The Fundamental Four

Exploring the Deepest Motivational Drives

by Sandeep Gautam

Creativity and Intelligence: The Underlying BVSR Process

This post continues the previous discussion of opposition between creativity and intelligence and does this time by looking at one of the theories of creativity: Blind variation and selective retention, proposed by Campbell about 50 years ago . Read More

Creativity and Intelligence: a Tripartite Structure?

Creativity and Intelligence have traditionally been conflated; here I break them into their constituents and argue that there is a dynamic tension between the creative process and the intellect. Read More

Narrow vs Broad: Apologies for Being a Generalist

Jonathan Fields, writes in the defense of the pursuit of Mastery; I reply why generalization may also be equally relevant and why earning livelihood from multiple sources is not a crime, or to be looked down on. Read More

The Catcher In The Rye

Steve argues that failures are necessary and overprotecting your child is counter-productive; I argue that exposing your child to failures, without adequate safety nets in place, can lead to great harm and an 'off hands' parenting style is not to be preferred. Read More

Traps and Pitfalls of All Is In The Mind

What are the dangers of being enamored by a philosophy that happiness-is-entirely-in-the-mind? Can it lead to passivity? Can it lead to apathy towards those who are unhappy and suffering due to their circumstances? This is a response to Raj's post that believed these threats to be not real. Read More

Psychosis And The City

Does living in the city increase your risk for psychosis? If so, what are the mediating factors and mechanisms? Does being obsessed with 'the big picture' have something to do with it? Find out today! Read More

Does Happiness Reside in the Head? If I Am Unhappy, Is It My Fault?

Raj argues that happiness lies in the head and it is our responsibility to reinterpret events in a positive light. I argue, that placing too much emphasis on personal responsibility, especially when the events are beyond control, is counter-productive. Read More

If Psychology Had an Indian Heritage

Psychology has a Western heritage. The classical mind-body problem is as formulated by Rene Descartes; but is it the right question to ask? It is important to ask the right questions and Indian philosophical traditions may shed unique light on how an alternate framework for psychology can exist that is not rooted in western (mis)conceptions. Read More

Your Fundamental Four Journey

What is The Fundamental Four blog about? What subject areas can you expect covered on this blog? What are the dogmas around with the blog revolves? What is sacrosanct and what is not to be touched upon? Do read on to find what the blog has in store for you ... Read More

Sandeep Gautam is a software developer and psychology enthusiast.

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About The Fundamental Four

The Fundamental Four is the lens through which I see psychology.The 4 basic problems faced by all evolving creatures, as per Theodore Millon are those of Survival (Pain/Pleasure), Adaptation(Passive/Active), Replication(Self/Other) & Abstraction(Broad/Narrow).Based on above, the 4 basic drives are, Food/Foe; Flourishing; Family & Focus drives.