Research · Objective Personality System

The science behindthe system.

The full architecture of the Objective Personality System — what it is, how it resolves human cognition into 2,048 types today, why it is structurally different from every other framework, and exactly what Mahakram is doing to stress-test, validate, and extend it.For researchers, psychologists, and engineers who want to go deep.

11binary

Independent binary coins — 9 cognitive plus 2 social. Each one externally observable, each with a falsifiable opposite.

2,048types

Distinct cognitive configurations at current resolution. 2¹¹ = 2,048. Actively being stress-tested and extended.

15years

Of operator-based development. Thousands of typed subjects. Built by Dave & Shan Powers.

0papers

Peer-reviewed work published on OPS. The gap our research closes.

The full cognitive type space

128 cognitive types × 4 modalities × 4 social types = 2,048

Each cell below = one of 128 cognitive types defined by 9 binary coins. Layered with 2 modality variations (×4) and 2 social variations (×4) gives 2,048.
Sleep·Di + OiConsume·Di + OeBlast·De + OiPlay·De + Oe
SC/B(P)SC/P(B)SB/C(P)SB/P(C)CS/B(P)CS/P(B)CP/S(B)CP/B(S)BS/C(P)BS/P(C)BP/S(C)BP/C(S)PC/S(B)PC/B(S)PB/S(C)PB/C(S)
Fi/NiFi/NiFi/NiFi/NiFi/NeFi/NeFi/NeFi/NeNi/FeNi/FeNi/FeNi/FeFe/NeFe/NeFe/NeFe/Ne
Fi/SiFi/SiFi/SiFi/SiFi/SeFi/SeFi/SeFi/SeNi/TeNi/TeNi/TeNi/TeFe/SeFe/SeFe/SeFe/Se
Ni/FiNi/FiNi/FiNi/FiTi/NeTi/NeTi/NeTi/NeSi/FeSi/FeSi/FeSi/FeNe/FeNe/FeNe/FeNe/Fe
Ni/TiNi/TiNi/TiNi/TiTi/SeTi/SeTi/SeTi/SeSi/TeSi/TeSi/TeSi/TeNe/TeNe/TeNe/TeNe/Te
Si/FiSi/FiSi/FiSi/FiNe/FiNe/FiNe/FiNe/FiFe/NiFe/NiFe/NiFe/NiSe/FeSe/FeSe/FeSe/Fe
Si/TiSi/TiSi/TiSi/TiNe/TiNe/TiNe/TiNe/TiFe/SiFe/SiFe/SiFe/SiSe/TeSe/TeSe/TeSe/Te
Ti/NiTi/NiTi/NiTi/NiSe/FiSe/FiSe/FiSe/FiTe/NiTe/NiTe/NiTe/NiTe/NeTe/NeTe/NeTe/Ne
Ti/SiTi/SiTi/SiTi/SiSe/TiSe/TiSe/TiSe/TiTe/SiTe/SiTe/SiTe/SiTe/SeTe/SeTe/SeTe/Se
Italic header = Info-dominant stackEach cell = one cognitive type defined by function pair + animal stackCell × 4 modalities (FF · FM · MF · MM) × 4 social types (#1–#4) = 2,048 total
01 · The Problem

The structural contradiction at the foundation of personality science.

01

You cannot see your own unconscious patterns

Psychology's core premise — the one Jung built his entire architecture on — is that the most important drivers of behaviour are unconscious. They were set before you were old enough to understand them. Your brain actively constructs a self-narrative that diverges from what is actually happening.

02

The primary instrument is self-report

The same person the theory says cannot see their own patterns is handed a 100-question questionnaire and asked to describe how they process information, make decisions, and relate to others. The entire $11B personality assessment industry is built on this structural contradiction.

03

Existing frameworks fail on their own terms

MBTI produces a different result for the same person up to 50% of the time on retest. The Big Five sacrifices structure for dimensionless scores that cannot be operationalized. Enneagram relies entirely on self-identification. None were designed as measurement instruments that other things could be built on top of.

04

OPS: observer-based, binary, falsifiable by design

OPS assigns type through external observation by two independent typologists who work separately and compare. Every coin has a falsifiable opposite — you cannot confirm one side without cross-checking the other. The subject’s disagreement with their type is expected, explained, and controlled for.

Framework comparison
FrameworkResolutionObserver-basedFalsifiableRetest stableProgrammable
MBTI16partial~50%
Big Five5Dmoderate
Enneagram9low
DISC4moderate
OPS2,04811 coins per subjectuntested *

* Untested because no formal study has been run. Phase 1 of our roadmap directly addresses this — see §07.

