Definitionv1

Internal contract: a formal, written agreement between

Internal contract: a formal, written agreement between competing drives or internal stakeholders within the self that specifies what each drive gets, when and where each drive operates, what counts as a violation, and what happens when circumstances change, with explicit enforcement mechanisms and renegotiation clauses

Why This Is a Definition

This definition precisely establishes the semantic boundary of 'internal contract' by identifying its genus (formal written agreement), differentia (between competing drives/internal stakeholders), and essential characteristics (specific terms, violation criteria, enforcement mechanisms, renegotiation clauses). It distinguishes internal contracts from vague intentions or unwritten agreements and provides the precise criteria for what makes an agreement 'internal.'

Source Lessons

L-0775

Internal contracts

Make explicit agreements with yourself about how competing drives will be satisfied.

L-0776

Renegotiation when circumstances change

Internal agreements need updating as your life circumstances evolve.

Connections

Defines (55)

AxiomDirected Attention as Depletable Resource AxiomHabits as Context-Response Associations AxiomIllusion of Explanatory Depth AxiomExpertise Transforms Perceptual Chunking AxiomLinguistic Structuring of Thought AxiomComplementary Learning Systems Architecture AxiomCognitive Dissonance Drives Information Avoidance AxiomDual Coding Theory: Verbal and Visual Channels AxiomConversational Memory Asymmetry From Production Planning AxiomUltradian and Circadian Cognitive Rhythms AxiomPatterns Exist in Hierarchical Logical Levels AxiomGlucose-Cognition Dependency Threshold AxiomExternalization Exposes Hidden Structure AxiomCognition Operates Through Dual Processing Systems AxiomCognitive and Affective Empathy Are Distinct AxiomLooping Effects of Human Classification AxiomHierarchical Chunking Expands Capacity AxiomDunbar's Number Limits Stable Relationships AxiomTransitive Inference Is Automatic Cognition AxiomConstrual Level Effects on Perception AxiomFlexible Context-Dependent Categorization AxiomPeople interpret failure as either evidence about their AxiomYou necessarily trust your own cognitive faculties as a AxiomImplementation intentions (if-then plans) significantly AxiomReference class forecasting (using base rates from similar AxiomRegulatory flexibility—the ability to shift between PrincipleConsolidate all agent status information onto a single PrincipleMake context switching costs visible through deliberate PrincipleBlock your measured peak attention hours on your calendar as PrincipleWhen commitments break repeatedly with the same pattern,PrincipleFormalize negotiated agreements between internal drives as PrincipleRenegotiate internal contracts when concrete, observable PrincipleConduct pattern analysis by reading multiple review periods PrincipleIncrease friction on unwanted routines just enough to create PrincipleMake the desired transition between behavioral links the PrincipleFor complex cognitive tasks that resist starting, design PrincipleDesign micro-chain final links to produce one minimal unit PrincipleTrack which environmental changes produce reliable emotional PrincipleWhen holding more power in a relationship (formal authority,PrincipleIdentify your internal working models by tracking emotional PrincipleWhen physiological flooding occurs, use contrasting PrincipleWhen emotional intensity increases, increase scrutiny PrincipleWhen creative anxiety arises, distinguish productive PrincipleLimit meeting attendance to only those who need to PrincipleDesign strategy statements to make tradeoffs explicit PrincipleDefine explicit escalation criteria specifying when PrincipleUse satisficing decision rules (define 'good enough'PrincipleUse cognitive reappraisal (reinterpreting the meaning of an PrincipleBefore proposing the removal of any inherited system,PrincipleWhen a newly designed context fails to change behavior PrincipleTest each candidate classification dimension by asking PrincipleDesign every information artifact with explicit compression PrincipleWhen two cognitive agents both claim authority over the same PrincipleDefine context-specific priority orderings rather than PrincipleVerify habit automaticity by checking whether the behavior

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