Version: 1.0 Created by: Jason Duke, Kronaxis Limited Date: March 2026 Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Patent: UK Patent Application C (GB 2605150.8) Website: https://kronaxis.co.uk/dynamics Citation: Duke, J. (2026). DYNAMICS-8: A Purpose-Built Behavioural Simulation Framework. Kronaxis Limited.
DYNAMICS-8 is a continuous eight-dimension personality framework designed for behavioural simulation and prediction. It retains six dimensions grounded in thirty years of validated personality science (the Big Five and HEXACO models) and adds two purpose-built dimensions, Acuity (digital fluency) and Impulsivity (delay discounting and reward sensitivity), that close critical gaps in predicting observable digital and economic behaviour. DYNAMICS-8 replaces traditional psychometric instruments that were built for self-report measurement rather than generative simulation. The framework drives deterministic derivations across financial, political, digital, and social behavioural domains from a compact eight-value personality vector.
Each dimension is scored on a continuous 0.0 to 1.0 scale. Each dimension has four constituent facets, also scored 0.0 to 1.0. The acronym DYNAMICS encodes the eight dimension initials: Discipline, Yielding, Novelty, Acuity, Mercuriality, Impulsivity, Candour, Sociability.
Full name: Discipline Letter code: D Lineage: Replaces Conscientiousness (Big Five, HEXACO)
Definition: The degree to which an individual is organised, diligent, and prudent versus careless, unstructured, and negligent.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Preference for order, planning, and structure |
| Diligence | Thoroughness in task completion and follow-through |
| Perfectionism | High standards and attention to detail |
| Prudence | Deliberation before acting; avoidance of unnecessary risk |
Simulation effects:
- High D (>0.65): Regular schedules, consistent grammar and spelling, budgeted spending, app usage at fixed times, lower missed payment probability, higher OPSEC adherence.
- Low D (<0.35): Erratic schedules, frequent typos, impulse purchases, irregular app usage patterns, higher financial default risk, inconsistent operational security.
Full name: Yielding Letter code: Y Lineage: Replaces Agreeableness (Big Five, HEXACO)
Definition: The degree to which an individual yields to social pressure, tolerates disagreement, and adapts to persuasion versus resists influence, holds firm positions, and challenges others.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Patience | Tolerance for frustration and willingness to wait |
| Tolerance | Acceptance of different viewpoints without hostility |
| Flexibility | Willingness to compromise and adjust positions |
| Persuadability | Susceptibility to advertising, social proof, and authority arguments |
Simulation effects:
- High Y (>0.65): Susceptible to targeted ads, follows trends, changes opinions easily, compliant with authority, higher ad conversion rates, gentler voice tone.
- Low Y (<0.35): Resistant to persuasion, fixed opinions, confrontational in discussions, lower ad conversion, requires evidence-based communication.
Full name: Novelty Letter code: N Lineage: Replaces Openness to Experience (Big Five, HEXACO)
Definition: The degree to which an individual is intellectually inquisitive, aesthetically engaged, and unconventional versus incurious, traditional, and conformist.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Aesthetic sense | Appreciation for art, beauty, and creative expression |
| Inquisitiveness | Drive to learn, explore, and understand |
| Creativity | Generation of novel ideas and unconventional solutions |
| Unconventionality | Receptiveness to non-traditional ideas, lifestyles, and values |
Simulation effects:
- High N (>0.65): Diverse app usage, broad content consumption, high link-clicking rate, wide topic variety, left-leaning political tendency, early product adoption.
- Low N (<0.35): Narrow app usage, routine content consumption, conservative political tendency, strong brand loyalty, resistance to product switching.
Full name: Acuity (Digital Acuity) Letter code: A Lineage: New dimension. No equivalent in Big Five or HEXACO. Draws on digital literacy research (Hargittai, 2002; van Dijk, 2005).
