The Human Pressure Check (HPC-1)
Purpose
To detect when human pressure is distorting judgment — and to slow action before harm occurs.
When to use
Before deployment, during escalation, or anytime a system or person is about to “push through” uncertainty.
Step 1: Identify the pressure (2 minutes)
Circle any that apply right now:
- ☐ Cognitive pressure
Information overload, ambiguity, or speed is forcing shortcuts. - ☐ Emotional pressure
Fear, urgency, anger, excitement, or moral stress is present. - ☐ Authority pressure
A senior voice, system output, or institutional rule is suppressing dissent. - ☐ Dependency pressure
Someone is relying on this system or decision and has no easy exit.
If two or more boxes are checked, proceed to Step 2.
Step 2: Run the Stop Ladder (3 minutes)
Ask, in order:
- Can we slow this decision without material harm?
☐ Yes ☐ No - What would “pause” look like for 10 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day?
(Write one concrete action.) - Who is missing from this decision?
(Name a role or perspective, not a person.)
If slowing is impossible, escalation is mandatory.
Step 3: Boundary check (3 minutes)
Answer honestly:
- Would I be comfortable explaining this decision to the person most affected?
- Does this system make it easy to say no, stop, or hand off to a human?
- Are we assuming alignment instead of proving behavior?
If any answer is no, do not proceed without mitigation.
Step 4: Record the trace (2 minutes)
Write one sentence:
“We ran HPC-1 at [time], identified [pressure], and chose to [action].”
Save it.
This is not bureaucracy — it is memory.
Outcome
- ☐ Proceed
- ☐ Pause
- ☐ Escalate
- ☐ Redesign
This control is part of the Balance the Triangle Labs approach:
shared understanding + deployable safeguards for human flourishing.
BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS 