11/07/2025
🧠 What Is Intention, Really?
A Simple Introduction to the Three Layers of Intent in the Unified Dynamic Model of the Mind (UDMM)
💡 First: What Is the Unified Dynamic Model of the Mind (UDMM)?
In a world full of scattered theories about how the mind works — some focusing on thought, others on emotion or behavior — the Unified Dynamic Model of the Mind (UDMM) comes in as a holistic framework that brings it all together.
In simple terms, UDMM sees the mind as a living, predictive system that constantly simulates the world in order to reduce the gap between what it expects and what it actually experiences.
It doesn't work like a camera that passively records, but more like a smart director who imagines the scene first, then tests it and updates their script in real-time.
It involves the body, emotion, language, and time — all working together to form a constantly evolving inner model of reality.
🎯 What Is “Intent” in This Model?
In UDMM, intent is not just a fleeting wish or conscious goal. It is:
The direction the mind moves toward as it explores or constructs a possible world.
The driving force that shapes how the internal model evolves and acts.
A key mechanism for choosing between possible actions, meanings, and futures.
But intent is not a single thing — it exists in three layered forms, all interacting.
🧩 The Three Layers of Intent
1. Structural Intent
> This is the deepest layer — instinctive, pre-linguistic, and mostly unconscious.
It's the mind’s basic drive to make sense of the world, seek coherence, survive, and reduce uncertainty.
It appears early in life, even in animals, and guides attention and learning without being felt directly.
For example: the unease you feel when something “doesn’t add up,” or the urge to complete a pattern.
🎯 This is the core attractor — the foundation of all intent.
2. Phenomenal Intent
> This is your subjective, lived version of intent.
It forms through experience, emotions, memory, personal values.
“I want to change,” “I need to understand,” “I aim for peace.”
It’s dynamic, shaped by relationships, trauma, goals, and reflection.
🎯 This is the conscious, narrative layer — the one we can talk about and write down.
3. Symbolic Intent
> This is the intent shaped by social, cultural, religious, and political systems.
Like the belief that “success means having a high-status job.”
Or that “happiness lies in obedience” (from religion or tradition).
Or that “a man must never show weakness.”
These forms of intent are not inherently bad — they help guide behavior — but they can become coercive attractors (W_coerced) if blindly internalized, leading to inner conflict or alienation.
🎯 This is the externalized, norm-driven layer — inherited, not always chosen.
🔄 How Do These Layers Interact?
Think of the mind as a moving system guided by:
Structural intent = internal gravity pulling toward meaning and coherence.
Phenomenal intent = the personal path, shaped by memory and emotion.
Symbolic intent = the road signs and rules imposed by society.
🌀 When they’re in balance, the person feels aligned, authentic, and capable of growth.
💥 When symbolic intent dominates, the self may feel lost, anxious, or disconnected from inner truth.
📌 In Summary:
In UDMM, intent is not just a goal — it is a dynamic structure made up of three interwoven layers:
1. Structural (deep, embodied, unconscious)
2. Phenomenal (personal, emotional, evolving)
3. Symbolic (social, inherited, potentially coercive)
Understanding these layers can help us better understand ourselves, reclaim agency, and reduce the hidden tensions that shape our thoughts and behaviors.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15858182
