Menurut Dr. Gregg Henrique, PhD dalam The Four Vectors of Human Consciousness melalui Theory of Knowledge yang diterbitkan oleh laman Psychology Today pada 2 Jun 2024 (Ahad), vektor berdasarkan kepada ilmu matematik bermaksud satu kuantiti yang bermagnitud dan mempunyai arah. Perkataan vektor ini boleh juga digunakan sebagai satu kata kerja. Contohnya seperti memvektor ke arah sesuatu yang bermaksud memandu arah hasil ciptaan anda ke aras destinasi tertentu.
Blog Dr. Gregg membahagikan kesedaran manusia kepada empat vektor asas. Dalam blog beliau yang sebelumnya, beliau merujuk kepada vektor tersebut sebagai domain dan keadaan penarik (rujuk di sini). Membingkaikan domain tersebut sebagai vektor adalah sangat berguna kerana ia boleh membantu kita menganalisanya dari segi magnitud dan arah tumpuannya.
- Vektor Pertama sekali adalah 'Aku'. Ia adalah Ego, dan ia menjadi domain bagi kesedaran diri pantulan dan periwayatan. Dalam manusia, ia adalah domain yang mengawal dan deria milikan peribadi serta tanggungjawab bagi perbuatan seseorang. Dalam Teori Pengetahuan Kesatuan (UTOK), Ego ini dibingkaikan sebagai anggota mental bagi justifikasi. Tahap penariknya adalah untuk menegakkan sesuatu keadaan bagi kejadian. Hal ini bermaksud, ia cuba untuk mencipta satu kisah yang selari dan dirasai seperti kebiasaan dan memastikan gegaran kognitif dikurangkan. Ego boleh dianggap sebagai "jurubahasa" dalam minda kita. Dari segi perkembangan diri seseorang, ia mula wujud melalui bahasa dan sosialisasi sekitar usia dua tahun. Kemudian, ia mula berfungsi mengaturkan vektor sekitar usia enam tahun. Dari situ, Ego berkembang dan membesar sehinggalah ia menjadi satu-satunya tapak asas bagi jati diri atau identiti diri seseorang.
- Vektor Kedua pula adalah Diri primat yang asas. Walaupun banyak sistem menyamakan Ego dengan Diri, namun dalam UTOK, ia dikenal pasti sebagai aspek yang sangat berbeza dalam struktur manusia. Hubungan antara kedua-duanya itu boleh dibingkaikan seperti pendekatan William James yang menyebutnya sebagai hubungan "Aku-Daku". Bayangkan apabila pakar terapi bertanya, "Bagaimanakah perasaan kamu?" dan klien akan menjawab, "Aku fikir aku berasa marah sedikit dengan semua hal ini." Keadaan ini adalah satu contoh di mana Ego klien merenung Diri yang asas. Diri asas ini adalah sistem pemerhatian, didorong dan emosi yang menjejaki perkara yang relevan untuk diri sepanjang masa dan dari satu titik pandangan. Ia boleh dibingkaikan sebagai mempunyai "lapisan mencancang" mengikut sejarah evolusi kita. Ia mengandungi lapisan haiwan, yang menjadi tapak perasaan seperti suka, sakit, lapar dan ketakutan. Kemudian, lapisan mamalia, termasuklah model diri tersirat sepanjang masa. Model ini membolehkan mamalia memancarkan dirinya ke dalam pelbagai persekitaran yang mungkin dan mensimulasi hasil yang mungkin contohnya seperti apabila seekor tikus berada dalam laluan yang mengelirukan atau menyesatkan, ia akan mensimulasi atau menduga pelbagai laluan serta memilih salah satu yang dijangka memberikan hasil atau kurang menghukum. Lapisan evolusi ketiga ini adalah lapisan primat, dalam manusia, yang merupakan struktur yang tinggi perkaitannya. UTOK memetakan aspek perhubungan diri primat kita ini melalui Matriks pengaruh. Matriks ini menetapkan bahawa hati manusia (Diri asas primat) sebagai proses diri berkaitan dengan yang lain, yang boleh secara kebetulannya juga dipetakan pada empat vektor.
