The HSP Pattern Map

HSP · PRACTICE

Common patterns translated into system dynamics, learned logic, function, feedback and possible update directions.

Do you recognize overthinking, procrastination, pleasing, control, avoidance, perfectionism or repeating the same behavior even though you already understand what is happening? The Pattern Map helps explore what may make that pattern logical for your system.

No diagnosis. No new label. A pattern is recognition — not identity.

The question is not: “What is wrong with me?”
The question is: “What system dynamics make this pattern understandable?”

Start with one pattern ↓ Read the explanation first ↓

HSP · PRACTICE

The HSP Pattern Map

Translate one recognizable pattern into a system hypothesis.

Start with what keeps returning, then explore possible input, prediction, learned logic, function, feedback and update direction.

A pattern is recognition, not identity and not a diagnosis.

Marc Sijm · Human System Protocol™

Where and when does it appear?

02 · Context

A pattern becomes more precise when you see under which conditions it does and does not appear.

In which situations does it often occur? When does the same pattern occur less or not at all?

Which prediction may sit underneath it?

03 · Prediction

Not every pattern begins with a conscious thought. You can often still explore what the system seems to expect would happen if you did not use the familiar route.

If you did not perform the pattern, what does your system seem to predict? What do you know, and what is still only a hypothesis?

Which learned logic may fit?

04 · Learned logic

Look for a rule that makes the pattern understandable, not a perfect psychological explanation.

Which rule, threshold or default route seems active? Which other rule could also fit?

What does the pattern do for the system?

05 · Function

A pattern can be difficult and still be functional in the short term. That is often exactly why it persists.

Which function might the pattern serve?

What does it deliver immediately?

Which feedback keeps the pattern active?

06 · Feedback & cost

Which short-term relief or confirmation follows?

What does the same pattern cost later?

“It works” and “it is good for me” are not the same thing.

Which update direction is small enough?

07 · Direction

An update direction is not yet a method. First describe what the system may need in order to make something else available.

What seems to be needed more?

Which small next step could test this?

Use the Pattern Map as a hypothesis. Do not turn “I do this often” into a new identity.

How to use this pattern map

Use

Choose one pattern you recognize. Do not read this to label yourself, but to explore which system area may be active. One pattern can involve several system areas at once.

Use the rules as hypotheses, not as final truth. The best HSP question remains: what fits my specific situation?

Recognition → system area → old rule → possible update direction → suitable support.

Update direction, method and self-help practice

This pattern map distinguishes between three things:

1. Update direction

The update direction describes what the system may need in order to learn something new: slowing down, restoring capacity, testing an old rule or creating new feedback.

2. Coaching method

In coaching, a method can help support that direction. Possible methods include a coaching conversation, The Work, The Journey, PSYCH-K or PMA — Progressive Mental Alignment.

3. Self-help practice

Sometimes a small supporting step is enough to create more visibility, room or safety: journaling, a pause, fact-meaning separation, grounding or a micro-experiment.

HSP remains the map. The complaint does not automatically choose the method. The active system area, available capacity and update-readiness point to the direction.

The suggestions in this map are not a diagnosis and not an instruction. See them as possible routes for carefully exploring what your system may need.

The system areas in plain language

HSP system area	Plain language
Input	What comes in?
Predictive interpretation	What does my system make of it?
Operating rules / learned system logic	Which old rule turns on?
Activation	How strongly is my system switched on?
System pressure	Which pressure narrows my choice?
Resource allocation	Where does my energy go?
Capacity	How much room do I have left?
Output / possible function	What is my behavior trying to protect?
Feedback	What keeps the pattern alive?
Update-readiness	Can my system learn something new?

Overthinking

Overthinking often appears when the system tries to reduce uncertainty through more processing, analysis and prediction.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Every signal may matter.
Predictive interpretation	If I understand everything, I will be safer.
Operating rules / learned system logic	I must think this through completely before I can act.
Activation	Uncertainty feels like risk.
System pressure	I need an answer now.
Resource allocation	Attention goes to scanning, simulating, replaying and predicting.
Capacity	Processing room gets full.
Output / possible function	Thinking replaces acting, asking, resting or deciding.
Feedback	Short relief after thinking teaches the system to think again.
Update-readiness	Action feels safe only when there is enough certainty.

Overthinking is often not too much intelligence. It is a system trying to regulate uncertainty.

Possible update direction: Separate fact from meaning; choose one small action without full certainty.

Possible coaching method: The Work or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Journaling, fact-meaning separation or a short uncertainty check.

