| Category | Description | Neuroscience / Psychology Impact | Action |
|---|
| Keep | People who consistently demonstrate kindness, respect, reliability, and emotional intelligence. | Activates reward pathways (dopamine), oxytocin bonding, reduces cortisol (stress), reinforces healthy attachment circuits. | Maintain regular interaction, express gratitude, and strengthen mutual support. |
| Cultivate | Individuals who are promising but inconsistent or developing in maturity, empathy, or trustworthiness. | Potentially beneficial; intermittent positive reinforcement can gradually strengthen reward circuits aligned with healthy behavior. | Encourage, mentor, and provide boundaries; observe patterns over time. |
| Limit / Remove | Toxic, manipulative, abusive, or draining individuals; dark-trait types (Narcissistic, Machiavellian, Psychopathic, Sadistic tendencies). | Triggers stress response, hyperarousal, trauma-bonding mechanisms, dysregulates emotional brain regions (amygdala, insula). | Reduce exposure, enforce firm boundaries, or disengage safely; document patterns if necessary for legal/protective purposes. |
+---------------------------+
| KEEP |
| Healthy, supportive, |
| reliable, empathetic |
+---------------------------+
▲
│
Observe & Maintain Regular Interaction
│
+---------------------------+
| CULTIVATE |
| Promising but inconsistent|
| supportive individuals |
+---------------------------+
▲
│
Encourage & Monitor Patterns Over Time
│
+---------------------------+
| LIMIT / REMOVE |
| Toxic, manipulative, |
| dark-trait individuals |
+---------------------------+
