Coping and Co-creation: One Attempt and One Route to Well-Being. Part 1. Conceptual Framework

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Cognitive science
• General systems theory

Background:

• Life universally strives for well-being, yet not all life achieves it.
• This suggests a fundamental cognitive process, termed core cognition, underlies well-being maintenance across species.
• Core cognition may represent a shared evolutionary adaptation for survival and thriving.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically define the evolutionary core cognition of well-being in general living agents.
• To identify strategies and conditions for creating and protecting generalized well-being.
• To describe associated behavioral ontologies, specifically coping and co-creation.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis and conceptualization of core cognition.
• Definition of key terms including agency, behavior, need satisfaction, intelligence, power, and wisdom.
• Derivation of two complementary behavioral ontologies: coping and co-creation.

Main Results:

• Core cognition encompasses concepts essential for life, derived from life's defining properties.
• Coping strategies focus on survival and problem-solving, aiming for self-termination.
• Co-creation strategies focus on thriving and problem prevention, aiming for self-perpetuation and biosphere growth.

Conclusions:

• The interplay between coping and co-creation determines well-being outcomes.
• Successful interplay favors co-creation, promoting growth and diversity.
• Failure leads to a dominance of coping, resulting in a 'coping-trap' and reduced behavioral diversity.