Where Tension Occurs
Terrains of tension name the regions of inner life where tension commonly appears.
These are referred to as terrains, not categories.
They describe where tension is felt — not what it means or how it should be fixed.
Multiple terrains may be inhabited at once.
Moving between them is not progress.
Remaining in one is not failure.
They are simply where tension is felt.
Terrains of Tension
- Identity Terrain
The tension between self, continuity, transformation, and recognition.
Associated figure: Circle - Emotional Terrain
The tension between feeling, attachment, vulnerability, and emotional experience.
Associated figure: Triangle - Cognitive Terrain
The tension between understanding, interpretation, certainty, and uncertainty.
Associated figure: Square - Behavioural Terrain
The tension between action, habit, movement, and resistance.
Associated figure: Star - Existential Terrain
The tension between everyday existence and the larger questions that accompany it.
Associated figure: Diamond
These terrains overlap and recur.
They are not milestones.
A terrain is a place of tension, not a step in a process.