What Question are You Answering?
WHO AM I? WHO ARE YOU?
Only once we feel secure that we are, in fact, OK, can we focus less on our basic needs, and start exploring ourselves and the world.
In survival mode, there’s no point in building a deep model of yourself and others. Things change too quickly and only a few things about yourself and others that actually matter: can I do the thing I need to do to survive well enough?
If yes, great!
If no, panic!
In exploration mode, we expect things to be a bit more stable, and therefore building a deeper model of ourselves and the world is worth the energy – it can help us more adeptly navigate situations based on nuanced understanding. And because the world is less volatile, that model is likely to be relevant for longer.
Our brains therefore expend the energy to explore ourselves and the world, investing in building a cohesive model of ourselves over time and of others.
In this mode, we start to feel a sense of solid identity that persists over time. We also build the capacity to model the minds of others in more nuanced, personalized ways.