Definition: The degree to which an individual is native to digital platforms, proficient with technology, privacy-aware, and comfortable across multiple digital environments.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Platform nativeness | Intuitive understanding of platform conventions, memes, and interaction norms |
| Content creation | Skill in producing digital content (text, image, video) appropriate to each platform |
| Privacy awareness | Understanding and use of privacy settings, VPNs, ad blockers, and data minimisation |
| Tech adoption | Speed of adopting new platforms, features, and technologies |
Simulation effects:
- High A (>0.65): Multi-platform presence, platform-appropriate content, faster app navigation, privacy-conscious settings, high content creation quality, lower phishing susceptibility.
- Low A (<0.35): Single-platform usage, generic content, slower navigation, default privacy settings, vulnerability to phishing, low content creation frequency.
Full name: Mercuriality Letter code: M Lineage: Replaces Emotionality (HEXACO) and Neuroticism (Big Five, inverse polarity)
Definition: The degree to which an individual is emotionally reactive, anxious, and temperamentally changeable versus stable, self-assured, and consistent. Named for the mercurial temperament: rapid, unpredictable shifts in mood and emotional state.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Anxiety | Tendency to worry about future events and potential dangers |
| Emotional reactivity | Intensity of emotional responses to events and stimuli |
| Sentimentality | Strength of emotional bonds and empathic responses |
| Dependence | Need for emotional support and reassurance from others |
Simulation effects:
- High M (>0.65): Rapid notification responses, emotionally charged messages, spending spikes after negative events, higher financial anxiety, warmer voice tone, crisis-driven social media activity.
- Low M (<0.35): Measured responses, consistent financial behaviour, lower social media activity during crises, stable spending patterns, cooler emotional register.
Full name: Impulsivity Letter code: I Lineage: New dimension. No direct equivalent in Big Five or HEXACO. Draws on the UPPS Impulsive Behaviour Scale (Whiteside and Lynam, 2001), delay discounting research, and BIS/BAS theory (Gray, 1970).
Definition: The degree to which an individual acts on immediate urges without deliberation, seeks novel stimulation, and discounts future consequences. While partially correlated with low Discipline (D), Impulsivity is a distinct behavioural driver that directly predicts digital interaction speed, purchase latency, and doom-scrolling behaviour.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Delay discounting | Preference for immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards |
| Sensation seeking | Drive toward novel, intense, and varied experiences |
| Snap decision | Tendency to act before fully evaluating options |
| Boredom susceptibility | Low tolerance for monotony; need for constant stimulation |
Simulation effects:
- High I (>0.65): Instant notification responses, impulse purchases, rapid app-switching, doom-scrolling, burst typing, high susceptibility to limited-time offers.
- Low I (<0.35): Measured purchase decisions, delayed notification responses, focused single-app sessions, deliberate typing rhythm, resistance to urgency marketing.
Full name: Candour Letter code: C Lineage: Replaces Honesty-Humility (HEXACO). Partial overlap with Agreeableness facets in Big Five.
Definition: The degree to which an individual is transparent, fair, and modest versus manipulative, greedy, and self-aggrandising.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Sincerity | Genuineness in social interaction; avoidance of flattery and manipulation |
| Fairness | Unwillingness to exploit others for personal gain |
| Modesty | Absence of self-importance and entitlement |
| Materialism (inverse) | Indifference to luxury, status symbols, and wealth display |
Simulation effects:
- High C (>0.65): Authentic self-disclosure, modest spending, volunteer engagement, preference for brands signalling social responsibility, consistent cover narrative.
- Low C (<0.35): Curated social media presence, self-promotional content, higher luxury spending, aspiration-driven consumption, status-seeking behaviour.
Full name: Sociability Letter code: S Lineage: Replaces Extraversion (Big Five) and eXtraversion (HEXACO)
Definition: The degree to which an individual is socially bold, energetic, and gregarious versus reserved, quiet, and solitary.
| Facet | Description |
|---|---|
| Social boldness | Confidence in social situations; willingness to initiate contact |
| Liveliness | Enthusiasm, energy, and optimism in interactions |
| Social esteem | Positive self-evaluation in social contexts |
| Gregariousness | Enjoyment of social gatherings and group activities |
Simulation effects:
- High S (>0.65): Frequent posting, multiple platform activity, fast typing, high session counts, word-of-mouth amplification, higher initial follower potential.
