In TEG‑Blue, the 4‑Mode System is an emotional compass. It doesn’t label people; it describes states—Connect, Protect, Control, and Oppression—that we move through depending on whether we feel safe, threatened, or locked in power dynamics.
Emotions don’t stay the same across all situations.
Fear in Connection can feel like healthy caution. Fear in Oppression can feel like terror.
The emotion itself hasn’t changed—the mode has.
Understanding these modes helps us see:
- Why we can be kind, then suddenly reactive.
- How protection can morph into control or even harm.
- What emotional repair looks like—and how to return to connection
How Emotions Shift Across the 4-Mode Gradient
Here’s a snapshot of key emotions—and how their texture changes depending on the mode we’re in. This is compact enough to scan quickly, yet nuanced enough to reflect emotional complexity.
Emotion | Connection (Belonging) | Protection (Defense) | Control (Manipulation) | Oppression (Tyranny) |
How feels inside our body and how we react | How feels inside our body and how we react | Using other people emotions to gain control | Using other people emotions to oppress | |
Fear | Alert, cautious | Anxious, survival-focused | Made into leverage | Used to terrorize |
Anger | Boundary energy, repair | Aggressive, reactive | Strategic intimidation | Cruel domination |
Sadness | Shared grief, empathy | Withdrawn, hopeless | Guilt‑tripping tool | Weaponized vulnerability |
Joy | Play, celebration | Fragile, rare | Flaunted for effect | Sadistic mirth |
Love | Warmth, belonging | Clinging, fear of loss | Conditional, transactional | Possessive control |
Trust | Open, mutual | Suspicious, cautious | Calculated alliances | Forced obedience |
Hope | Forward‑leaning, real | Desperate wish | Promises manipulated | False hope used to oppress |
This table builds on our shared understanding of how emotional presence shifts with context, illuminating how even the “pure” parts of us can feel very different depending on the mode we’re operating from.
Why Is Important To know That Emotions Shift Depending On Our Nervous System?
- Self-awareness: When you feel emotion, naming your mode helps you slow down and orient — “This is anger in Protection, not wound-led rage.”
- Empathy for others: You see their response as state‑driven, not inherently “bad.”
- Healing: You can track patterns—where, for example, sadness in Control becomes a manipulation tool—and gently choose a different response.
- Repair and safety: The table highlights where trust, love, or joy are genuine vs. where they might be masked by defensiveness or coercion.
Navigating The 4-Mode System
- How Emotions Feel Different — Depending On The Mode We Are On
- The Gradient Overview — Overview of the Four Modes
- Modes One By One — Deep Understanding of Each Mode
- Escalation Over Time — How Reactions Build Over Time
- The Modes in the Body — Emotions & Signals
- Perception Shifts — How We See Ourselves and Others
- Integration & Use — Applications in Therapy, Education, Leadership & AI