AIM Framework glossary
Vigilance
Canonical definition
Vigilance is the state in which the Decision Hub, its I-share exhausted by the Mimetic Treadmill and its weight on M intercepted at the I-Override gate, carries the share M took from the Body Manager to the Thinker: Salience is high, the Thinker is recruited on nearly every candidate action, and the Body Manager's signals carry less weight than they bear. Salience still drives the reallocation, and where the Thinker's signal outweighs the Body Manager's, Vigilance holds itself in place. Vigilance is approach-driven, is not released by further scrutiny, and releases as Salience falls.
Explanation
Vigilance is what happens when someone has learned to stop acting on borrowed wanting, but their surroundings keep everything looking important. Their thinking is called in on almost every choice, and their body's needs, such as sleep, get pushed aside. Checking more does not help. It eases only when the surroundings stop making everything stand out.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct. Derived from the I-Override gate and the Mimetic Treadmill (Appendix A, Sections A.6.4 and A.9.7). The construct characterises the motivational configuration; the affective, hormonal and chemical processes that shape the accompanying experience lie outside the characterisation (Chapter 9, Section 9.22).
Derivation
Related terms
- Anxiety
- I-Override
- Mimetic Treadmill
- Salience
- Body Manager
- Thinker
- A-Floor Requirement