Good Vibrations and Other Emotions

(Page Created 3/18/25 Updated 4/17/26)

First: In this exploration, I will apply and discuss two systems-of-systems that approach excellence: (1) the Psychology of Lifespan Performance and Perceptual Control (the LPPC model) and (2) Performance as the Way of PIE (Purpose, Integrity, and Experience).

Rather than relying on external stimuli and expectations as the sole motivation, we'll work within these systems to upgrade mainstream performance coaching and the human potential movement's teachings by introducing a structured, dynamic, cyclical framework that guides coaches and learners through the complexities of performance activations via self-control of internal perceptual control feedback loops.

What's Up With These Emotions

Second: When it comes to understanding emotions, one must know that there are two levels of emotional vibrations. This idea is the second upgrade to mainstream performance coaching and the human potential movement's teachings.

Attractive Emotions: Joy, love, satisfaction, clarity, and inner alignment affirm that an individual's actions are in harmony with their true purpose.
Repulsive Emotions: Fear, hatred, discomfort, dissonance, or frustration are essential signals of misalignment, urging the individual to modify their approach to life.

This duality is not simply a matter of good-positive versus bad-negative vibrations (which it is). Nonetheless, and most importantly, it represents a dynamic interplay that informs one's self-guided evolution of conscious performance and potential by measuring mastery as one ascends the levels of being human.

A Hybridization

As the Optima Bowling Coach, I built an ideology on the rich history of educational and performance coaching methodologies, acknowledging the legacy of past-stream ways emphasizing discipline and cohesion; integrating the technique-structured goals of mainstream approaches; and activating the future-stream ideas. This hybridization of ideological streams creates a robust context in which attractive and repulsive emotions become integral to personal development by attending to the control of perceptions and the feedback mechanisms that drive one's lifespan performance activations.

The System-of-Systems Foundation

The systems-of-systems foundation is powered by the Psychology of Lifespan Performance and Perceptual Control (LPPC) model, created from the principle that behavior is the control of perceptions. The model diagrams human performance as a continuous process of self-control rather than simply a response to external rewards or punishments. Instead, individuals are guided by internal feedback loops that compare inputs of their current perceptions with a goal or reference perception. Also, when there is alignment between the two, attractive emotions emerge with feelings that confirm the individual's actions resonate with their intended (reference) perception. Conversely, repulsive emotions arise when one perceives a conflict, signaling that an adjustment is necessary.

Within the LPPC model's self-control operation, attractive emotions can now be understood not simply as transient states of pleasure but as signals affirming the successful integration of a hierarchy of self-intended, purposeful perceptual goals. Attractive emotions signify and validate that the chosen action aligns with aspirations. Repulsive emotions, when approached correctly, serve as critical feedback by revealing misalignments (conflicts) between one's current (real-time) perceptions and the intended (reference) perceptions, prompting certain, necessary, perceptual recalibrations.

With an emphasis on external measures of excellence (scores, awards, prescribed techniques) and a list of expectations and preferred behaviors, coaches overlook the value of the repulsive and attractive emotional dialogue. By focusing on outcomes, mainstream approaches downplay or neglect the perceptual inputs and subtle interplay of internal cues that drive sustainable performance.

In direct contrast, the LPPC model offers a self-controllable, self-directed understanding of human behavior, recognizing that every action, every error, and every moment of insight is part of a broader, internally guided process aimed at achieving sustainable performance activations and personal development obtainable with a hybrid coach-play approach.

Application in Coaching & Learning

Let's take a detailed look and report on this self-control approach from a scholar's perspective. We find it has far-reaching applications across diverse fields, including coaching, sports training, education, and skill development. In sports training, for instance, coaches who utilize this model observe that an athlete's performance is not solely determined by physical strength or technical skill but also influenced by the athlete's internal hierarchy of feedback mechanisms. When a bowler's release, grip, and timing are in harmony, the resultant attractive emotions, often experienced as a deep sense of confidence or flow, serve as real-time confirmation of correctness. These attractive emotional signals reinforce the controlled reference perceptions of technique and encourage the athlete to maintain that state of alignment.

