Responding to Situations

Engagement with Reality

Do we automatically engage with reality?

Reality is always there but we only deal with it because of psychosocial pressures. The drive for survival pushes us to generate endeavours (RH) to change reality; the pressure for performance pushes us to action (RL1); the pressure for certainty pushes us to inquiry (RL2); and so on.

However. what triggers the release of these pressures i.e. what activates the neuro-biological circuits?

These triggers have been provisionally identified as follows:

  • In the Action Domain-RL1, perception of issues call for decision (PH1L6 & PH'1)

  • In the Inquiry Domain-RL2, experience of questions call for research (PH2L6 & PH'2)

  • In the Change Domain-RL3, awareness of situations call for representation (PH3L6 & PH'3)

  • In the Experience Domain-RL4, feelings call for mental stabilization (PH4L6 & PH'4)

  • In the Communication Domain-RL5, events call for meaning via use of language (PH5L6 & PH'5)

  • In the Purpose Domain-RL6, challenges call for value systems (PH6L6 & PH'6) to be applied.

  • In the Willingness Domain-RL7, deficiencies call for learning (PH7L6 & PH'7) to be pursued.

Purpose-RL6 and Willingness-RL7 sit above the other 5 Domains and serve their functioning as required.

The Special Potential of Situations

THEE's Domains are held to correspond to a set of instinctual drives, experienced as psychosocial pressures that arise both from within and from without.

These pressures can be resisted with effort, but they will invariably shape personal functioning in depicting and handling situations. Situations, the characteristic trigger for Change-RL3, have the potential to activate any of the Domains.

The Will (Root) Domain is activated by the drive for survival, and this drive is mediated via drives in the Primary Domains (Root Levels) that determine the particular endeavours (if any) that arise in relation to any situation.

The two highest Domains have an enabling function:

  • The Willingness Domain (RL7) with its selflessness drive is needed to overcome ego-based resistances and fears intrinsic to situations and their handling.
  • The Purpose Domain (RL6) with its autonomy drive is used to direct endeavours in the context of particular situations in a way that satisfies the self.

That leaves 5 Domain drives that deal more directly with situations.

The top 2 Domains provide respectively a social and personal way to address the situation. They are the basis for psychosocial reality created by a person that is shared or shareable with others.

  • At the top, the Communication Domain (RL5) with its understanding drive interprets the situation as delivering a message using communally recognized stimuli, signs, symbols and more (cf. PH5) that are the basis for forming an enduring group (cf. PsH5K). The methods for using language lead to creation of a shared reality within the group and the formation of opinions about any situation (PH'5CsHG1).
  • Just below, the Experience Domain (RL4) with its well-being drive can enable each person to use sensations, images, ideas, intuitions and more to develop an authentic perspective on the situation (PH4K) and become motivated to address it (PsH4K).

The bottom 2 domains provide for direct engagement with the situation as desired by us all.

  • At the base: the Action Domain (RL1) with its performance drive is the final common pathway for dealing with situations. However, any particular decision deals with an issue within the situation, never the situation as a whole.
  • Just above, the Inquiry Domain (RL2) with its certainty drive seeks rigorous analysis (PH2K) and the systematic study (PsH2K) of situations, by using conjectures (PH'2C) and reaching conclusions (PH'2Q). Again, any particular inquiry deals with a topic within the situation, not the situation as a whole.

The Change Domain (RL3), driven by a pressure for acceptability, mediates between addressing the social (RL5) and personal (RL4) constructions of the situation, and engaging with the actual situation by shaping judgements (RL2) and choices (RL1).

Originally posted: 30-Oct-2024. Last amended: 30-Apr-2025.