DMSH 1950 Book 1 Chapter 5
← Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950)
Summary
The dynamic principle of existence is survival.
This survival can be graduated into four zones, each one progressively portending a better opportunity of reaching the potential of immortality. Zone 0 borders from death and includes apathy; Zone 1 borders from apathy and includes violent effort; Zone 2 borders from violence into mediocre but not entirely satisfactory success; Zone 3 borders from the mediocre to the excellent chance. These zones are each occasioned by the ratio of the suppressor to the survival dynamic. In apathy, Zone 0, the suppressor appears too great to be overcome. In the area of violence, Zone I, the suppressor more or less overbalances the survival dynamic, requiring enormous effort which, when expended without result, drops the organism into the Zero Zone. In the area of mediocrity, Zone 2, the suppressor and the survival dynamic are more or less evenly balanced. In the area of Zone 3 the survival dynamic has overcome the suppressor and, the chances of survival being excellent, is the area of high response to problems. These four zones might be classed as the zone of no hope, the zone of violent action, the area of balance and the area of high hope. Clinical experiment is the basis of these zones since they follow a progress of mental or physical being as it rises from the death area into high existence.
The four dynamics are subdivisions of the survival dynamic and are, in Mankind, the thrust toward potential survival in terms of entities. They embrace all the purposes, activities and behavior of Mankind. They could be said to be a conduct survival pattern. The first of these, but not necessarily the most important nor yet the one which will receive priority in various efforts, is the individual dynamic, DYNAMIC ONE, which includes the personal survival of the individual as a living person and the survival of his personal symbiotes. DYNAMIC TWO is the thrust toward potential immortality through children and includes all sexual activity as well as the symbiotes of the children. DYNAMIC THREE is survival in terms of the group, which term may include such things as a club, a military company, a city, a state, a nation; this would include the symbiotes of the group. DYNAMIC FOUR is the thrust toward potential immortality of Mankind as a species and the symbiotes of Mankind. Embraced within these classifications are any part of existence, any form of matter and, indeed the Universe.
Any problem or situation discoverable within the activities or purposes of Mankind is embraced within these dynamics.
The equation of the optimum solution is inherent within the organism and, modified by education or viewpoint and modified further by time, is the operating method of unaberrated individuals, groups or Mankind. The equation of the optimum solution is always present even in severely aberrated individuals and is used as modified by their education, viewpoint and available time. The aberration does not remove activity from the dynamics of survival. Aberrated conduct is irrational survival conduct and is fully intended to lead to survival. That the intent is not the act does not eradicate the intent.
THESE ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL AXIOMS OF DIANETICS: The dynamic principle of existence — SURVIVE!
Survival, considered as the single and sole Purpose, sub-divides into four dynamics.
DYNAMIC ONE is the urge of the individual toward survival for the individual and his symbiotes. (By symbiote is meant all entities and energies which aid survival.)
DYNAMIC TWO is the urge of the individual toward survival through procreation; it includes both the sex act and the raising of progeny, the care of children and their symbiotes.
DYNAMIC THREE is the urge of the individual toward survival for the group or the group for the group and includes the symbiotes of that group.
DYNAMIC FOUR is the urge of the individual toward survival for Mankind or the urge toward survival of Mankind for Mankind as well as the group for Mankind, etc., and includes the symbiotes of mankind.
The absolute goal of survival is immortality or infinite survival. This is sought by the individual in terms of himself as an organism, as a spirit or as a name or as his children, as a group of which he is a member or as Mankind and the progeny and symbiotes of others as well as his own. The reward of survival activity is pleasure.
The ultimate penalty of destructive activity is death or complete non-survival, and is pain. Successes raise the survival potential toward infinite survival. Failures lower the survival potential toward death.
The human mind is engaged upon perceiving and retaining data, composing or computing conclusions and posing and resolving problems related to organisms along all four dynamics and the purpose of perception, retention, concluding and resolving problems is to direct its own organism and symbiotes and other organisms and symbiotes along the four dynamics toward survival. Intelligence is the ability to perceive, pose and resolve problems.
The dynamic is the tenacity to life and vigor and persistence in survival. Both the dynamic and intelligence are necessary to persist and accomplish and neither is a constant quantity from individual to individual, group to group.
The dynamics are inhibited by engrams, which lie across them and disperse life force. Intelligence is inhibited by engams which feed false or improperly graded data into the analyzer. Happiness is the overcoming of not unknown obstacles toward a known goal and, transiently, the contemplation of or indulgence in pleasure.
The analytical mind is that portion of the mind which perceives and retains experience data to compose and resolve problems and direct the organism along the four dynamics. It thinks in differences and similarities.
The reactive mind is that portion of the mind which files and retains physical pain and painful emotion and seeks to direct the organism solely on a stimulus-response basis. It thinks only in identities.
The somatic mind is that mind which, directed by the analytical or reactive mind, places solutions into effect on the physical level.
A training pattern is that stimulus-response mechanism resolved by the analytical mind to care for routine activity or emergency activity. It is held in the somatic mind and can be changed at will by the analytical mind.
Habit is that stimulus-response reaction dictated by the reactive mind from the content of engrams and put into effect by the somatic mind. It can be changed only by those things which change engams.
Aberrations, under which is included all deranged or irrational behavior, are caused by engams. They are stimulus-response pro- and contra-survival. Psycho-somatic ills are caused by engrams. The engram is the single source of aberrations and psycho-somatic ills. Moments of “unconsciousness” when the analytical mind is attenuated in greater or lesser degree are the only moments when engrams can be received. The engram is a moment of “unconsciousness” containing physical pain or painful emotion and all perceptions and is not available to the analytical mind as experience.
Emotion is three things: engramic response to situations, endocrine metering of the body to meet situations on an analytical level and the inhibition or the furtherance of life force.
The potential value of an individual or a group may be expressed by the equation:
(PV = ID) where I is Intelligence and D is Dynamic.
The worth of an individual is computed in terms of the alignment, on any dynamic, of his potential value with optimum survival along that dynamic. A high PV may, by reversed vector, result in a negative worth as in some severely aberrated persons. A high PV on any dynamic assures a high worth only in the unaberrated person.