A Habit-Based Dynamical Model of Social Control

This paper develops a formal dynamical schema linking internal mental states—habits, values, perspective, will, and goals—to external social structures including laws, norms, media, and markets. The framework provides explicit update equations for each state variable and derives partially proven convergence results: habit and value dynamics are shown to be contraction mappings with well-defined fixed points; perspective and goal dynamics are formalized as directional heuristics whose convergence properties depend on additional boundedness assumptions stated explicitly. The schema is intended as a tractable formal language for interdisciplinary research rather than a fully axiomatized theorem system. By reframing constructs like religion and God as neutral focal vectors and behavioral operating systems, the approach bridges cognitive science, social theory, and control theory. Applications to AI alignment, behavioral policy, radicalization dynamics, and institutional design are discussed. Limitations of the current mathematical treatment and directions for tightening the formal results are stated throughout.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-05-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20092780
Primary Topic
Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
Type
article
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article

A Habit-Based Dynamical Model of Social Control

H Rahman
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
article

A Habit-Based Dynamical Model of Social Control

H Rahman
article en

Abstract

This paper develops a formal dynamical schema linking internal mental states—habits, values, perspective, will, and goals—to external social structures including laws, norms, media, and markets. The framework provides explicit update equations for each state variable and derives partially proven convergence results: habit and value dynamics are shown to be contraction mappings with well-defined fixed points; perspective and goal dynamics are formalized as directional heuristics whose convergence properties depend on additional boundedness assumptions stated explicitly. The schema is intended as a tractable formal language for interdisciplinary research rather than a fully axiomatized theorem system. By reframing constructs like religion and God as neutral focal vectors and behavioral operating systems, the approach bridges cognitive science, social theory, and control theory. Applications to AI alignment, behavioral policy, radicalization dynamics, and institutional design are discussed. Limitations of the current mathematical treatment and directions for tightening the formal results are stated throughout.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
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