Procrastination

Procrastination often appears when a task carries more system meaning than the task itself: failure, judgment, loss of control or disappointment.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Task, deadline or expectation enters as pressure.
Predictive interpretation	This could expose failure, judgment or loss of control.
Operating rules / learned system logic	If I cannot do it well, I should not start.
Activation	Tension, freeze or avoidance becomes active.
System pressure	I should already have done this.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to avoiding, planning, worrying or distracting.
Capacity	Starting energy drops.
Output / possible function	Delay protects against immediate threat.
Feedback	Avoidance gives short relief and reinforces delay.
Update-readiness	A smaller, safer start is needed.

Procrastination is often not laziness. It is protection against the meaning attached to the task.

Possible update direction: Make the start smaller than the resistance; begin without needing to prove performance immediately.

Possible coaching method: PMA — Progressive Mental Alignment or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: A micro-experiment, five-minute start or safe start structure.

People-pleasing and saying yes while feeling no

People-pleasing often appears when the system chooses approval, connection or tension reduction over free alignment.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Request, expectation, disappointment or silence from another person.
Predictive interpretation	If I say no, something will be damaged.
Operating rules / learned system logic	I must keep others okay to stay safe.
Activation	Tension around rejection, guilt or conflict rises.
System pressure	Guilt, urgency or loyalty narrows choice.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to monitoring the other person.
Capacity	Little room remains to feel one’s own boundary.
Output / possible function	Saying yes protects connection or lowers tension.
Feedback	Relief after saying yes reinforces compliance.
Update-readiness	Saying no requires small safe experiences where connection can remain.

People-pleasing is often not kindness. It is connection protection under pressure.

Possible update direction: Pause before answering; restore choice space before guilt or approval determines the answer.

Possible coaching method: Coaching conversation, The Work, PSYCH-K or PMA.

Supporting self-help practice: Pause / pressure check, an intermediate answer such as “I’ll get back to you”, or boundary reflection.

Control

Control often appears when the system tries to reduce uncertainty by increasing predictability.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Ambiguity, open loops, other people’s choices or future scenarios.
Predictive interpretation	If I do not manage this, something may go wrong.
Operating rules / learned system logic	I am responsible for preventing bad outcomes.
Activation	Alertness, urgency and tension increase.
System pressure	Future risk feels immediate.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to monitoring, planning and correcting.
Capacity	Flexibility drops because control uses resources.
Output / possible function	Control protects against uncertainty or helplessness.
Feedback	Relief after controlling teaches the system to control again.
Update-readiness	Letting go needs evidence that uncertainty can be survived.

Control is often not a character flaw. It is a strategy to regulate uncertainty.

Possible update direction: Separate influence from control; choose one clear action within your actual influence.

Possible coaching method: The Work, PMA or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Open-loop closing, circle of influence or journaling about what is and is not within your influence.

Exhaustion

Exhaustion often appears when the system spends more capacity than it can restore.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Too much demand, noise, responsibility, tasks or social pressure.
Predictive interpretation	If I stop, something will fall apart.
Operating rules / learned system logic	I must keep going.
Activation	The system stays switched on, even during rest.
System pressure	Productivity, loyalty or guilt blocks recovery.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to maintenance, survival functioning and monitoring.
Capacity	Buffer is low or absent.
Output / possible function	Numbing, scrolling, withdrawal or shutdown protects remaining energy.
Feedback	Pushing through keeps life moving short-term but deepens depletion.
Update-readiness	Recovery comes before major behavior change.

Exhaustion is often not weakness. It is a capacity signal.

Possible update direction: Capacity before change; first reduce input, open loops and recovery debt.

Possible coaching method: Coaching conversation or PMA.

Supporting self-help practice: Capacity restoration, load reduction, rest structure or recovery planning.

Avoidance and withdrawal

Avoidance often appears when input feels too intense, risky or costly.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Conversation, task, expectation, conflict or possible evaluation.
Predictive interpretation	This may overwhelm me or go wrong.
Operating rules / learned system logic	Distance is safer than exposure.
Activation	Freeze, shutdown, heaviness or tension appears.
System pressure	Having to respond creates extra tension.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to escaping or containing.
Capacity	Low capacity makes contact or action too expensive.
Output / possible function	Avoidance protects against overload or shame.
Feedback	Relief after withdrawal reinforces withdrawal.
Update-readiness	Re-entry needs tiny, low-pressure exposure.

Avoidance is often the system choosing less input, not the person choosing less life.

Possible update direction: Safe re-approach; one small low-pressure step toward what is being avoided.

Possible coaching method: The Journey, PMA or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Safe re-approach, grounding or one micro-step toward the avoided subject.

