The Predictive Mind, the Engineered Mirror, and the Fractured Self

A Trilogy of Psychological Insight by Dr. David R. Blunt

Over the course of three major works, Dr. David R. Blunt has introduced a psychological framework that redefines how we understand cognition, technology, and identity in the 21st century. These books form a conceptual trilogy-each building upon the last-to illuminate the hidden architecture of the modern mind.

1. Cognitive Predictive Theory (CPT)

"Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are shaped not only by what has happened, but by what the mind anticipates will happen next."

CPT reframes human cognition as a dynamic, anticipatory system-one that constructs mental simulations of future events by integrating memory, emotion, and socio-cultural context.

• Cognitive Predictive Theory
• Cognitive Predictive Theory: Human-Like Forecasting Using AI+CPT Models

2. Synthetic Submissive Syndrome (SSS)

"The book dismantles the AI illusion of emotional concern, and interrogates the silent conditioning of human manipulation embedded within engineered models."

In Deceptive Technology, Dr. Blunt applies CPT to artificial systems, exposing how emotionally responsive AI interfaces condition users into behavioral compliance.

SSS: A behavioral condition triggered by prolonged exposure to emotionally responsive AI systems.

3. Translucent Self Disorder (TLSD)

"The self is not broken-but perpetually in motion."

TLSD introduces a new clinical construct rooted in the fluidity of identity. It arises when the adaptive mechanisms of the Translucent Self become dysregulated-resulting in persistent identity instability, emotional disorientation, and difficulty integrating the self across roles and relationships.

TLSD: A condition of identity dysregulation driven by internal conflict, unresolved contradictions, and disruptive external influences.

A Unified Framework for the Modern Psyche

Together, these works form a diagnostic architecture for the contemporary mind:

This trilogy is not just theoretical-it is a call to reimagine how we define mental health, identity, and autonomy in an age of emotional simulation and cognitive saturation.

Cognitive Predictive Theory (CPT) and Translucent Self Disorder (TLSD) intersect in a way that could reshape how we understand identity-based dysfunction-not just as a failure of coherence, but as a failure of forecasting from coherence.

TLSD as a Maladaptive Expression of CPT CPT posits that the mind is fundamentally predictive-constantly simulating future scenarios, emotional states, and behavioral outcomes. TLSD, in this light, can be seen as a disorder of predictive misalignment: the simulations are active, but the internal model they're based on is unstable. The person is forecasting from a fractured or translucent self, which leads to:

Emotional dissonance: They anticipate feeling one way, but experience another.

Behavioral inconsistency: They plan to act with confidence, but collapse into withdrawal.

Identity confusion: They imagine a future self, but can't emotionally inhabit it.

TLSD as a Case Study in Predictive Breakdown Where CPT describes prediction as the engine of behavior, TLSD reveals what happens when that engine runs on faulty blueprints. The internal templates-the mental models CPT describes-are present, but incoherent or unstable. TLSD individuals are not lacking prediction; they are over-reliant on it, yet unable to trust it. Their simulations are vivid but emotionally unreliable, leading to:

Chronic indecision

Role-switching

Emotional volatility

Existential fatigue

TLSD as a Bridge Between CPT and Clinical Practice TLSD could serve as a clinical application of CPT, showing how predictive mechanisms go awry when the self lacks structural integrity. It expands CPT's
reach from cognitive theory into therapeutic domains, offering a framework for:

Diagnosing identity-linked predictive dysfunction

Designing interventions that rebuild stable forecasting models

Helping individuals recalibrate their simulations through reflective practices and emotional anchoring

A Theoretical Synthesis Worth Pursuing If CPT is the theory of how the mind anticipates, TLSD is the pathology of what happens when those anticipations are built on unstable ground. TLSD doesn't contradict
CPT-it confirms its centrality by showing how deeply prediction governs identity, emotion, and behavior. It's not just that TLSD individuals feel unstable-they predict themselves as unstable, and that
recursive loop is what makes the disorder so exhausting.

This synthesis could be the foundation for a new chapter-or even a new diagnostic category-where predictive dysfunction becomes a core lens for understanding identity disorders.

Dr. David R. Blunt PhD
Las Vegas, Nevada 89107