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End Notes: The Seven Deadly Sins – Internal vs External
Observation
Across history, certain emotional drives have repeatedly caused personal and social imbalance.
Religions and early moral systems encoded them as sins—not because the feelings were unnatural, but because their unchecked expression threatened group stability [1].
Each sin represents a biological or emotional signal that, when amplified or misdirected, produces both inner turmoil and outer conflict [2].
The Seven Deadly Sins therefore operate on two axes:
| Aspect | Description |
| Internal Manifestation | A natural, adaptive human emotion linked to survival, self-worth, or belonging [5]. |
| External Observation / Control | How society interprets, judges, and regulates that same emotion to preserve order [3]. |
Analysis: Internal vs External Dynamics
| Sin | Internal Manifestation | External Observation / Control | Associated Dark Triad Trigger | Consequence |
| Pride | Healthy self-worth; drive for mastery and recognition. | Viewed as arrogance; threatens hierarchy or trust. Controlled by ridicule or moral teaching [1][3]. | Narcissism | Collaboration breaks down; loss of learning feedback. |
| Greed | Desire for safety through possession; fear of scarcity [2]. | Condemned as selfishness or exploitation. Managed through moral codes and redistribution [3]. | Machiavellianism | Resource hoarding, inequality, social resentment. |
| Lust | Drive for intimacy, novelty, and connection [2]. | Regulated through laws, taboos, and norms to maintain kinship order [1]. | Psychopathy | Objectification, instability, broken trust. |
| Envy | Awareness of inequality; desire for fairness or recognition [6]. | Discouraged as corrosive to unity; suppressed through moral virtue or gratitude [3]. | Machiavellianism | Resentment, rivalry, covert hostility. |
| Gluttony | Search for comfort or soothing; avoidance of emptiness [2]. | Framed as excess or weakness; countered with discipline or restraint [3]. | Narcissism | Physical decline, emotional imbalance. |
| Wrath | Reaction to pain or injustice; energy for boundary-setting [5]. | Condemned when uncontrolled; redirected through justice or ritual [3][6]. | Psychopathy | Escalation, harm, moral injury. |
| Sloth | Emotional fatigue; loss of meaning or motivation [5]. | Labelled as laziness; corrected through guilt or duty [3]. | Narcissism | Stagnation, neglect, missed potential. |
| (Earlier forms: Vainglory, Sadness) | Need for validation or loss of hope [1]. | Controlled through humility and faith to protect morale [7]. | Narcissism / Apathy | Withdrawal, disengagement. |
Consequence
Unrecognised emotions become moralised behaviours.
Internally, they distort perception and decision-making.
Externally, they invite regulation, punishment, or shame [3][8].
The feedback loop between what we feel and what society condemns defines much of human conduct [9].
Action
- Recognise the emotion before the label.
Naming pride or envy as “sin” is secondary; the primary task is awareness of what triggered it [5]. - Translate emotion into information.
Each “sin” carries a message: pride signals insecurity; greed signals fear; wrath signals hurt [2][4]. - Balance expression with context.
Self-awareness allows internal regulation, reducing the need for external enforcement [6]. - Reframe morality as feedback, not punishment.
Social rules evolved to keep the group safe—use them as guides rather than chains [9]. - Restore the loop.
When individual insight improves, collective tolerance increases; when societies judge less harshly, individuals hide less destructively [10].
Summary Insight
The Seven Deadly Sins are not flaws in human design—they’re emotional signals society learned to name and contain [1][2].
Understanding them through both internal experience and external structure turns moral constraint into psychological literacy.
Once recognised, a “sin” becomes a signal—an opportunity for conscious correction rather than unconscious reaction [10].
Footnote (authorship statement)
The overall concept and direction of this cheat sheet originated from my own observation of the connection between moral emotion and behavioural psychology. The recognition of its deeper relevance—and the alignment of each sin with aspects of the Dark Triad—were developed collaboratively with ChatGPT. I retain full responsibility for the interpretations, conclusions, and any resulting consequences presented herein.
📖 Series Roadmap
- Forward: A Little Background
- Introduction: Action, Reaction, and the Human Paradox (16.09.2025)
- Looking Back in Time: The Development of the Human Brain (23.09.2025)
- Abstract Senses: Enhancing the way we see the world outside (30.09.2025)
- Bias as a Concept & Climbing the Stairs: Pattern Recognition & Everyday Tasks (07.10.2025)
- Abstract Feelings and Abstract Senses (14.10.2025)
- Motivation (04.11.2025)
- The Social Knowledge Base (11.11.2025)
- Potential (18.11.2025)
- The Subliminal Way We Go Through Life (26.11.2025)
- Taking Responsibility (02.12.2025)
- Fishing for Complements (22.12.2025)
- Peter and Fermi (22.12.2025)
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End Notes: The Seven Deadly Sins – Internal vs External
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