Triggers and emotional reactivity

Triggers often appear when old predictions come online in response to new input.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Tone, silence, criticism, rejection cue, facial expression or uncertainty.
Predictive interpretation	This means danger, rejection, disrespect or loss.
Operating rules / learned system logic	I must defend, explain, please, control or leave.
Activation	Activation rises quickly and automatic output becomes available sooner.
System pressure	Responding feels urgent and hard to pause.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to threat detection and response.
Capacity	Nuance becomes less available.
Output / possible function	Defending, snapping, freezing, pleasing or withdrawing.
Feedback	If the output lowers tension or threat, the system may learn that route as useful again.
Update-readiness	Safe pause and new feedback are needed for a different response.

A trigger is often old prediction meeting new input.

Possible update direction: Trigger slowing; first name what came in, what meaning appeared and how much activation was present.

Possible coaching method: The Journey, The Work or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: HSP Trigger Map, grounding, pause or noting body signals.

Guilt around rest, boundaries or saying no

Guilt becomes problematic when the system treats guilt as an instruction instead of a signal.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Rest, no, pause, disappointment or an unmet expectation.
Predictive interpretation	This makes me selfish, unsafe or less valuable.
Operating rules / learned system logic	My value depends on being useful.
Activation	Guilt, tension or urge to explain appears.
System pressure	Guilt feels like a command.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to repair, justification or giving in.
Capacity	Little room remains to feel actual need.
Output / possible function	Explaining, saying yes, working or fixing.
Feedback	Relief after compliance reinforces guilt-driven behavior.
Update-readiness	The system needs safe evidence that rest or boundaries do not destroy connection.

Guilt is a signal, not an instruction.

Possible update direction: Treat guilt as a signal, not a command; explore which value or old rule is being touched.

Possible coaching method: The Work, PSYCH-K or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Pause / pressure check, preparing a boundary sentence or journaling about guilt versus responsibility.

Blocking when something matters

Blocking often appears when meaningful action activates risk around visibility, failure, judgment or disappointment.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Important task, opportunity, decision, audience or visibility.
Predictive interpretation	If this fails, it means more.
Operating rules / learned system logic	If it matters, I must get it right.
Activation	Freeze, pressure, tension or perfectionism appears.
System pressure	Importance becomes urgency.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to outcome monitoring and self-protection.
Capacity	Creative or executive space decreases.
Output / possible function	Blocking protects against visible failure.
Feedback	Not acting prevents failure short-term but reinforces threat.
Update-readiness	Smaller stakes and safer attempts are needed.

Blocking can mean the step matters enough for the system to treat it as risk.

Possible update direction: Lower the stakes; make the step smaller, more temporary or less visible.

Possible coaching method: PMA, The Work or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Micro-experiment, “good enough for now” step or a safe first version.

Staying up late and scrolling

Staying up late or scrolling can protect autonomy, decompression, avoidance or numbness.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	End of day, fatigue, silence, tomorrow, unfinished emotion.
Predictive interpretation	If I stop, I lose the only time that feels mine.
Operating rules / learned system logic	I need this before I can let go.
Activation	Restlessness, avoidance or low-grade tension remains active.
System pressure	Tomorrow starts before sleep begins.
Resource allocation	Attention goes to low-effort stimulation.
Capacity	Capacity is too low for an intentional transition.
Output / possible function	Scrolling protects autonomy, numbs tension or delays tomorrow.
Feedback	Short relief reinforces staying awake.
Update-readiness	Sleep behavior needs a safer decompression route, not only discipline.

Late-night scrolling may be the system protecting decompression when the day offered too little space.

Possible update direction: Do not replace numbing with discipline, but with decompression; create a safe transition before sleep.

Possible coaching method: PMA or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Short decompression routine, open-loop closing or screen-free transition.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism often appears when imperfection is linked to judgment, rejection, failure or loss of control.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Task, evaluation, visibility, comparison or uncertainty.
Predictive interpretation	If this is imperfect, I may be judged.
Operating rules / learned system logic	Good enough is not safe enough.
Activation	Tension around mistakes rises.
System pressure	Quality becomes identity protection.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to checking, correcting and delaying.
Capacity	Monitoring consumes capacity.
Output / possible function	Overworking, delaying, polishing or hiding.
Feedback	Avoiding criticism reinforces perfectionism.
Update-readiness	The system needs safe experience with “good enough.”

Perfectionism is often not high standards. It is risk management.

Possible update direction: Practice safe good-enough; choose one small output that does not need to be perfect.

Possible coaching method: The Work, PSYCH-K, PMA or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Good-enough practice, time limit or feedback on a small imperfect version.

