birds, the courting activities of many creatures, and even in the behavior of the household pet who attacks the new baby. But in undomesticated animals, rivalry excites direct action; the rank in animal society is fought out and may then become relatively stable.

Treachery however is the special product of human rivalry and implies the ability to scheme and to deceive. It involves the harmful deception of an individual by some one who has been regarded with trust and confidence. This generally means the secret giving of confidential information to another (or others) inimical to the original trusting one in a way that may cause his injury or destruction. There is then a hidden transferral of allegiance, a surreptitious joining of the enemy's camp. This switchover may remain concealed almost indefinitely or may be revealed by chance or by the inevitability inherent in consequent events. Successful treachery then usually involves some skill or even talent in duplicity, the ability to play more than one role at a time, and a special shrewdness in scheming as well as an appetite for risk. These qualities are present in