This working paper consolidates the methodological core of a state-based, trace-grounded framework (the 48-State state-flow engine) and documents early cross-domain applications. The central contribution is a reusable state-flow representation for describing transient human vulnerability, decision instability, and interactional risk, with an emphasis on long-horizon trajectories and high-stakes commitment moments. Rather than proposing a scoring model, diagnostic taxonomy, or intervention engine, the paper positions state-flow as an observational layer that can be integrated into existing institutional workflows and AI-mediated systems. The applications reported here are presented as competition- and practice-driven prototypes and methodological demonstrations, not as deployed systems or empirical validation. The paper is intended to serve as a method overview “anchor” for a broader working-paper set, in which domain-specific idiographic cases provide boundary stress tests and scenario-grounded evidence of plausibility without prevalence claims.
Sincere Ann Ma (2026) studied this question.