- Low S (<0.35): Lurker behaviour, minimal posting, brief sessions, single-platform preference, private purchasing, low social media output.
All dimensions and facets use a continuous floating-point scale from 0.0 (minimum expression) to 1.0 (maximum expression). The midpoint of 0.5 represents the population mean. Values are not ordinal categories; the distance between 0.3 and 0.4 is identical to the distance between 0.7 and 0.8.
The core format stores eight top-level dimension scores. This is the minimum viable representation of a DYNAMICS-8 profile.
{D, Y, N, A, M, I, C, S} where each value is in [0.0, 1.0]
The extended format adds four facet scores per dimension (32 facets total). Facet order within each dimension is fixed and matches the order specified in Section 2.
{D, Y, N, A, M, I, C, S, facets: {D: [f1, f2, f3, f4], ..., S: [f1, f2, f3, f4]}}
Where each f1...f4 is in [0.0, 1.0].
When only core scores are available, facets may be estimated by applying Gaussian noise (sigma = 0.05) around the dimension mean, clamped to [0.0, 1.0]. This is a lossy reconstruction; extended format should be used when facet-level precision matters.
DYNAMICS-8 profiles are stored as JSONB (binary JSON) in relational databases. Two canonical formats are defined.
{
"D": 0.71,
"Y": 0.55,
"N": 0.83,
"A": 0.90,
"M": 0.42,
"I": 0.35,
"C": 0.65,
"S": 0.78
}All eight keys are mandatory. Values must be numeric floats in the range [0.0, 1.0]. Unknown or unscored dimensions default to 0.5.
{
"D": 0.71,
"Y": 0.55,
"N": 0.83,
"A": 0.90,
"M": 0.42,
"I": 0.35,
"C": 0.65,
"S": 0.78,
"facets": {
"D": [0.75, 0.68, 0.72, 0.69],
"Y": [0.50, 0.60, 0.55, 0.55],
"N": [0.85, 0.80, 0.88, 0.79],
"A": [0.92, 0.88, 0.90, 0.90],
"M": [0.50, 0.38, 0.45, 0.35],
"I": [0.30, 0.40, 0.35, 0.35],
"C": [0.70, 0.60, 0.65, 0.65],
"S": [0.80, 0.75, 0.82, 0.75]
}
}The facets key is optional. When present, each dimension key maps to an array of exactly four floats in fixed order matching the facet definitions in Section 2. All facet values must be in [0.0, 1.0].
- All eight dimension keys (D, Y, N, A, M, I, C, S) must be present at the top level.
- All dimension values must be numeric and within [0.0, 1.0].
- If
facetsis present, it must contain all eight dimension keys. - Each facet array must contain exactly four numeric values within [0.0, 1.0].
- No additional keys are permitted at the top level beyond the eight dimension codes and
facets.
DYNAMICS-8 dimensions drive deterministic behavioural derivations. Each derived attribute is a function of one or more dimension scores. Where a dimension is marked "(inverse)", the derivation uses 1.0 - score.
