The narrative structure of working cognition: Combining the Theory of Narrative Thought and Conviction Narrative Theory.

The article presents the theory of Narratively Structured Cognition (NSC), an integrated framework combining the Theory of Narrative Thought (TNT) and Conviction Narrative Theory (CNT) to explain how humans structure experience narratively to predict and evaluate the future and guide decision-making and action. NSC posits that cognition synthesizes sensory input into temporally ordered episodes linked by causal inferences, forming a "working narrative" that predicts an expected future, which is assessed for threats based on discrepancies from personal values and preferences. The theory distinguishes between automatic, implicit working narratives and derived narratives used in thought and communication, and highlights NSC's potential as a foundational model for understanding everyday storytelling, self-concept, and decision-making processes. Additionally, NSC is tentatively proposed as a conceptual basis for imbuing artificial intelligence with moral constraints through value-based threat assessment and action planning.