CEBI‑S: The Collapse & Persistence Mechanism of Reactive Emotional States — A Specification Within the Integrative Thinking–Emotional Intelligence Framework

CEBI‑S: The Collapse & Persistence Mechanism of Reactive Emotional States This paper extends the Integrative Thinking–Emotional Intelligence Framework by formally specifying how reactive emotional states arise and persist within the same cognitive–emotional–behavioural architecture defined by the Cognitive–Emotional–Behavioural Integration (CEBI) Model. While the CEBI Model establishes the mechanism through which Integrative Thinking produces Emotional Intelligence and subsequently Intelligent Behaviour, it does not yet detail how reactive emotional responses emerge when interpretation becomes narrow. CEBI‑S introduces the Collapsed Cognitive–Emotional–Behavioural Integration State, a collapse scenario in which Layer 1 contracts around a narrow interpretation before integrative expansion can occur. Under collapse, the mechanism‑level sequence Interpretation → Emotional Output → Behaviour remains intact, but the construct‑level chain Integrative Thinking → Emotional Intelligence → Intelligent Behaviour does not emerge because the cognitive conditions required for integration are absent. The paper proposes that reactive emotional states can feel immediate or overwhelming not because emotion precedes cognition, but because interpretive contraction may occur before integrative expansion. This temporal asymmetry explains both the rapid emergence and the persistence of reactive states: repeated interpretive narrowing produces repeated reactive emotional output, while behaviour expresses this downstream instability without altering the original interpretation. CEBI‑S therefore clarifies that emotional surges, outbursts, and reactive behaviour do not modify interpretation within the framework; they are downstream consequences of collapsed interpretation. Recovery occurs when Layer 1 reopens and interpretive breadth is restored, allowing Integrative Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, and Intelligent Behaviour to re‑emerge. Together, CEBI and CEBI‑S provide a unified account of both integration and collapse within a single unidirectional architecture, identifying interpretive breadth as the central determinant of whether emotional output becomes integrated or reactive. Authorship & Intellectual Property Notice: The framework, its causal chain, definitions, terminology, and conceptual architecture presented in this work were conceived and developed by Megha Monga. This upload provides a public record of the work and its associated publication date. Academic citation, discussion, commentary, and engagement with the framework are welcome. Commercial use of the framework or any of its components is not permitted under any circumstances. Reproduction, repackaging under alternative terminology, reframing, adaptation, conceptual appropriation or presentation of the framework or its components as original work by another individual, institution, or platform is not authorized. The author continues to apply this cognitive framework through ongoing research‑driven content on her YouTube channel, focusing on AI, sustainability, and consciousness.