Running Head: Primordial Perceptual Positioning Framework
This paper introduces Primordial Perceptual Positioning (PPP), a novel dynamic framework viewing identity as an ongoing process of perceptual calibration shaped by early relational and sensory experiences. Drawing from dynamic systems theory, phenomenology, and neuroscience, PPP establishes that constructed identity emerges through ongoing calibrations of selfhood. The model presents three interconnected dimensions that parallel the visual system: (i) the Reference Frame of Self (RFS), the foundational perceptual axis that orients attention and agency, dynamically evolving through relational interactions.; (ii) the Biconvex Value Prism, our interpretive lens that filters and focuses value assessments, shaping how meaning is assigned to experiences.and (iii) the Authenticity Reflexive Allotrope (ARA), a curvature multi-dimensional substrate of adaptive response mechanism that produce authentically aligned expression. These components interact within a developmental matrix that captures contextual influences on identity narration. The PPP framework offers several theoretical innovations: it reconceptualizes one’s constructed identity as a continuous perceptual calibration rather than acquisition of stable traits; it provides a developmental account beginning with infant perception; it integrates neurobiological mechanisms with phenomenological experience; and it offers a culturally sensitive framework that accommodates diverse developmental pathways without pathologizing difference. This approach provides both theoretical coherence and practical applications for clinical interventions by emphasizing experiential positioning over categorical classification. Just as visual distortions like astigmatism affect how we perceive the physical world, perceptual biases in the psychological domain shape how we interpret and respond to social reality. Case examples demonstrate how this framework resolves paradoxes in human development by explaining why seemingly similar early conditions produce divergent outcomes.
Keywords: development theory, perceptual positioning, attachment theory, neurobiological development, authenticity
Contemporary psychology has increasingly recognized the limitations of categorical approaches to human development and identity. Traditional attachment theory, while groundbreaking in its recognition of relational influences on development, has struggled to account for significant inconsistencies in longitudinal outcomes and cross-contextual behaviors (Fraley & Roisman, 2015). These inconsistencies raise fundamental questions about the adequacy of discrete attachment classifications as explanatory mechanisms for identity formation.
Furthermore, the universality assumed by traditional attachment models has been called into question by cross-cultural research. Traditional models struggle to accommodate non-Western patterns without classifying them as insecure, revealing a Western bias in the theoretical framing (Keller, 2018). These contradictions suggest the need for a more dynamic and contextually sensitive framework.
This paper introduces Primordial Perceptual Positioning (PPP) as a replacement conceptual framework that addresses these limitations by approaching it from a first principle basis - but asking direct, foundational questions of still-infant development:
What is perception? When do we have our first experience of perception? What would be the stimuli and how would that impact the neuropsychological pathways of our perception. Theories such as Co-Homeostasis offers an exceptional framework in cretion of our PPP framework.
Our fundamental belief is that there is no such thing as “Identity”. There are constructed identities that a person generate, and there are perceived identities that others infer. PPP proposes that an “infinite games”, “recursive” identity narrative formation as an ongoing perceptual process rather than the acquisition of stable traits. Drawing from dynamic systems theory and phenomenological approaches to perception, PPP frames identity as emerging from the continuous calibration between internal experience and external reality, mediated through relational contexts.
To reiterate and to guide readers in this paper - you will find our responses to questions such as "How was this person's perceptual framework calibrated, and how does it position them in relation to self and others?" This shift from categorical classification to experiential positioning offers both greater theoretical coherence and enhanced practical utility for understanding human development and informing clinical interventions.
We propose that while neurobiological psychology and attachment theory offer valuable insights, they often operate in isolation, missing a crucial element: the "seed" of Primordial Perceptual Positioning. By re-evaluating these theories through the lens of PPP, we can begin to understand how the development of the roots needs to connect to the stem (Tramonti et al., 2019).
To illustrate this interconnectedness, we use the analogy of a plant. In this context, each component represents a vital aspect of development, and the absence of one element weakens the understanding of the entire system.
Neurobiological research provides a crucial understanding of the brain structures and processes that underlie behavior. We can view neural development as an adaptive system constantly refining its ability to extract information and resources from its environment. However, focusing solely on the "soil" (the brain) without considering the "seed" limits our understanding. How do these neural networks become attuned to the world? How do they learn to prioritize certain stimuli over others? By incorporating PPP, we can explore the perceptual mechanisms that shape neural development.
Traditional attachment categories (secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, and fearful-avoidant) imply relatively stable internal working models that guide relational behavior across contexts (Bowlby, 1969). Yet research consistently demonstrates significant contextual variability in attachment behaviors, challenging the notion of attachment as primarily an internal characteristic. The conception of attachment styles as discrete categories rather than dimensional constructs has similarly faced empirical challenges, with factor analyses typically supporting continuous rather than categorical models (Fraley & Waller, 1998).
Moreover, the emphasis on maternal-infant bonding, while developmentally significant, has often overshadowed the complex network of relationships that shape identity formation. Cross-cultural research reveals considerable variation in attachment patterns that traditional models struggle to accommodate without resorting to problematic classifications of certain cultural patterns as "insecure" (Keller, 2018).