Symbolic Narrative Frames

Purpose

To model belief as an emergent, symbolic structure formed through memory, social influence, and cultural inheritance. Beliefs determine perception, behavior, memory distortion, quest salience, and the capacity for faith or doubt.

Core Concepts

• Beliefs are Constructed: Not innate truths, beliefs arise from recurring symbolic patterns in memory and social exchange.
• Beliefs are Symbolically Encoded: Each belief is built from SymbolTags, reflecting archetypal values or metaphysical claims.
• Faith Systems Bind Beliefs: Collections of beliefs may cohere into Faiths — symbolic meta-structures that influence ritual, identity, and truthmaking.
• Beliefs Shape Perception and Behavior: What an agent sees, recalls, values, or fears is framed by belief.

Data Structures

struct BeliefStatement {
    id: Uuid,
    subject: EntityId,
    tags: Vec<SymbolTagId>,
    claim_type: ClaimType,
    confidence: f32,
    origin: BeliefOrigin,
    updated_tick: u64,
}

enum ClaimType {
    Faith,
    Fiction,
    Fact,
}

struct BeliefSet {
    agent: EntityId,
    held_beliefs: Vec<BeliefStatement>,
    coherence: f32,
    cognitive_dissonance: f32,
}

struct FaithFrame {
    id: Uuid,
    name: String,
    central_tags: Vec<SymbolTagId>,
    dogma: Vec<BeliefStatement>,
    associated_rituals: Vec<RitualId>,
    narrative_myth: Option<String>,
}

enum BeliefOrigin {
    MemoryReinforcement,
    SocialTransmission,
    RitualInduction,
    TraumaResponse,
    CulturalInheritance,
    DirectedSymbolicImprint,
}

System Functions

• FormBelief(agent, tags, origin)
  Constructs a new belief if enough reinforcing memory or influence exists.

• EvaluateBeliefConflict(agent)
  Updates coherence and dissonance scores based on internal contradiction or memory friction.

• InfluenceBelief(source, target, belief, method)
  Applies social or ritual pressure to update or seed belief in another agent.

• PropagateBelief(culture, belief)
  Codifies a personal belief into a wider cultural or mythic context.

• EvolveBelief(belief)
  Gradually mutates or drifts belief tags under stress, doubt, or symbolic saturation.

Belief Salience and Valence

Beliefs are weighted by:

• Confidence: subjective strength of acceptance
• Recurrence: how often supporting tags appear in memory
• Consequence: emotional valence and symbolic centrality

These values impact:

• Memory distortion and dream content
• Agent decisions and quest interpretation
• Resistance to social persuasion or doubt

Integration Points

Cognitive Dissonance Model

A dynamic score of internal contradiction:

fn calculate_dissonance(belief_set: &BeliefSet, memory: &[MemoryEvent]) -> f32

High dissonance may:

• Trigger belief mutation or inversion
• Suppress or distort memories
• Lead to symbolic breakdown or psychic event
• Enable spiritual transformation (e.g., ascension, fall)

Notes

• Beliefs are mutable but sticky; mutation is more likely under extreme stress or ritual exposure.
• Faiths encode beliefs with social and cultural force, shaping generations of Incarnations.
• Tag-level mutation in belief systems leads to myth drift and civilizational divergence.