Regulation-as-a-Service: When Systems Become Extractive

Extraction.
Let's paint the pattern.
So you can see what I see.
(Without walking my path. 🎶)

When Smiling Becomes a Service

🙂😐

Which do you prefer?
(/genuine)

Observable

Number of smiles per interaction.

Budgets

At least 1 smile.

Cascades

(Depends on the actor.)

Some actors inquire:
"Are you okay?"

Others complain.
..

TL;DR Internal OBC violated.

When Regulation Becomes Extracted

Two actor regulatory system.
A dyad.
..

We observe
local Regulation
over time.
(e.g. after contact.)

In symmetric dyads
regulation evens out
over time.
(A-B)

In asymmetric dyads
regulation flows one-way
over time.
(A-b)

In extractive dyads
regulation flows one-way
over time.
(A-b)

Spot the difference.

TL;DR: Internal OBC violated.

When Constraints Become Implicit

A-b.
Parent-child.
Therapist-client.
Teacher-student.

Regulation flows
from A to b
over time.

Asymmetric dyads (A-b)
function under explicit constraints.
(Or they risk becoming extractive.)

Extractive dyads (A-b)
by definition
have no clear constraints.
(FOG: Fear. Obligation. Guilt.)

And sometimes
FOG is created
on purpose.

TL;DR: Internal OBC violated.

When Needs Become Explicit

What happens
when actor (b)
communicates
a need?
..

In asymmetric dyads
the need is actively integrated
and regulation provided.
(Not perfectly. Consistently.)

In extractive dyads
the need is scrambled
and regulation denied.
(Not always. Consistently.)

In extractive systems
actor (b) stating a need
is an implicit frame violation.
(Silence follows lawfully.)

TL;DR: Internal OBC violated.

When Responses Become Observed

Let's align:

• Regulation-as-a-Service.
• Asymmetric and extractive dyads appear similar.
• Asymmetric dyads respond to need.
• Extractive dyads punish need.

Spot the difference.
..

systemic.engineering is the practice
of (re-)building coherent systems
that scale.

Extraction scales.
Until it doesn't.
Then it collapses.
(Eventually. Lawfully. Predictably.)

If this resonates, try these:

• What's a low-risk extraction probe?
• When do you feel more regulated?
• With whom?
• (Who am I for whom when in which way?)

#EmbodiedWriting
Alex 🌈

TL;DR: Blaming individuals for burnout is a category error. (It's not you.)