Mental Model
Polyvagal Theory (Stephen Porges): Three Nervous System States
A theory proposed by Stephen Porges connecting autonomic pathways with defensive and social behavior
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Mental Model
Pomodoro Technique Protocol
A time-management and focus protocol created by Francesco Cirillo that uses a kitchen timer to structure work into 25-minute focused sprints separated by short breaks
Mental Model
Ponzi Dynamic Recognition
The structural pattern underlying all Ponzi schemes: returns to existing participants are funded by capital from new participants rather than by actual value creation, making the scheme mathematically certain to collapse…
Cognitive Move
Population
Write down exactly which people, accounts, or units get counted, and which ones you exclude. Spell out the entry rule, the cutoffs, and who drops out, so two people pulling the number pull the same set.
Cognitive Move
Population, cases, or time window covered
States exactly who and what the floor protects, and over what stretch of time. A floor that holds for most people most days is a different promise than one that holds for everyone, every single time, with no exceptions carved out quietly.
Cognitive Move
Portfolio / barbell
Hold several differentiated bets at once, often pairing very safe with very bold.
Mental Model
Portfolio Career Model
Charles Handy predicted that single-employer careers would give way to a 'portfolio' of concurrent income streams, projects, and roles
Cognitive Move
Portfolio Instead of Pick
When uncertainty can't be reduced, run several differentiated bets instead of forcing one choice.
Mental Model
Portfolio Theory
Markowitz's foundational insight that risk depends not on individual assets but on how they interact
Mental Model
Positive-Sum Thinking
The recognition that many interactions can increase total value rather than merely redistributing a fixed amount
Cognitive Move
Positive/negative cases
Name a real episode that clearly counts as the thing and a matched one that clearly does not, then say what separates them. Pair them so the contrast pins down the line, instead of offering one flattering illustration that anything could resemble.
Mental Model
Possible Selves (Markus & Nurius)
Possible selves are representations of who a person might become, including hoped-for, expected, and feared selves
Mental Model
Possible Selves Theory (Markus & Nurius) — Applied
Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius' possible selves theory identifies three categories of future self-representations that powerfully motivate behavior: hoped-for selves (who you want to become), expected selves (who you thin…
Mental Model
Post-Conventional Morality (Kohlberg)
Kohlberg's highest stage of moral development where ethical reasoning transcends social convention and even law—operating from self-chosen universal principles
Mental Model
Post-Honeymoon Intimacy Rebuilding
The post-honeymoon phase describes the predictable decline in sexual frequency and novelty-driven excitement that occurs roughly 18-36 months into a relationship as neurochemistry shifts from dopamine/norepinephrine-driv…
Mental Model
Post-Negotiation Debrief Protocol
A structured review protocol conducted after every negotiation to extract lessons and improve future performance
Mental Model
Post-Secular Spirituality
Post-secular spirituality describes the emerging cultural phenomenon where individuals and societies move beyond the binary of traditional religion vs
Mental Model
Post-Traumatic Growth (Applied Framework)
Post-traumatic growth (PTG), researched by Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun, describes positive psychological change that emerges from the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances
Cognitive Move
poster or one-pager
A single large surface holding several blocks at once, with no reading order at all. Different readers enter at different blocks and leave after one. It rewards a layout where every block stands alone and punishes anything that only makes sense after you have read the block above it.
Mental Model
Posttraumatic Growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun)
Posttraumatic growth refers to positive psychological changes some people report after struggling with serious adversity
Mental Model
Potemkin Village
The historical (possibly apocryphal) story of Grigory Potemkin building fake villages along the Dnieper River to impress Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea—presenting a façade of prosperity that masked reali…
Mental Model
Potential Energy vs Kinetic Energy
Potential energy concerns configuration and interactions; kinetic energy concerns motion
Mental Model
Power Distance Navigation
Power Distance measures the degree to which less powerful members of a society accept and expect unequal power distribution