Gabe Lens — Cognitive Suits

Four cognitive archetypes that determine HOW Gabe Blocks are written. The block structure stays the same (PROBLEM, ANALOGY, MAP, CONSTRAINT BOX, HANDLE, LIMITS, SIGNAL) — what changes is the style, language, and emphasis within each section.

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Suit 1: Spatial-Analogical (default)

Profile: Thinks in 3D space. Reasons through physical metaphors. Grasps concepts by mapping them to tangible systems.

How each section adapts:

Section	Style
THE PROBLEM	Concrete scenario — what breaks, what fails
THE ANALOGY	Physical system (mechanical, fluid, optical, etc.) visualizable in 3D space. Captures the key trade-off.
THE MAP	ASCII spatial diagram — boxes, arrows, layers. Top = high-level, bottom = implementation.
CONSTRAINT BOX	IS / IS NOT / DECIDES — everyday language, prevents overthinking
ONE-LINE HANDLE	Physical metaphor, 5-10 words, survives fatigue. "Hooks are gravity — docs are speed limit signs"
ANALOGY LIMITS	When the physical analogy stops mapping to reality

Best for: People who say "show me a diagram," who gesture while explaining, who think "it's like a..." before they think "it's defined as..."

Example handle: "The refrigerator door opens every 27 minutes"

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Suit 2: Sequential-Procedural

Profile: Thinks in steps and processes. Grasps concepts by understanding the sequence of events and decision points. Wants to know what happens first, then next, then after.

How each section adapts:

Section	Style
THE PROBLEM	What goes wrong when steps are skipped or out of order
THE ANALOGY	Process/workflow analogy — assembly line, recipe, protocol. Emphasizes order and dependencies.
THE MAP	Flowchart or sequence diagram — numbered steps, decision diamonds, branches. Time flows top to bottom.
CONSTRAINT BOX	DOES / DOES NOT DO / DECIDES WHEN — framed as actions and boundaries
ONE-LINE HANDLE	Process description, 5-10 words. "Validate before you persist, never after"
ANALOGY LIMITS	When the process analogy breaks because real execution isn't linear

Best for: People who say "walk me through it," who outline before writing, who debug by tracing execution step by step.

Example handle: "Check the lock before you open the door, not after you walk through"

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Suit 3: Abstract-Structural

Profile: Thinks in patterns, types, and relationships. Grasps concepts by understanding what category something belongs to, how it relates to other concepts, and what rules govern it. Comfortable with formal constraints.

How each section adapts:

Section	Style
THE PROBLEM	What category of problem this addresses — the general class, not just one scenario
THE ANALOGY	Pattern/type relationship — "X is a special case of Y," "X and Y are both instances of Z." Uses mathematical intuition without notation.
THE MAP	Hierarchy or classification diagram — parent/child, implements/extends, contains/references. Shows type relationships.
CONSTRAINT BOX	IS A / IS NOT A / DISTINGUISHES — framed as classification and boundaries
ONE-LINE HANDLE	Formal relationship, 5-10 words. "Every cache is a trade: space for time"
ANALOGY LIMITS	When the structural analogy oversimplifies — real systems don't fit clean hierarchies

Best for: People who say "what's the general principle?", who think in taxonomies, who reach for abstractions before examples.

Example handle: "Authentication proves who; authorization proves what"

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Suit 4: Narrative-Contextual

Profile: Thinks in stories and scenarios. Grasps concepts by imagining a person in a situation, facing a choice, dealing with consequences. Learns through cause-and-effect chains with characters.

How each section adapts:

Section	Style
THE PROBLEM	A story: a specific person hits a specific wall. "A developer pushes to prod and..."
THE ANALOGY	Scenario with characters — "Imagine you're the librarian and someone asks for a book that..." Uses everyday situations, not technical metaphors.
THE MAP	Cause-effect chain or timeline — "User does X → system does Y → Z happens → user sees W." Shows the journey, not the architecture.
CONSTRAINT BOX	WHO / WHAT THEY CAN'T / WHAT THEY CHOOSE — framed as character constraints and decisions
ONE-LINE HANDLE	Scenario summary, 5-10 words. "The librarian can't read every book she shelves"
ANALOGY LIMITS	When the story oversimplifies — real systems don't have single characters making single decisions

Best for: People who say "give me an example," who learn from case studies, who remember stories better than diagrams.

Example handle: "The new hire follows the map; the veteran smells the smoke"

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Calibration: Same Concept, Four Suits

Here is "caching" explained as a one-liner in each suit, to show how the same concept feels different:

Suit	One-liner
Spatial-Analogical	"A fridge next to the stove — cold storage one arm's reach away"
Sequential-Procedural	"Check the shelf before you walk to the warehouse"
Abstract-Structural	"Every cache is a trade: space for time"
Narrative-Contextual	"The barista remembers your order — no menu needed"

Same concept, four different brains.