The central dimension is the relational value-social influence vector, and it tracks the degree of social influence one has, as well as the extent to which one feels seen, known, and valued by important others. The matrix also maps three “process” vectors, called power, love, and freedom. The power vector relates to rank, control, and status, and it is marked by the blue line and dominance and submission poles. The love vector is in red, and it relates to the degree and kind of affiliation one has with others (e.g., kinship, friendship, romantic, group), and its opposite: hostile reactivity and distancing. The freedom vector is in green, and it tracks the level of involvement, engagement, and dependency, and is marked by the poles of autonomy and dependency. The primate self is operative at birth and the first major attractor is to orient the infant to connect with and be held securely by their primary caretaker.
Many folks, perhaps especially men, are quite alienated from their core Self, and do not have much practice attending to this vector with attunement and care. In common language, their head is not well-aligned with their heart. That said, the core Self is incredibly powerful in shaping how humans are situated in and operate in the world. The relationship between these two vectors of human consciousness was well-framed by Freud as that of a rider (Ego) and horse (Self). It was usefully updated by the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt as that of a rider and an elephant, to emphasize the magnitude of its influence on the human psyche.
The third vector is the Persona. This can be thought of as the social self or public-facing self. The Persona represents a real or imagined audience and how it can impact our conscious experience. The primary attractor is the image one tries to convey and regulate in the relational context. To use a frame from Martin Buber, we can think of the Ego-Persona relation as being the basic frame we use to embody I-Thou relations.
Individuals who experience high levels of public self-consciousness are folks who have a strong but insecure Persona vector. Because it represents the information and image one is conveying to the relational field and how that is received, it is guided by both the primate Self and the Ego. However, as the Ego develops, the Persona becomes more explicitly linked to the Ego. The reason has to do with the nature of and dynamics surrounding justification1. Unlike subjective feelings and experiences, justifications flow freely through the skin. In humans, the Ego can be directly contacted by others with questions like, “Why did you do that?” Because of this, regulating what others might come to know about us is a major task, and so the Persona becomes a central attractor that we need to navigate. (See here for a recent blog on the filter dynamics between the Ego and the Persona).
To see the last vector, close your eyes and then open them. What happens? You are simply presented with a flash of pure Awareness. In an instant, you experience what “is” in the “now.” Each frame of experience can be thought of as a moment of epistemic awareness.
We can call this vector pure Awareness accessed via witness consciousness. You can play with the pure awareness vector by where you direct your attention. You can think of your grandmother, shift to your big toe, and come back to the point of this blog. Many meditation traditions and practices are structured to help folks get in contact with witness consciousness. Some do this by emphasizing attention and concentration. Others do it by emphasizing the pure awareness aspect of the witness function. Indeed, in advanced forms of mediation and practice, the witnesser can feel like they disappear, resulting in a profound sense of non-dual awareness.
I encourage you to think about your consciousness as being made up or shaped by these vectors. When they are framed as vectors, we can reflect on the magnitude and direction, and wonder if they are in healthy alignment. Is one vector dominant over the others? Are you constantly thinking about what others think of you and trying to mold yourself to that? Then perhaps your Persona vector is a bit strong. Do you frequently justify yourself by trying to explain why you are right, smart, and good? Then your Ego vector might be excessive. Do you feel things very strongly, react emotionally, and experience your feelings as “the truth”? Then your core Self might be powering you in a maladaptive way.
In terms of the witness vector of pure Awareness, in modern society, where we are obsessed with the self, the most likely problem is that it is underdeveloped relative to the other three vectors. So, the question is: Can you see this aspect of your consciousness, and do you truly know how to identify with it and connect to the here, now?
