Responsibility Locking and Corrective Effectiveness in Action Domains: A Structural Theory of Closure and Correction

This paper develops a structural theory of effective correction in action domains, focusing on the interplay between responsibility locking and corrective effectiveness. Building on Responsibility Locking and Error Correction Theory (RLET), it formalizes responsibility closure and corrective sequence as a combined R–CE structure. The paper distinguishes action–consequence responsibility from responsibility locking, and decomposes responsibility locking into responsibility entry, attribution return, and consequence settlement. It further reconstructs corrective effectiveness as a sequential structure consisting of recognition, calibration, formulation, and execution. On this basis, the paper explains why some action domains can maintain effective correction while others remain trapped in open-loop adjustment, symbolic responsibility, delayed correction, or consequence displacement. The analysis clarifies the structural conditions under which responsibility can be closed, correction can be executed, and action domains can remain capable of absorbing deviation and restoring order.