Conflict avoidance

Conflict avoidance often appears when disagreement is predicted as a risk to connection, safety or belonging.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Disagreement, tension, tone, silence or possible rejection.
Predictive interpretation	Conflict means danger or disconnection.
Operating rules / learned system logic	Keep peace to stay safe.
Activation	Tension, guilt, fear or appeasement appears.
System pressure	The other person’s emotion narrows choice.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to reading mood and preventing escalation.
Capacity	Self-expression becomes less available.
Output / possible function	Silence, agreement, softening or avoiding.
Feedback	Peace after avoidance reinforces avoidance.
Update-readiness	Safe disagreement must be practiced in small doses.

Conflict avoidance is often connection protection under threat prediction.

Possible update direction: Practice micro-honesty; express one small difference, preference or boundary without entering the whole conflict.

Possible coaching method: Coaching conversation, The Work or PMA.

Supporting self-help practice: Prepare one small honest sentence, pause or boundary reflection.

Anger and defensiveness

Defensiveness often appears when the system detects attack, pressure, disrespect, unfairness or boundary violation.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	Criticism, interruption, pressure, accusation or dismissal.
Predictive interpretation	I am being attacked, controlled or disrespected.
Operating rules / learned system logic	I must defend myself now.
Activation	Fight energy rises.
System pressure	Immediate response feels necessary.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to argument, proof or counterattack.
Capacity	Listening and nuance decrease.
Output / possible function	Defending, attacking, interrupting or controlling.
Feedback	If defense stops pressure, the system repeats that route.
Update-readiness	Pause and repair become available only after activation lowers.

Defensiveness is often protection arriving faster than reflection.

Possible update direction: Lower activation before explaining; then return to what you wanted to protect, set a boundary around or clarify.

Possible coaching method: The Journey or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Grounding, time-out, breathing space or preparing a repair conversation.

Having insight and still repeating the pattern

Sometimes insight is available, but the system has not yet updated under real conditions.

System area	Possible rule or dynamic
Input	A familiar situation activates the old route.
Predictive interpretation	This is the same kind of risk as before.
Operating rules / learned system logic	Use the known strategy.
Activation	Under pressure, the old route becomes faster.
System pressure	Insight gets overwritten by urgency.
Resource allocation	Energy goes to familiar protection.
Capacity	Low capacity reduces access to new behavior.
Output / possible function	Old behavior repeats.
Feedback	Repetition reinforces old reliability.
Update-readiness	The system needs safe repeated feedback, not only understanding.

Insight opens the door. Safe experience updates the system.

Possible update direction: Repeat new feedback under low pressure; do not look for more insight first, but practice one safe experience.

Possible coaching method: PSYCH-K, PMA, The Journey or a coaching conversation.

Supporting self-help practice: Rollback review, micro-experiment or repetition under low pressure.

How this map supports the HSP System Scan

From recognition to scan

The pattern map helps give language to what you recognize. The HSP System Scan can then explore which system area seems most active in your specific pattern.

Use this map not as a final conclusion, but as preparation: which pattern do I recognize, which rule seems active, which update direction fits, and which support is small enough?

Conclusion

Many recurring problems become clearer when you do not start with self-judgment, but with system logic. A pattern is not automatically who you are. It is often what your system makes available under certain input, meaning, pressure, capacity and feedback.

The update direction describes what the system may need. A coaching method can support that direction. A self-help practice can be a small first step when the pattern is safe enough to explore yourself.

HSP translates recognition into system insight, so change can become smaller, safer and more precise.

Pattern ≠ cause

Important

A recognizable pattern does not yet tell you what caused it. The same visible output can arise from different predictions, rules, body states and functions. Use examples as possibilities, not as diagnosis.

Make the recurring route visible

TOOL IN CONTEXT

Use the Pattern Map when you recognize a recurring pattern and want to move from recognition to a testable system hypothesis.

In the HSP Core Protocol: MAP → FUNCTION

HSP Core Protocol Back to System Scan & tools

The HSP Pattern Map

The HSP Pattern Map

Which pattern do you recognize?

Where and when does it appear?

Which prediction may sit underneath it?

Which learned logic may fit?

What does the pattern do for the system?

Which feedback keeps the pattern active?

Which update direction is small enough?

How to use this pattern map

Update direction, method and self-help practice

1. Update direction

2. Coaching method

3. Self-help practice

The system areas in plain language

Overthinking

Procrastination

People-pleasing and saying yes while feeling no

Control

Exhaustion

Avoidance and withdrawal

Triggers and emotional reactivity

Guilt around rest, boundaries or saying no

Blocking when something matters

Staying up late and scrolling

Perfectionism

Conflict avoidance

Anger and defensiveness

Having insight and still repeating the pattern

How this map supports the HSP System Scan

Conclusion

Pattern ≠ cause

Make the recurring route visible