The Core Emotion Framework (CEF): Structure, Operators, and Applications

The Core Emotion Framework (CEF) is a structural-constructivist model that conceptualizes emotional experience as the interaction of ten functional operators within a continuous sensing–calculating–deciding loop. Rather than defining emotions as discrete categories, the CEF models affective phenomena as emergent configurations of these operators. The framework integrates cognitive, physiological, and behavioral processes and is compatible with both human psychological models and computational architectures for artificial intelligence. This paper outlines the Structural Engine, defines the ten operators, distinguishes operator function from entanglement states, and describes applications in personality research, clinical practice, and synthetic affect modeling.