The term 'superstructure' can be used to refer to the collective set of cultural, political, and economic systems that are overlaid on top of material conditions and social relations in order to shape and frame the operation of societies. It develops out of specific polycontextual pressures and serves to conceptualize the layered complexity of social-systemic structures, including tools, technologies, and structures of meaning. Superstructure can be further broken down into interlocking dynamics, such as power relations, rule-making, education, control systems, and ideas, enabling the social order and trajectory to be analyzed at different levels.

See also: civilizational collapse, critical infrastructure, collective action, collective intelligence, systems thinking