The map
Timeline
Each row is a lineage. Dots are the works in the reading list, placed by year. Diamonds are events. Select any mark for details. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Arguments and rebuttals
The goal loop
A control-loop reading of why some people finish and others stall. Choose a part of the loop to see what tends to break there, the levers researchers have tested, and how strong the evidence looks. The evidence labels are my rough summary, not a systematic review.
Loops stack
Each level’s output is the reference for the level below (Powers; Carver and Scheier). A rough rule of thumb, and my own gloss: failures near the top look like motivation problems, and failures near the bottom look like forgetting.
From goals to group boundaries
Five steps that connect the goal literature to identity, symbols and in-group control. Each step has sources; the chain itself is a synthesis, one way of assembling them.
Aligning people: what exists beyond listening
Reflective listening, where one person speaks and the other repeats without adding, is one technique among many. Sorting the techniques by what they change shows where it fits and what else is on the table. Evidence labels are my rough summary.
Channel
Can each side speak and be heard? Listening, motivational interviewing.
Model
What does each side believe about the facts and about the other side? Corrections, canvassing, prebunking.
Reference
What is each side trying to achieve, and is any goal shared? Common tasks, interest-based negotiation.
Structure
How does the group decide, and what gets amplified? Deliberation, bridging, facilitated methods.
Every lever here works in both directions. The knowledge of goals, identity and channels that supports alignment also supports manipulation, and the difference is largely transparency and consent. Influence operations, including the Russian concept of reflexive control, pull the same levers without consent.
Reading
Curated, not exhaustive. Level runs from accessible to specialist. Check editions and dates before citing; several books have later editions than the year shown.
People
Dates are given where they are well established. A blank means the person is living or I am not certain.