Original
Paper 1: “Voices of Security and Insecurity: Foundational Drivers of the Human Emotional Landscape” Author: P.N. van Dieren, PnD
Rewritten to fit a Middle School level of understanding.
Abstract:
This paper introduces a new way of understanding human emotions by focusing on two key forces: “security” and “insecurity.” These two states are presented as the basic drivers behind all other emotions. Unlike complicated psychological models that explore many separate emotions, this approach simplifies emotions into a system based on these two core ideas. Through thought experiments, logical reasoning, and psychological principles, the paper explains how security and insecurity shape emotions like love, happiness, fear, and anger. By seeing security and insecurity as the roots of all emotions, this framework shows how balancing these forces can help people build emotional strength, find lasting happiness, and grow personally.
— Introduction —
Human emotions have been studied in many ways, from spiritual teachings to self-help books. Some focus on love, happiness, or compassion as the most important emotional goals. However, these ideas often miss a key point: the two forces that truly control all emotions are “security” and “insecurity.”
The terms “security” and “insecurity” were chosen because they clearly describe the stabilizing and destabilizing forces in emotional life. The prefix “in-” highlights their opposite meanings, creating a simple yet powerful way to understand emotions. These words are easy to relate to, as they reflect the highs and lows of emotional experience. Security brings feelings of confidence and stability, while insecurity brings doubt and vulnerability. Together, they form the foundation of emotional understanding, offering a way to see how emotions, motivations, and beliefs interact.
In this framework, the “voice of security” and the “voice of insecurity” are like two forces that pull on all other emotions. Security provides stability, making emotions like love and happiness stronger and more lasting. Insecurity creates doubt and fear, making positive emotions weaker and more fragile. This paper argues that these two forces are not just passing feelings but are essential to understanding how emotions work. Security is a state we strive toward, while insecurity signals challenges we need to overcome. This duality offers a clear path to emotional growth and personal improvement.
By focusing on these two core concepts, this paper provides a simple and effective way to understand emotions. Much like a scientific formula that simplifies a complex idea, this framework makes it easier to see how emotions work and how we can use this understanding to build better emotional health.
— Conceptual Framework and Rationale —
Before exploring further, it is important to define security and insecurity. “Security” means a sense of emotional and psychological stability, where basic needs feel met or achievable. “Insecurity,” on the other hand, is a feeling of instability or fear that needs may not be met or that relationships or status could be at risk.
- The Role of Security: The “voice of security” provides a stable foundation. When security is strong, emotions like love, trust, and happiness are more durable. Love is less affected by small problems, happiness is less likely to fade, and trust grows more easily.
- The Role of Insecurity: The “voice of insecurity” creates fear and doubt. High levels of insecurity make positive emotions fragile. Love becomes conditional, happiness disappears under pressure, and trust turns into suspicion.
A key idea is that all emotions can be seen as a result of the balance between security (S) and insecurity (I). If S represents stability and I represents instability, emotions (E) can be modeled as E = f(S, I). This means the strength and presence of emotions depend on how security and insecurity interact.
—Mathematical and Logical Reasoning—
To go beyond philosophical ideas, we can use a simple mathematical model to show how security and insecurity control emotions. While emotions are complex and not perfectly predictable, this model helps explain how these forces influence emotional outcomes.
Each emotion can be assigned a value from -1 to +1:
- Negative values (e.g., -1) represent destabilizing emotions like fear or despair.
- Zero represents neutrality or indifference.
- Positive values (e.g., +1) represent stabilizing emotions like love, happiness, or trust.
We define:
- S = The strength of the “voice of security,” ranging from 0 to 1 (higher values mean greater stability).
- I = The strength of the “voice of insecurity,” also ranging from 0 to 1 (higher values mean greater instability).
- E_inherent = The baseline strength of a given emotion if security and insecurity are neutral.
The final intensity of an emotion (E_effective) is influenced by security and insecurity according to this equation:
E_effective = (S – I) * E_inherent
For example, if someone has a baseline love of 0.8 but feels more insecure than secure, their effective experience of love diminishes:
- If S = 0.7 and I = 0.2, then E_effective_love = (0.7 – 0.2) * 0.8 = 0.4. Love remains positive but less intense.
