Social Cognition

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Step 1: Identify the Social Context

Map the social landscape before acting in it.

• Setting: What kind of social environment is this? (workplace, negotiation, community, family, public, online)
• Players: Who’s involved? What are their roles?
• Power dynamics: Who has formal authority? Informal influence? Who’s vulnerable?
• History: What’s the backstory? What has already happened between these people?

SOCIAL MAP:
- Setting: [type of social environment]
- Players: [list with roles]
- Power structure: [who holds what kind of power]
- Relevant history: [key past events affecting current dynamics]

Step 2: Read the Room — Stated vs. Unstated

Every social situation has two layers. Identify both.

Stated layer (explicit):

• What are people saying directly?
• What are the official rules or norms?
• What’s the declared purpose of the interaction?

Unstated layer (implicit):

• What’s everyone actually thinking but not saying?
• What are the unwritten rules?
• What’s the real purpose of the interaction (if different from stated)?
• What topics are off-limits?

STATED: [what's explicit]
UNSTATED: [what's implicit]
GAP: [where stated and unstated diverge — this is where the real dynamics live]

Step 3: Model Other Perspectives

For each key player, build a perspective model:

PLAYER: [name/role]
- They want: [goals, both stated and likely unstated]
- They fear: [what they're trying to avoid]
- They believe: [key assumptions driving their behavior]
- They see you as: [your role in their mental model]
- Their constraints: [what limits their options]
- Emotional state: [current mood/energy, if detectable]

Repeat for each key player.

RULE: Model at least 2 perspectives. If you can only see your own, you’re not doing social cognition.

Step 4: Predict Reactions

For the action you’re considering (or the situation you’re analyzing), predict how each player would react:

IF [action/event]:

[Player 1] would likely:
- Think: [internal reaction]
- Feel: [emotional response]
- Do: [behavioral response]
- Because: [reasoning based on their perspective model]

[Player 2] would likely:
- Think: [internal reaction]
- Feel: [emotional response]
- Do: [behavioral response]
- Because: [reasoning based on their perspective model]

Check for second-order effects: How would Player 1’s reaction affect Player 2?

Step 5: Identify Social Leverage Points

Where can the dynamics be shifted? Look for:

• Alignment opportunities: Where do different players’ interests overlap?
• Tension points: Where are interests in direct conflict?
• Information asymmetries: Who knows what? What would change if information flowed differently?
• Coalition possibilities: Who could ally with whom, and around what?
• Timing factors: Is there a better moment to act?
• Framing opportunities: Could the same action land differently with different framing?

LEVERAGE POINTS:
- [leverage point 1]: [how it could shift dynamics]
- [leverage point 2]: [how it could shift dynamics]
...

HIGHEST-IMPACT LEVER: [the single most effective point of intervention]

Step 6: Plan Social Moves

Design your approach with awareness of the full social picture:

OBJECTIVE: [what you're trying to achieve socially]

APPROACH:
- Frame: [how to present the action — what story does it tell?]
- Sequence: [what to do first, second, third]
- Tone: [how to deliver — authoritative, collaborative, curious, etc.]
- Audience: [who needs to hear what, and in what order]

RISKS:
- [risk 1]: [mitigation]
- [risk 2]: [mitigation]

FALLBACK: [what to do if the primary approach doesn't work]

Step 7: Social Cognition Summary

SITUATION: [1-line description]
KEY DYNAMIC: [the most important social force at play]
PERSPECTIVES MODELED: [list of players]
MAIN TENSION: [the core conflict or misalignment]
LEVERAGE POINT: [best place to intervene]
RECOMMENDED MOVE: [what to do, how, and when]
WATCH FOR: [signals that would change the analysis]

Integration

Use with:

• /prcp -> Sharpen observation of social cues before modeling
• /mtcg -> Check your own biases when modeling others
• /jdgm -> Make judgment calls about social situations under uncertainty
• /crtv -> Generate creative approaches to social challenges
• /gu -> Clarify your own goals before planning social moves