The Temporal-Object Drama Triangle: A Neurobiological Synthesis of Karpman's Model — Extending the Drama Triangle Beyond Interpersonal Actors to Temporal Projections, Non-Human Objects, and Attachment-Calibrated Autonomic Regulation

Paper 13A in the ABM Blueprint Independent Research Series. Karpman's Drama Triangle (1968) remains one of the most widely cited frameworks in relational psychology. This paper identifies three unexamined assumptions in the original model — that drama requires human actors, that role adoption is conscious, and that the triangle operates exclusively in the interpersonal domain — and introduces the Temporal-Object Drama Triangle (TODT), a neurobiologically grounded extension. The TODT proposes that the nervous system casts drama roles across three zones: Interpersonal (classical Karpman), Temporal (past memories and future projections as cast members), and Object (substances, work, technology, food). This casting is governed by Periaqueductal Gray (PAG) columnar activation patterns calibrated by early attachment experience. The model integrates Bowlby's attachment theory, Bandler's PAG columnar architecture, Porges's Polyvagal Theory, and the Limbic Friction framework to demonstrate that drama role adoption is a subcortical regulatory strategy — not a conscious interpersonal choice. Key contributions: Three casting zones (Interpersonal, Temporal, Object) with neurobiological mechanisms Attachment-specific casting patterns: Architect (avoidant/dlPAG → Persecutor/Victim), Radar (anxious/lPAG → Rescuer/Victim), Special Forces (disorganized/vlPAG → all roles oscillating) The Pseudo-Drama Triangle: internalized drama with identical cortisol output but no interpersonal actors The Blind Minefield effect: invisible PAG-calibrated trigger zones in relational navigation The Delayed Observer Problem: why cognitive awareness is insufficient without autonomic regulation Hardware-First intervention logic: PAG reduction → ECS restoration → pattern identification → narrative integration Five testable empirical predictions Companion Papers: SADA Framework (Paper 1) · Superposition-Collapse Model (Paper 2) · SADA-Entropy Protocol (Paper 3) · SADA Recalibration Protocol (Paper 4) · Imagination–PAG–ECS Axis (Paper 5) · The Birth Pulse (Paper 0)Based on 15,000+ clinical hours of therapeutic observation. This preprint has not been peer-reviewed. Published under open access for scholarly discussion and clinical application.