European Journal of Behavioral Sciences

Threshold Transitions in Adult Development: The Age Architecture™ Framework for Personal Metamorphosis

2026-06-11T05:05:28+00:00

Contemporary psychology of adult development often describes mature life transitions through the language of crisis, adaptation, or identity disruption. This language is useful, but it does not cover every case. Some transitions in adulthood seem to involve a deeper shift: not simply adjustment to new circumstances, but a reorganization of the structures through which selfhood, meaning, embodiment, and action are held together. Related patterns of threshold-based change are well known in complex systems theory, neurophysiology, and evolutionary biology. In adult developmental psychology, however, a non-pathological morphology of mature transition remains insufficiently developed. This paper proposes Age Architecture™, a conceptual framework for understanding personal metamorphosis as a structured threshold process. Drawing on dissipative structures theory, predictive processing, and punctuated equilibrium, the framework outlines a seven-phase morphology with preliminary somatic, cognitive, and affective markers. The model does not treat mature transition only as crisis or decline. It approaches it as a possible reorganization of the architecture of experience, offering a language for future research, counseling, and developmental practice.

Distortion Archetypes in Gendered Power Dynamics: Emotional Baiting, Proximity, and Relational Deflection: A Procedural Framework for Analyzing Symbolic Displacement in Male-Female Interactions

2026-07-13T05:35:34+00:00

The study investigates the hidden mechanisms of distortion archetypes in gendered power dynamics, focusing on the role emotional baiting, proximity, relational deflection, and displacement function as strategic tools of symbolic displacement, a process that refers to the erosion of an individual’s agency or presence through communicative, sometimes relational cues that conceal their value. Drawing on symbolic interactionism and communication theory, the exploration introduces a procedural method for decoding “theater,” a performative mode of interaction that obscures intent and manipulates emotional labor. It proposes a decoding method that can be applied to recognize and resist covert manipulations embedded in everyday gender exchanges. To address limitations in conventional psychological models that lack mechanisms for decoding symbolic displacement and relational manipulation, the study introduces Cognitive Versatility Theory (CVT) and its ACIR model, which operationalize the decoding process by providing analytic, creative, intuitive, and reflective modes for interpreting relational distortions. Integrating insights from psychology, behavioral economics, and communication studies, the model offers a practical approach for identifying manipulative modalities in male–female dynamics. Together, these frameworks clarify the relational processes that shape symbolic displacement and strengthen individual agency within gendered power asymmetries.

Adolescent Self-Harm: Associations with Depressive Symptoms, Age, and Sex in Cross-Sectional Samples from 2019 and 2025

2026-07-16T09:36:02+00:00

Self-harm during adolescence represents a significant behavioral and public health concern associated with increased psychological vulnerability. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and self-harm in adolescents across two time points (2019 and 2025), with a particular focus on age and sex differences. Data were obtained from two national cross-sectional surveys conducted in Slovakia (N = 1,017 in 2019; N = 834 in 2025). Self-harm was assessed using selected physical forms from the Self-Harm Inventory, and depressive symptoms were measured using the Child Depression Inventory. The results indicated a significant positive association between depressive symptoms and self-harm in both cohorts; however, the strength of this relationship decreased in 2025. While depressive symptoms significantly increased over time, the variability of self-harm behaviors declined. Age and sex emerged as significant moderating factors, with age moderating the relationship in 2019 and sex in 2025. Girls showed a higher likelihood of self-harm, whereas the association between depression and self-harm was weaker among them. These findings suggest a potential shift from intrapsychic models of self-harm toward more complex frameworks that incorporate social and contextual influences. The results highlight the importance of considering broader environmental factors in understanding self-harm in contemporary adolescent populations.