Emotional Adaptation Theory: A Three-Layer Theoretical Framework with Dynamic Balance as the Ideal Standard

A persistent puzzle in emotion regulation research is why interventions often fail despite following established protocols. This work began with that puzzle and gradually converged on a reconceptualization: emotion understood not as an epiphenomenon of prediction error, but as a dual-system adaptive command. The paper argues for Emotional Adaptation Theory, which rests on three interconnected claims: adaptation constitutes the functional goal, command serves as the operational mechanism, and dynamic balance—rather than static calmness—provides the elusive ideal standard that much existing literature has overlooked. The framework distinguishes between sympathetic-dominant and parasympathetic-dominant emotions,…