- If S = 0.2 and I = 0.7, then E_effective_love = (0.2 – 0.7) * 0.8 = -0.4. Love transforms into a negative experience, such as anxiety-driven attachment or jealousy.
If-Then Examples to Show the Impact of Security and Insecurity:
- If security is high (S ≈ 1) and insecurity is low (I ≈ 0), positive emotions remain strong or grow stronger.
- Reason: E_effective = (1 – 0) * E_inherent = E_inherent. High security allows positive emotions like love or happiness to reach their full potential.
- If insecurity is high (I ≈ 1) and security is low (S ≈ 0), positive emotions invert into negative experiences.
- Reason: E_effective = (0 – 1) * E_inherent = -E_inherent. Even inherently positive emotions like love can turn into fear, jealousy, or possessiveness when insecurity dominates.
- If security and insecurity are balanced (S ≈ I), emotions remain stable but tempered.
- Reason: E_effective ≈ (S – I) * E_inherent ≈ 0. In this state, emotions are not fully positive or negative but exist in a balanced, mindful state. This balance fosters emotional resilience and personal growth.
These examples show that security and insecurity have a major influence on emotions. Positive emotions can be weakened or turned negative by insecurity, while negative emotions can be softened by security. All emotional experiences depend on the balance between these two forces.
— Laboratory Thought Experiments —
To better explain these ideas, imagine a series of “laboratory” experiments. In these experiments, we add small amounts of “security” or “insecurity” fluid to bottles representing various emotions. By doing this, we can observe how these forces impact the emotions and test their influence.
Set-Up:
We have bottles that represent different emotional states: Love, Happiness, Anger, Fear, Hope, Gratitude, etc. Each bottle begins with a baseline intensity. We then add “security” fluid or “insecurity” fluid to see how the emotions change.
Experiment 1: Adding Security to Love
- Procedure: Start with a bottle of “Love” at a baseline intensity of 0.8. Add a few drops of “Security.”
- Expected Outcome: Love becomes stronger, more trusting, and more unconditional. It can handle challenges and conflicts, growing into something stable and enduring.
Experiment 2: Adding Insecurity to Love
- Procedure: Start again with “Love” at 0.8 intensity. Add a few drops of “Insecurity.”
- Expected Outcome: Love becomes warped, turning into fear of abandonment, jealousy, or clinginess. Its positive value fades, and in some cases, love becomes more painful than joyful.
Experiment 3: Adding Security to Anger
- Procedure: Begin with “Anger” at a baseline intensity of 0.6. Add “Security.”
- Expected Outcome: Security helps stabilize anger. While anger still exists, it is less likely to spiral out of control. Instead, it becomes more measured and can even lead to constructive actions.
Experiment 4: Adding Insecurity to Anger
- Procedure: Start with “Anger” at 0.6. Add “Insecurity.”
- Expected Outcome: Anger grows into uncontrollable rage, paranoia, or resentment. Insecurity feeds the anger with imagined threats, making minor issues feel overwhelming and provoking extreme reactions.
Experiment 5: Adding Security to Fear
- Procedure: Start with “Fear” at an intensity of 0.7. Add “Security.”
- Outcome: Fear becomes manageable. It shifts into caution, a healthy respect for risks, or even curiosity about the unknown. The person can face the fear and learn from it, rather than being consumed by it.
Experiment 6: Adding Insecurity to Fear
- Procedure: Begin with “Fear” at 0.7. Add “Insecurity.”
- Outcome: Fear turns into panic, dread, or paranoia. Without security, fear grows overwhelming and prevents rational thought or action. Every small problem feels like a major threat.
Patterns Observed:
- When security is added, it improves the quality and control of all emotions, both positive and negative. Love becomes stronger, anger more controlled, and fear more manageable.
- When insecurity is added, it worsens emotions. Positive emotions like love degrade into jealousy or anxiety, while negative emotions like anger or fear intensify into rage or panic.
Conclusion:
Security and insecurity are the key forces that shape emotional states. They act as “master variables,” determining the overall tone and strength of emotions. Without focusing on increasing security or reducing insecurity, any attempt to improve emotions (like trying to “be more loving”) will only address surface-level symptoms rather than solving the deeper emotional imbalance.
— Extending the Argument: Emotional Outcomes as a Balance Between Security and Insecurity —
Human emotions and psychological states—like confidence, motivation, contentment, or ambition—are shaped by the balance between security and insecurity. When this balance is healthy, people can experience emotions like love, happiness, and trust while pursuing their goals.
