Binary Intersection Theory of Human Motivation: The Independence of Moral Orientation from Cognitive-Social Awareness and Its Impact on Behavior
This conceptual paper challenges the classical assumption linking cognitive maturity with prosocial behavior, proposing a novel theoretical model that radically decouples "moral orientation" from "cognitive-social awareness" as two functionally and biologically independent axes. The model is operationalized through a 2x2 binary intersection matrix generating four distinct behavioral phenotypes: the Wise Good, the Calculated Evil, the Reckless Good, and the Destructive Evil. Grounded in neuroanatomical evidence (prefrontal cortex vs. limbic/emotional circuits), self-monitoring theory, the Dark Triad framework, and temporal discounting models, this paper presents a comprehensive theoretical framework including the proposed Moral-Executive Cognitive Assessment (MECA) tool.
Authors
- Mouhamad Zakaria Boukhodza
Publication Details
- Journal
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Published
- 2026-08-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22084933
- Primary Topic
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Type
- preprint