THE GROWING SELF MODEL

The Roots

The emotional connections that tie us to the meanings, people, and patterns that matter to us.

The young Self is formed within the Stream’s foundation, and this is where the Roots begin to attach themselves. The intensity of the Stream affects where and how these Roots take hold. Calm and steady water allows the Roots to spread gradually while turbulent waters force the Roots to grip tightly just to remain stable.

The Roots interact with the Stream by absorbing information and helping calm the movement within the Landscape. The stronger and healthier the Roots become, the more stability they provide to the Self during difficult conditions.

The Roots and the Channels form relationships with one another.

The Channels organize the flow of information while the Roots attach emotional meaning and connection to those Channels. The Channels help us understand the world while the Roots help us feel connected to it.

The Roots are always searching for stability, belonging, and connection throughout the Landscape. Without connection, the Roots weaken and struggle to support the Self.

Humans naturally seek attachment because connection helps regulate the system and gives the Landscape stability. The Roots are how we become attached to the concepts in our minds. This is how we see ourselves in relation to the meanings we have created.

We do not only learn that “family” exists, but we also become emotionally attached to our family.

We do not only learn what rejection is, we develop Roots around how rejection feels and what it means about us.

The stronger the emotional meaning becomes, the deeper the Roots tend to grow.

When we are developing, faces become recognizable, smells become associated with certain times of day, and the routines of life become ingrained in the Landscape. These early ideas are usually simple associations like crying equals attention or smiling equals safety.

Over time, these patterns become more complex as the Self continues making meaning from repeated experiences. As the Stream repeatedly flows through the same Channels, the Roots strengthen around them.

Repeated comfort deepens trust while repeated pain deepens protection. If a child is consistently soothed, the Roots may attach to concepts of safety and connection. If attention is unpredictable, the Roots may grip tightly to fear, approval, or uncertainty.

The Landscape slowly organizes itself around these repeated emotional experiences.

The Roots do not only attach to healthy Channels.

Sometimes they become attached to painful or limiting patterns because familiar pain can feel safer than unfamiliar uncertainty. A person may stay attached to criticism, emotional distance, unhealthy relationships, or fear-based beliefs because those Channels have become deeply familiar within the Landscape.

Even when the Self suffers, the Roots often prefer what is known over what is uncertain.

The Roots continue developing throughout our entire lives. New relationships, experiences, losses, and meanings constantly reshape the Landscape.

Some Roots weaken while others deepen. Some connections nourish the Self while others drain stability from the system.

Strong Roots do not make the Self rigid.

Healthy Roots actually allow more flexibility because the Landscape feels stable enough to explore, adapt, and grow.

Different Roots can also pull the Self in different directions at the same time.

One Root may seek safety while another seeks freedom.

One may want belonging while another wants authenticity.

The Landscape can hold conflicting attachments at once and this tension becomes part of the human experience. When the concepts we rely on are challenged, the Roots must also adapt. A child may learn that crying sometimes brings comfort and other times does not. The relationship between the Self and the concept begins to change.

The Landscape slowly updates itself as new information and experiences reshape the Channels and the Roots attached to them.

This process continues throughout our lives. The Self is constantly making meaning from new experiences and reorganizing its relationship to the world around it.

In the model of the Growing Self, the Roots are the emotional attachments, bonds, and connections that stabilize the Landscape and anchor the Self to the meanings it creates.