Idoloplastonosophobia (IPN): A Theoretical, Multidimensional, and Systems-Based Framework for Self-Referential Threat Appraisal, Affective Response, Behavioral Monitoring, and Temporal Dynamics
Description
Abstract
Idoloplastonosophobia (IPN) is proposed as a research construct describing a possible
pattern in which the perceived degradation or deterioration of a highly significant entity is
interpreted as personally relevant, potentially altering threat appraisal, affective response,
attention, behavior, and subsequent response dynamics. The target entity may be human,
material, or fictional. The framework distinguishes three target domains and six subtypes,
and organizes the hypothesized process into seven analytical system layers: contextual input,
attachment and representation, threat appraisal, affective response, attention and behavior,
temporal dynamics, and system-level outcomes.
A central methodological commitment is to distinguish fear, anxiety, perceived stress,
broader affective distress, depressive symptoms, and physiological responses rather than
combining them into a single undifferentiated intensity score. A state-space formulation is
proposed to express candidate relationships among appraisal, affect, monitoring, behavior,
and time-dependent change. The equations are structural proposals rather than validated
laws. The framework specifies measurement requirements, alternative explanations, negative
cases, falsification conditions, and a staged validation strategy.
The proposed construct must be compared with established research on cognitive appraisal,
fear learning, parasocial relationships, somatic monitoring, anxiety-related processes, stress,
and mood symptoms. Its scientific contribution will depend on whether clearly operationalized
IPN-specific predictions provide reliable explanatory or predictive value beyond existing
models.
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References
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