02 · The Architecture

Eleven independent binary coins. Each externally observable. Each with a falsifiable opposite.

The core mechanic — Saviors & Demons
Saviors

What a person actually does

  • Responsible, obvious, obligated — possessed by it
  • Actually doing it, may or may not see it or like it
  • What is piled up and done more than the others
  • All recurring problems come from overdoing this
Demons

What a person runs from

  • Blame, ignorance, awkward — running away from it
  • Dreams about it, someday, would like to be this
  • The void being left for others to fill
  • All recurring problems come from neglecting this
The 9 binary dimensions
Observer function
Sensing/Intuition

How information is gathered. S = physical, factual. N = abstract, conceptual.

Decider function
Thinking/Feeling

Basis of decisions. T = logic, what works. F = values, what matters.

Observer direction
Oi/Oe

Si/Ni (personal, internal) vs Se/Ne (calibrated against external world).

Decider direction
Di/De

Fi/Ti (personal standards) vs Fe/Te (tribe standards).

Lead function
Observer-lead/Decider-lead

Whether the first function is Observer (S/N) or Decider (F/T).

Energy dominance
Info-dom/Energy-dom

Consume+Blast top 3 = Info-dom. Sleep+Play top 3 = Energy-dom.

Animal stack
Savior/Demon order

Ranked order of Sleep · Consume · Blast · Play. 8 arrangements.

Sensory modality
Masculine-S/Feminine-S

Energetic charge of sensory function. M = non-moveable. F = moveable.

Decider modality
Masculine-De/Feminine-De

Energetic charge of extroverted decider (Fe or Te).

211=2,048

11 binary coins. 2,048 distinct configurations — today.

9 cognitive coins → 512 cognitive variants  ·  × 4 social types (2 coins) → 2,048

Every variable is independently observable. Every variable has a falsifiable opposite. The code is still expanding — we are stress-testing every coin and operationalising new ones as they emerge.

The 8 cognitive functions — from Jung, extended by OPS
Si
Introverted Sensing

Safety in personal, proven, real physical structure. Builds inward from known facts.

Se
Extroverted Sensing

Seeks new, real-world experience. Calibrates against the observable world.

Ni
Introverted Intuition

Safety in personal, abstract understandings. Converges inward into one model.

Ne
Extroverted Intuition

Seeks new patterns and connections. Diverges outward into possibilities.

Ti
Introverted Thinking

Holds self to personal standards of what is true. Private logical frameworks.

Te
Extroverted Thinking

Respects the tribe's spectrum of reasons. Shared, external logical systems.

Fi
Introverted Feeling

Holds self to standards of what they love and value. Deep private value system.

Fe
Extroverted Feeling

Respects the tribe's values and feelings. Harmonises with group emotional state.

Red underline = Observer (S / N)  ·  Grey underline = Decider (F / T)  ·  Every person has exactly one Observer coin and one Decider coin → 4 active functions.

The 4 animals — information × energy patterns
Sleep
Oi + Di

Gathers known information privately, decides privately. Deep internal processing before acting.

Typing signal: same old story about me
Consume
Oe + Di

Gathers externally, decides internally. Absorbs broad new information to inform a private decision.

Typing signal: random new story about me
Blast
Oi + De

Takes known internal information and broadcasts outward. Teaches, leads, shares with conviction.

Typing signal: same old story about others
Play
Oe + De

Gathers externally, shares externally. High social energy. Learns and shares simultaneously.

Typing signal: random new story about others
03 · The Quadras

Four function families. Shared values, shared communication styles.

Alpha
Ti/Fe · Si/Ne
xNTP · xSFJ

Curious idealists. Pattern-divergence + group harmony.

Beta
Ti/Fe · Ni/Se
xSTP · xNFJ

Convergent visionaries. Decisive, group-aware, action-oriented.

Gamma
Fi/Te · Ni/Se
xSFP · xNTJ

Strategic individualists. Personal values + external execution.

Delta
Fi/Te · Si/Ne
xSTJ · xNFP

Pragmatic explorers. Personal values + grounded improvement.

04 · The Social Types

The 10th and 11th coins. Two binary dimensions on the same falsifiable footing as the cognitive nine.

Discovered formally in 2022. Friends · Flexing and Specialize · Responsibility — two additional binary coins that determine what a person prioritises in the tribe, independent of how they process information. The four social types are the resulting combinations. Any of the 512 cognitive variants can hold any of these four.

#1
Flex
coin: Friends / Flexing

Driven, dominance-oriented. Builds vision, owns the seat at the top. Identity-driven goals.