And, when an athlete experiences moments of frustration or discomfort (signals of repulsive emotions), they should not be dismissed as mere failures, because they are, in fact, invaluable indicators of misalignment between performance activations and intention. Effective coaching involves guiding athletes to interpret these emotions as constructive feedback rather than setbacks. By doing so, coaches help athletes understand why every repulsion is an opportunity for adjustment and growth. This approach fundamentally shifts the focus from an external authority's list of preferred behaviors and physical motivations, such as awards or accolades, to internal emotional self-control, where the process of refinement and continuous human development takes center stage.

In educational settings, this methodology can similarly transform learning. In our recent history [ignoring and discounting the current craziness] of traditional classroom instruction, we have relied on standardized testing, assigned expectations, and external validation as measures of success, often stifling students' curiosity, interests, and resilience. But, in its stead, by understanding and applying the principles of self-control and of a hybrid teacher-student approach, educators can create environments that first teach students how to think and then how to listen to their internal feedback loops. Then, when a student comprehends a problematic concept, the attractive emotions experienced are celebrated as clear signs of intellectual alignment and progress. And repulsive emotions during moments of confusion or frustration are treated as cues for deeper inquiry and re-engagement with the material. From this, in an educator's phraseology: "A mindset fosters a transformative, self-directed learning process, with critical thinking and adaptive problem-solving skills that enable students to actively participate in their education rather than remain passive recipients of limiting, externally imposed benchmarks."

The LPPC model also applies in other areas of skill development and personal growth. Whether in art, music, or business, individuals who more often control their inner feedback mechanisms tend to exhibit greater adaptability and creativity. The practice of tuning into one's internal state, of recognizing and interpreting both attractive and repulsive emotions, applies universally to resolve complex challenges, transforms the notion of failure into a vital component of the learning curve, and emphasizes the importance of self-realization on the way toward mastery.

See More: A New View of Behavior

Performance as The Way of PIE

Performance as the Way of PIE (Purpose, Integrity, and Experience) is central to understanding the Optima Bowling World.

Purpose (the Why): Purpose resides at the highest two levels of perceptions, where principles and system concepts operate, functioning as a reference condition, an envisioned pattern of coherence that guides action without demanding certainty. Within the Optima Bowling World, purpose is discovered through inquiry, not declared in advance, remains evolutionary, open to revision, and orients action without rigid fixation. A healthy purpose stabilizes attention while remaining responsive to evidence.
Integrity (the How): Integrity is not a moral posture; it is systemic coherence. Integrity measures the degree to which embodied states, emotional climate, and cognitive structures guide values that reinforce rather than undermine one another. Integrity operates primarily at the emotional-relational tier, where misalignment is felt first. When integrity weakens, effort compensates. When integrity strengthens, effort decreases while effectiveness increases. Integrity protects Purpose from magnification and Experience from exploitation.
Experience (the What): Experience is the measure of what is: the immediate flow of results, sensations, emotions, and environmental feedback. Experience serves as the proving ground for Purpose, the stress test for Integrity, and the raw data input for further inquiry. When experience is ignored, Purpose becomes fantasy. When experience is examined, learning accelerates; experience is neither indulged nor dismissed; it is studied.

Performance as the way of PIE (Purpose, Integrity, and Experience) forms a dynamic framework that supports the evolving nature of the Psychology of Lifespan Performance and Perceptual Control (LPPC model). In concert, they create a structured flow that connects Why (purpose) with How (integrity) and What, Where, When, and Who (experience). Embracing this systems-of-systems approach, one can interpret every emotional vibration as either a signal of alignment or a call for change.

See More: The Purposeful PIE

Human Development and the Measure of Intelligence

Attractive and repulsive emotions, of course, play a crucial role in human development. The work of integrating the three human dimensions of being (physical, emotional, and mental) into a coherent whole aims to reach the integral level of the causal self, in which all facets and dimensions of human development are activated and aligned. Reaching the Integrated Self is only possible by mastering each of the three levels of being human.

This comprehensive human development activity combines ideas from past-stream, mainstream, and future-stream ideologies. A significant characteristic of human development is the evolution of thinking, which is directly the measure of intelligence. Before an individual fully masters the mental self, their thinking is inherently limited. In this context, intelligence is defined as the activation of levels of mental self-consciousness, or evolving through four ever-higher kinds of thinking.