However, too little insecurity can lead to complacency, where one lacks the drive to grow or protect what they have. On the other hand, too much insecurity can create fear and defensiveness, making it hard to move forward. The ideal path in life involves using insecurity as a signal for growth and caution while relying on security as a foundation for emotional stability.
If-Then Scenario for a Balanced Life:
If someone maintains a balance of moderate insecurity (enough to stay motivated and aware) and high security (enough to stay emotionally stable and resilient), they create the conditions for growth, happiness, love, and success.
This can be expressed as:
W = (S – I) * Σ(E_inherent_positive) – (I – S) * Σ(E_inherent_negative)
Where:
- W represents durable well-being.
- S is security, and I is insecurity.
- Σ(E_inherent_positive) is the sum of all inherently positive emotions (e.g., love, happiness, gratitude).
- Σ(E_inherent_negative) is the sum of all inherently negative emotions (e.g., fear, anger, jealousy).
In this equation:
- Moderate insecurity keeps a person motivated to improve and adapt.
- Strong security ensures stability and emotional resilience.
By balancing these forces, individuals feel secure enough to try new things but aware enough to work hard and grow. This harmony allows them to mobilize their energy and resources effectively to achieve love, happiness, and meaningful goals.
A Challenge to Conventional Wisdom
Many self-help experts and “gurus” argue that love, happiness, or gratitude is the ultimate emotional state. While these emotions are valuable, such views ignore the deeper foundation required for them to thrive. Love without security is fragile and can easily turn into fear or doubt. Happiness without security falls apart at the first difficulty. Gratitude without security often feels shallow or insincere.
These emotional states cannot be the ultimate goal because their strength depends on something deeper: the balance of security and insecurity. Without this balance, efforts to create love, happiness, or optimism fail to take root. Trying to be more loving or positive without addressing underlying insecurity is like planting seeds in poor soil—they may grow briefly but cannot withstand challenges. Only by fostering the right balance of security and insecurity—creating a stable emotional foundation—can these positive emotions flourish and endure.
A Blueprint for Achieving Stability and Growth
To make these ideas practical, we can design strategies, therapies, or self-improvement programs that focus on balancing security and insecurity instead of aiming directly for emotions like happiness. Here’s how:
Strengthening Security:
- Build supportive relationships and communities to create a sense of psychological safety.
- Develop self-esteem and confidence by mastering small challenges over time.
- Create stable environments—physical, social, and intellectual—that reduce unnecessary stress and provide reliable structures.
Engaging with Insecurity in a Healthy Way:
- Use feelings of insecurity as signals for self-improvement, skill-building, or risk assessment.
- Recognize that insecurity is not entirely negative; it points to areas where growth and adaptation are possible.
- Maintain enough insecurity to avoid stagnation and encourage continuous learning and development.
When the “voice of security” provides confidence and the “voice of insecurity” inspires growth, they work together to create balance. In this state, love becomes strong, happiness sustainable, trust authentic, and even challenges can lead to personal growth instead of despair.
— Conclusion —
This paper has shown that human emotions are shaped by the interplay between security and insecurity. While many philosophies and self-help teachings prioritize love, happiness, or similar emotions, these states cannot thrive without a more fundamental foundation. Security and insecurity act as the core forces that stabilize or destabilize all other emotional experiences.
Although any words could have been chosen to describe these foundational forces, “security” and “insecurity” were selected because they clearly reflect the stabilizing and destabilizing dynamics of the human psyche. Through thought experiments, logical reasoning, and mathematical models, this framework highlights the power of these two variables in shaping emotions.
Love and happiness, while valuable, are not ultimate goals in themselves. Without security, they are fragile and short-lived. However, when grounded in security, they gain resilience and authenticity. Similarly, insecurity—often seen as a negative force—can serve a productive role by driving growth, vigilance, and adaptation.
— Key Takeaway: —
By focusing on strengthening security and thoughtfully engaging with insecurity, individuals can create the conditions for lasting love, happiness, trust, and success. This balanced emotional ecosystem enables nearly any realistic goal to be achieved. This framework offers a deeper and more practical approach to emotional development and personal growth, moving beyond superficial solutions to address the underlying psychological foundation of human well-being.