#2
Responsibility
coin: Specialize / Responsibility

Duty-oriented generalist. Works in teams, executes, carries weight across the tribe.

#3
Specialization
coin: Specialize / Responsibility

Mastery-oriented. Best in the world at one craft. Tradesmen, deep specialists.

#4
Friends
coin: Friends / Flexing

Connection-oriented. Puts relationships first above all other drives.

05 · The Modalities

The energetic charge of functions. Masculine holds. Feminine moves.

Two further coins on the Sensory function and the extroverted Decider. Masculine = non-moveable, holds ground, fights for it. Feminine = moveable, easy-going, lets go. Fully orthogonal to the 128 cognitive types — they stack on top.

MM
Masculine-S · Masculine-De
Kinesthetic → Audio → Visual → Tester

Holds ground on body and tribe both.

MF
Masculine-S · Feminine-De
Audio → Kinesthetic → Tester → Visual

Body holds, tribe flexes.

FM
Feminine-S · Masculine-De
Visual → Tester → Kinesthetic → Audio

Body flexes, tribe holds.

FF
Feminine-S · Feminine-De
Tester → Visual → Audio → Kinesthetic

Soft on body, soft on tribe. Most common.

06 · What makes OPS different

A measurement instrument other things can be built on top of.

01

Observer-based, never self-report

Two independent typologists observe the same subject without communicating, then compare coin-by-coin. The subject's self-report is data to be explained — not ground truth. Disagreement between observers means the coin is not assigned.

02

Every coin has a falsifiable opposite

Assigning Sensing-Savior requires demonstrating that Intuition is Demon. You cannot confirm one side without cross-checking the other. Unverifiable assignments are rejected. This is structural falsifiability — not a feature, a constraint.

03

Replication as the test

The same subject typed by different operators at different times should yield the same result. This is directly and completely testable — unlike MBTI, where the subject's mood on the day determines the output.

04

Precise behavioural definitions

Every term has behavioural anchors built across thousands of typed subjects over fifteen years — the vocabulary required for a reliable, replicable measurement instrument. The critical number is Cohen’s kappa per coin.

OPS has never been peer-reviewed — not because the methodology is weak, but because it is a practitioner-built framework with no institutional backing and no research pipeline.

It was constructed through applied observation over fifteen years, typing thousands of public figures and clients, building a dense vocabulary of behavioural signatures.

The methodological bones are already there. Independent observation. Falsifiability. Replication protocol. Consistent definitions across operators.

What has never been done is formalising those methods into pre-registered study designs and running the numbers. That is exactly what Phase 1 of our roadmap begins — and the protocol Mahakram is building extends OPS from there.

The critical number is Cohen’s kappa — the inter-rater reliability coefficient per coin. If two independent typologists agree on assignments at a rate significantly above chance, the measurement instrument is real. That is the entire Phase 1 question.

07 · The Validation Roadmap

The exact sequence required to build cumulative, defensible literature.

Each phase depends on the results of the one before it. No phase is hypothetical — Phase 1 begins the moment we have funded study slots.

Phase 1
Now → 12 months

Inter-rater reliability studies

Double-blind typing across 500+ participants. Compute Cohen's kappa for each of the 11 coins independently. If kappa holds above 0.6 (substantial agreement), the instrument is real and publishable. Without this, nothing downstream is credible.

Phase 2
12 – 24 months

Predictive behavioural experiments

If the 11 coins are real cognitive structures, they must predict behaviour outside themselves. Pre-registered experiments: decision-making under constraint, information-seeking in novel environments, stress response by type. Construct validity, or exactly where the theory fails.

Phase 3
24 – 36 months

Longitudinal stability

Retest the same typed participants over two-plus years. OPS claims types are structural — not moods, not states, not context-dependent preferences. If true, coin assignments should not drift. The direct falsification of MBTI’s 50% retest problem.

Phase 4
36 months +

Neurological & biological correlates

Partner with neuroimaging labs to explore whether OPS coins correlate with measurable neural signatures — fMRI activation patterns, EEG differences, physiological stress markers. OPS claims types are genetic. This is where that hypothesis becomes directly testable.

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.”
— Carl Jung
08 · Collaborate

We are looking for collaborators — not advisors.

Researchers · Psychologists

We are designing the first formal validation studies now.

If you work in psychometrics, personality science, or behavioural research and this problem interests you — we want to talk. Collaborators on study design, not just advisors.

ML Engineers · Builders

Building the classification engine from the ground up.

Computational modelling, NLP, and cognitive science at the intersection. If you have been looking for a problem hard enough to be worth working on — this is it.