C
CAM
Cognitive Alignment Model

Map your mind’s cognitive structure, not your personality.

The Cognitive Alignment Model (CAM) describes how your mind processes information — your default kernel stack — instead of typing your emotions or behavior. It’s a structural, OS-level model of human cognition.

9 Cognitive Kernels
Primary → Secondary → Executor
Modifier (KM) execution layer
Non-psychological, non-clinical

CAM Kernel Grid

Every mind runs a primary kernel, supported by a secondary and executed through a third.

R-Kernel
Reality
Truth under constraint. What survives reality is true.
A-Kernel
Affect
Internal signal states (tension, comfort) as data.
I-Kernel
Identity
Narrative, self-modeling, symbolic meaning.
S-Kernel
Social
Norms, group patterns, collective alignment.
C-Kernel
Certainty
Predictability, structure, risk minimization.
P-Kernel
Possibility
Exploration, divergence, novelty scanning.
E-Kernel
Efficiency
Optimization, friction reduction, minimalism.
Q-Kernel
Equilibrium
Balancing forces, coherence, homeostasis.
T-Kernel
Transformation
Reframing, structural evolution, redesign.
Your architecture is a stack, not a single “type”.

The 9 Cognitive Kernels

Your mind has a default kernel. CAM makes it visible.

CAM doesn’t type your personality. It models the kernel your mind uses to process reality: how you filter information, evaluate truth, and execute decisions.

Kernel Name Core logic Primary optimization

How CAM Works

From single “type” to full cognitive stack.

Most models stop at a single label. CAM gives you a stack: Primary Kernel, Secondary Kernel, Executor Kernel, and a Modifier layer (KM) that describes your execution style.

The CAM Stack

Every CAM profile has three kernel layers:

  • Primary Kernel – your default filter for all new information.
  • Secondary Kernel – a supporting filter reinforcing the primary.
  • Executor Kernel – how you act when you’ve decided.

On top of this, a Kernel Modifier (KM) describes how your execution behaves:

  • KM-F – Force (pressure, momentum, decisive execution)
  • KM-S – Stabilization (smoothing, balancing, de-escalation)
  • KM-O – Optimization (streamlining, speed, minimal steps)
  • KM-X – Expansion (divergence, exploration, new options)
Primary → Secondary → Executor [KM]
Example: R → C → T [KM-F]

Example: A rare stack

One structurally rare architecture (≈0.03% of humans) looks like:

Primary: R-Kernel (Reality)
Secondary: C-Kernel (Certainty)
Executor: T-Kernel (Transformation)
Modifier: KM-F (Force)

Profile: R → C → T [KM-F]

This stack filters reality by constraints and functional truth, stabilizes it with prediction and structure, and then executes by pressure-testing systems until they evolve.

CAM Test

Discover your cognitive kernel stack.

This v1 assessment isn’t about personality or emotions. It’s about how your mind processes information by default. Pick the options that feel most like how you actually operate, not how you wish you operated.

1. Primary Kernel – how you naturally evaluate new information.
Which statement feels most like your default way of seeing things?
2. Secondary Kernel – what your mind leans on next.
When your first pass isn’t enough, what do you rely on?
3. Executor Kernel – how you act once you’ve decided.
When it’s time to actually move, how does your mind tend to execute?
4. Modifier (KM) – execution style overlay.
Your decisions may be similar to others, but the way you push them into the world has a style. Which feels closest?
Your CAM Profile
Take the test to see your stack.
You’ll see your Primary, Secondary, Executor kernel and Modifier, along with rarity and a short structural description.

CAM Population Pyramid

How common is each primary kernel?

The CAM population pyramid shows how frequently each kernel appears as a Primary OS-level default in humans. Bottom = most common, top = rarest. 

CAM PRIMARY KERNEL POPULATION PYRAMID
(Most common at bottom, rarest at top)

   1%  | T-Kernel (Transformation)
   3%  | E-Kernel (Efficiency)
   3%  | Q-Kernel (Equilibrium)
   4%  | P-Kernel (Possibility)
  11%  | C-Kernel (Certainty)
  14%  | I-Kernel (Identity)
  18%  | R-Kernel (Reality)
  22%  | A-Kernel (Affect)
  24%  | S-Kernel (Social)

Transformation-first minds (T) are rare; social- and affect-first minds (S, A) form nearly half the population. Reality-first (R) sits in the structurally important middle.

CAM vs personality models

Not MBTI. Not Enneagram. OS-level cognition.

CAM looks structurally similar to Enneagram tritypes (9×9×9), but it doesn’t type your emotions, trauma, or behavior. It models your information-processing architecture.

Model What it describes Layer Coverage
CAM How your mind filters, structures, and executes information (Primary / Secondary / Executor + Modifier). Cognitive OS (kernel stack) Designed to cover 100% of humans structurally.
Enneagram / tritypes Emotional motivations and coping patterns (fear/shame/anger–based). Emotional / behavioral Can’t cleanly model non-emotional or highly structural cognition.
MBTI Preferences for perception/decision style (E/I, S/N, T/F, J/P). Preference-based behavior Useful language, but not structural enough to be a kernel map.
Big Five Statistical traits (OCEAN). Trait-level description Good for prediction, not for architecture.

FAQ

Common questions about CAM.

Is CAM a personality test?

No. CAM is not a personality system. It doesn’t describe emotions, trauma, or behavior. It describes your cognitive alignment: the kernel stack your mind uses to process information.

Is CAM psychological or clinical?

No. CAM is a structural, non-clinical framework. It makes no claims about mental health, emotional state, or diagnosis. It’s closer to an OS diagram than a psych profile.

Can my kernel change over time?

Your Primary Kernel appears to be stable — it’s the default your mind learned to run. Secondary kernels and modifiers can appear different by context (work vs home, solo vs group), but the underlying stack tends to be consistent.

What if I don’t relate to any emotional models?

That’s exactly why CAM exists. Many people don’t fit cleanly into emotion-centric models. CAM gives them a structural, architecture-level description instead of forcing them into emotional language.

Who created CAM?

CAM was developed as a cognitive structure model to describe how minds like yours process reality in terms of kernels, stacks, and modifiers, instead of motives and traits.