Inference Thinking represents the most basic form of mental consciousness. Here, individuals rely on discursive, ground-to-consequence reasoning, a linear approach sufficient for everyday decision-making but limited in scope.
Principle Thinking emerges, allowing individuals to interpret real phenomena in terms of absolute concepts. This kind of thinking brings a more structured and, at times, rigid understanding of the world.
Perspective Thinking introduces a more balanced approach in which individuals learn to relativize concepts and integrate multiple viewpoints to gain greater comprehension of their experiences.
Systems Thinking represents the highest form of human intelligence. At this level, the mind is capable of simultaneous, multidimensional analysis that integrates historical, logical, psychological, and causal relationships, in which facts are not merely isolated data points but components of a complex, interrelated system of understanding.

In learning to think by advancing through the four levels of thought, individuals not only enhance their cognitive capacities but also, once they are in control by mastering the emotional dimension, make repulsive emotions a non-factor. They will focus on mastering the mental self and preparing their sensible ability of self-control at the performance optimization stage, the pinnacle of performance authentication, to reach the human potential of a causal self.

See More: Learning How to Think

Future of Self-Regulation Approach

The future of your practice implies you first understand the mainstream self-regulatory approach grounded in the future-stream Psychology of Lifespan Performance and Perceptual Control (the LPPC model). From that lesson:

Your perspective on performance coaching, education, or human development can shift away from an emphasis on self-regulation and adopt a development practice focused on evolving self-consciousness.
A traditional fragmented approach and dependence on the physical dimension and external authority of expected, preferred behaviors as the motivations, ultimately giving way to ideologies emphasizing the emotional dimension and self-initiated, self-intended reference perceptions.
Shift from lessons on seeking validation from outside sources to promoting an integral, healthy internal system of relationships, feedback, mental mastery, and self-authorization.

This glimpse of the future-stream ideology clarifies why redefining behavior as the control of perceptions will transform how performance and intelligence are comprehended and understood.

Coaches, educators, and learners alike increasingly recognize that sustainable development toward mastery is achieved through a continuous cycle of internal assessment and adjustment. In this emerging paradigm, we find that until one masters the emotional self, the attractive emotions must serve as powerful signals announcing that an individual is operating in harmony with their purpose. And repulsive emotions stress conflicting perceptions in areas that require introspection and recalibration. The above relates to learning about the possibility of controlling one's lifespan performance activations.

People who comprehend this shift from external motivation to self-control, which promises redesigned educational and coaching environments, find that traditional performance metrics, while beneficial for establishing a basic physical foundation, consistently fail to produce the high levels of wholeness required for the integrity of an individual's development. In contrast, environments that stimulate self-control encourage a richer, more adaptive form of learning; they organize an ongoing process of personal growth in which every setback is seen as a learning opportunity and every success reinforces inner alignment. As more individuals, organizations, and institutions recognize the power of these future-stream, forward-thinking models applied to performance coaching, education, and human development, they will experience profound individual transformations toward a higher level of intelligence.

Narrative of Attractive and Repulsive Emotions

From the integral perspective of the LPPC model, the principle of Performance as the Way of PIE, and the comprehension of the mental self, we find that every emotional vibration is a crucial component of the self-controlled aspiration to align one's actions with one's purposeful values. And again, recognizing attractive emotions affirms alignment, while repulsive emotions signal the need for recalibration, coaches and learners are equipped to navigate the complexities of human development and performance activations.

The Optima Bowling World is a research reference and an encouragement for those seeking to develop harmonious integrity, reaffirming the vision that true mastery is achieved not only through validation of the physical self but also through the continuation of emotional relationships and the processing of inner alignment. And by working through mental mastery toward self-initiated self-authorization of the causal self.

This story of Good Vibrations and Other Emotions is about managing emotions, stepping into the mental world, and working through different kinds of intelligence. It is also about enriching one's environment to find that every moment of disorientation and every instance of harmony both contribute to a deeper, resilient form of human intelligence, causal-intuition. Today, performance coaching lies in developing the emotional world, mastering relationships with internal cues, and shifting one's attention away from dependence on the physical world and external rewards, while steadily moving toward the model of self-guided excellence. Through the transformative perspective of the LPPC model, every challenge becomes an opportunity for growth, and every success reinforces the integral unity of purpose, integrity, and experience. That is where we are; once you comprehend that actuality, you will widen your understanding of why.

Back To: Emotional Intelligence Redefined