| Derived Attribute | Primary Inputs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Income band | D + N | Discipline and intellectual breadth predict earning capacity |
| Spending pattern | C + D + I | Candour moderates materialism; Discipline constrains; Impulsivity accelerates |
| Risk tolerance | Y + I + M (inverse) | Yielding permits risk; Impulsivity embraces it; Mercuriality suppresses it |
| Financial anxiety | M + D (inverse) | Emotional reactivity amplified by lack of self-regulation |
| Credit score | D + I (inverse) + M (inverse) | Discipline builds credit; Impulsivity and emotional volatility erode it |
| Missed payment probability | M + D (inverse) + I | Emotional disruption, poor planning, and impulsive spending compound |
| Derived Attribute | Primary Inputs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Political left-right | N (left) + C (inverse, right) + Y | High Novelty correlates with progressive views; low Candour with materialist/authoritarian tendency |
| Social capital (initial) | S + Y | Sociability builds network breadth; Yielding builds cooperative ties |
| Derived Attribute | Primary Inputs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Platform session norms | S + A + I | Social energy, digital fluency, and impulsivity determine session frequency and duration |
| Device preference | A + S | Digital fluency and social needs determine primary device class |
| Keystroke timing | S + D + I + A | Social energy and impulsivity accelerate; discipline and digital fluency modulate rhythm |
| Keystroke error rate | M + D (inverse) + A (inverse) | Emotional reactivity, low discipline, and low digital fluency increase errors |
| OPSEC score | D + A + C | Discipline, digital fluency, and honesty predict operational security adherence |
| Notification response | I + M + S | Impulsivity and emotional reactivity drive urgency; sociability amplifies for social notifications |
| Doom-scrolling duration | I + N + S | Impulsivity and novelty-seeking sustain scrolling; sociability adds social content pull |
| Derived Attribute | Primary Inputs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Voice descriptor | M + S + Y + D | Mercuriality controls warmth; Sociability controls pace; Yielding controls gentleness; Discipline controls precision |
Dimensions do not operate in isolation. The following interaction patterns produce emergent behavioural signatures that exceed what any single dimension predicts.
High Impulsivity combined with low Discipline produces financially chaotic behaviour: frequent impulse purchases, missed bill payments, high credit card utilisation, and boom-bust spending cycles. This combination is the strongest predictor of consumer debt accumulation.
High Novelty (intellectual curiosity, unconventionality) combined with high Acuity (platform nativeness, tech adoption speed) produces the archetypal early adopter. These individuals are first to trial new platforms, first to adopt new features, and most likely to produce high-quality content on emerging platforms.
High Yielding (persuadability) combined with high Impulsivity (snap decisions) and low Discipline (weak self-regulation) produces maximum susceptibility to advertising, social proof, and limited-time offers. This is the highest-value segment for direct-response marketing.
High Acuity, Discipline, and Candour together produce individuals who configure privacy settings, use strong passwords, employ ad blockers, and maintain minimal digital footprints. This combination yields the highest OPSEC scores and the lowest phishing susceptibility.
High Sociability and Novelty combined with low Candour produces prolific content creators who share widely, curate aspirational personas, and amplify brand messaging for status. These individuals are effective brand ambassadors but may overstate product benefits.
High Mercuriality, Impulsivity, and Sociability together produce reactive, high-volume digital behaviour: rapid notification responses, emotionally charged public posts, doom-scrolling during crises, and impulsive online purchases triggered by negative mood states.
Low Yielding (resistance to persuasion) combined with high Novelty (intellectual curiosity) and high Acuity (digital proficiency) produces individuals who research thoroughly, reject authority claims, and require empirical evidence before conversion. This combination has the lowest ad click-through rate but the highest post-purchase satisfaction.
High Discipline combined with low Novelty and low Impulsivity produces the most brand-loyal consumer segment. These individuals stick with established products, follow routines, and are resistant to competitor switching campaigns. Retention is high; acquisition cost is also high.
The following table maps DYNAMICS-8 dimensions to their lineage in the Big Five (Costa and McCrae, 1992) and HEXACO (Lee and Ashton, 2004) models.
| DYNAMICS-8 | Code | Big Five Equivalent | HEXACO Equivalent | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discipline | D | Conscientiousness | Conscientiousness (C) | Direct replacement. Identical construct, renamed for acronym clarity. |
| Yielding | Y | Agreeableness | Agreeableness (A) | Reframed. Emphasis shifted from cooperative disposition to persuadability and social compliance. |
| Novelty | N | Openness to Experience | Openness to Experience (O) | Direct replacement. Renamed to reflect the curiosity and novelty-seeking core of the construct. |
| Acuity | A | No equivalent | No equivalent | New. Captures digital platform fluency, privacy awareness, and technology adoption. |
| Mercuriality | M | Neuroticism (inverse polarity) | Emotionality (E) | Reframed. Aligned with HEXACO Emotionality polarity rather than Big Five Neuroticism inverse. Named to emphasise volatility over negativity. |
| Impulsivity | I | No equivalent (partial: low Conscientiousness) | No equivalent (partial: low Conscientiousness) | New. Distinct from low Discipline. Captures delay discounting, sensation seeking, and boredom susceptibility as an independent axis. |
| Candour | C | No equivalent (partial: Agreeableness facet) | Honesty-Humility (H) | Direct replacement of HEXACO's sixth factor. Renamed for clarity and acronym fit. |
| Sociability | S | Extraversion | eXtraversion (X) | Direct replacement. Renamed to emphasise the social behaviour output rather than the internal energy construct. |
-
Two additional dimensions. DYNAMICS-8 adds Acuity and Impulsivity, increasing the model from six (HEXACO) or five (Big Five) factors to eight. These two dimensions account for the majority of variance in digital behaviour prediction that established models fail to capture.
