# Approximating the Mathematical Structure of Psychodynamics

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05580 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.05580/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 8 of its 49 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 5 Nov 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [A Survey on Hyperdimensional Computing aka Vector Symbolic Architectures, Part I: Models and Data Transformations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.06077/) (2021)
- [A Survey on Hyperdimensional Computing aka Vector Symbolic Architectures, Part II: Applications, Cognitive Models, and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.15424/) (2021)
- [On Targeted Manipulation and Deception when Optimizing LLMs for User Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.02306/) (2024)
- [Be Friendly, Not Friends: How LLM Sycophancy Shapes User Trust](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.10844/) (2025)
- [The LLM Effect: Are Humans Truly Using LLMs, or Are They Being Influenced By Them Instead?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.04699/) (2024)
- [Large Models of What? Mistaking Engineering Achievements for Human Linguistic Agency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.08790/) (2024)
- [Cyberattacks on Miniature Brain Implants to Disrupt Spontaneous Neural Signaling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.09466/) (2020)
- [A Mathematical Framework for the Problem of Security for Cognition in Neurotechnology](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.07945/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The complexity of human cognition has meant that psychology makes more use of theory and conceptual models than perhaps any other biomedical field. To enable precise quantitative study of the full breadth of phenomena in psychological and psychiatric medicine as well as cognitive aspects of AI safety, there is a need for a mathematical formulation which is both mathematically precise and equally accessible to experts from numerous fields. In this paper we formalize human psychodynamics via the diagrammatic framework of process theory, describe its key properties, and explain the links between a diagrammatic representation and central concepts in analysis of cognitive processes in contexts such as psychotherapy, neurotechnology, AI alignment, AI agent representation of individuals in autonomous negotiations, developing human-like AI systems, and other aspects of AI safety.