Our Imagination: A Guide in the World of Internal Conflicts

We are used to considering ourselves a single entity, but there are models that view our mind as a "team of rivals" consisting of many conflicting "drives", "personalities", or "neural networks". For example, one part wants sex with a certain person immediately, while another part tries to stop it by predicting unpleasant consequences. The interaction between these internal "voices" determines our actions and perception of the world. But how do we manage this internal "argumentative collective"? Our often-underestimated tool - imagination - can help us with this.

Our brain is not focused on immediate reality most of the time. Instead, it constantly "simulates possible future scenarios" and "remembers the past". This capacity for mental construction is the essence of imagination.

Imagination allows us not only to look at other people but also to "look at an imagined future self". We can "build a model of ourselves in the future, an ideal 'self'" that satisfies the greatest number of individual and general constraints, and then make decisions based on this image. This "ideal 'self'" is not necessarily the current reality, but it serves as a powerful guide.

Internal conflicts between our drives (for example, the desire to eat a cake versus the pursuit of healthy eating) occur constantly. The task of development and "maturation" is to learn to coordinate these networks, forcing them to "work better together".

Imagination plays a key role in this process. It allows us to:

• Handle conflicts and "reduce entropy": When we face multiple possibilities or uncertainty (high entropy), our brain strives to "save energy" by finding a clear path and goal. Imagined ideals and stories help "limit entropy", providing "purpose and hope".
• Use external examples for internal navigation: Stories, literature, and religious figures provide an "external role model". They create ideals that we can "mirror". For example, when faced with an internal conflict, we can ask ourselves: "What would Jesus do in my place?" or "What would John Wick do?". This helps us "guide our decisions".
• Develop and integrate our "selves": Imagination allows us to "live in someone else's shoes", experiencing the world with a different "priority structure". This helps us "manage the conflict in our heads" and mature, directing our drives toward higher, socially-oriented, and future-oriented goals.

Imagination - is precisely the mental process that allows us to manage our "arguing collective" and guide it toward "optimal outcomes". By creating and focusing on "ideal versions of ourselves", whether through personal reflection or through "religious or literary models", we actively shape our future and resolve internal conflicts.

The model of conflicting parts - is just a model. In reality, everything is more complex, but the model allows us to somehow solve problems, and therefore it finds its supporters. One of the supporters of this model is the famous psychologist Jordan Peterson. Understanding how imagination shapes our "ideal self" and manages internal conflicts allows us to develop more effective therapeutic and coaching techniques. These approaches will purposefully train people in creating and using imagined future versions of themselves, heroes, or metaphorical "gods" to resolve internal dilemmas, improve self-regulation, and achieve personal growth.

This model can also be used in education, utilizing: the power of stories, literature, and archetypes to shape values and develop personality. Instead of simply memorizing facts, curricula can focus on how "immersion in a character" and exploring "priority hierarchies" in narratives helps children and adults integrate their internal drives, cope with moral and life challenges, and consciously build their future.

And, of course, the developed model can be used in creating artificial systems capable not only of imitating but also, perhaps, developing their own forms of "imagination" and "ideals". This could mean the emergence of more adaptive and "wise" AI capable of self-regulation and resolving internal conflicts, or the development of diagnostic tools that will more accurately model human internal states, predicting behavior and offering personalized development strategies.

Imagination - is not just the ability to dream; it is a fundamental mechanism that allows us to manage the complexity of our inner world, resolve conflicts, and shape who we want to become. By developing it, we learn to be better "captains" for our "team of rivals".

Eagleman, D. (2025). Ep 109: Are you one mind or many drives? with Jordan Peterson. Inner Cosmos With David Eagleman. https://youtu.be/iFb4pWj8nl8