-
Simulation orientation. Established models optimise for internal consistency of self-report questionnaires (Cronbach's alpha). DYNAMICS-8 optimises for predictive validity of observable behaviour in digital and economic contexts.
-
Continuous scoring. While Big Five and HEXACO instruments typically produce Likert-scale or percentile scores, DYNAMICS-8 uses a native continuous 0.0 to 1.0 scale suitable for direct use in computational models.
DYNAMICS-8 draws on the following published research traditions. Six of the eight dimensions descend from constructs validated across 50+ cultures and 13+ languages.
Costa, P. T., and McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
The foundational five-factor model. Establishes Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience as the primary dimensions of personality. DYNAMICS-8 maps Discipline, Yielding, Novelty, Mercuriality, and Sociability to these five factors.
Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative "description of personality": The Big-Five factor structure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(6), 1216-1229.
Independent derivation of the five-factor structure from lexical analysis. Confirms the robustness of the Openness construct that DYNAMICS-8 maps to Novelty.
Lee, K., and Ashton, M. C. (2004). Psychometric properties of the HEXACO Personality Inventory. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39(2), 329-358.
The six-factor HEXACO model that adds Honesty-Humility as an independent factor. DYNAMICS-8 maps this directly to Candour. The HEXACO Emotionality factor (distinct from Big Five Neuroticism in polarity and content) informs the Mercuriality construct.
Hargittai, E. (2002). Second-level digital divide: Differences in people's online skills. First Monday, 7(4).
Establishes that access to technology is insufficient to explain digital behaviour; skill and fluency vary independently. Informs the Acuity dimension, particularly the Platform nativeness and Content creation facets.
van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2005). The Deepening Divide: Inequality in the Information Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Extends digital divide research to encompass motivational, material, skills, and usage access. Informs the Acuity dimension, particularly the Privacy awareness and Tech adoption facets.
Whiteside, S. P., and Lynam, D. R. (2001). The Five Factor Model and impulsivity: Using a structural model of personality to understand impulsivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 30(4), 669-689.
The UPPS Impulsive Behaviour Scale, establishing four components of impulsivity: urgency, premeditation (lack of), perseverance (lack of), and sensation seeking. DYNAMICS-8 maps these to the four Impulsivity facets: Delay discounting (premeditation), Sensation seeking, Snap decision (urgency), and Boredom susceptibility (perseverance).
Gray, J. A. (1970). The psychophysiological basis of introversion-extraversion. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 8(3), 249-266.
Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) and Behavioural Activation System (BAS) theory. The BAS construct (approach motivation, reward sensitivity) informs the Impulsivity dimension, particularly the Delay discounting and Sensation seeking facets.
This specification is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You are free to share and adapt this material for any purpose, including commercial use, provided you give appropriate credit.
Full licence text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
When using DYNAMICS-8 in academic work, commercial products, or derivative frameworks, cite as follows:
Duke, J. (2026). DYNAMICS-8: A Purpose-Built Behavioural Simulation Framework. Kronaxis Limited.
The computational methods described in the Derivation Mappings (Section 5) and their application to behavioural simulation are the subject of UK Patent Application GB 2605150.8. The CC BY 4.0 licence covers the specification text and the dimensional framework definitions. It does not grant a licence to any patent claims.
Kronaxis Limited Website: https://kronaxis.co.uk DYNAMICS-8 information: https://kronaxis.co.uk/dynamics