The Competence Flywheel and the Frustration Brake¶
Run the Competence Flywheel Diagram Fullscreen
About This MicroSim¶
This causal loop diagram shows two reinforcing loops that compete for control of learner motivation. R1 (Competence Flywheel) is the productive loop: perceived competence fuels effort, effort produces skill growth (with delay), and skill growth raises perceived competence. R2 (Frustration Brake) is the corrosive loop: frustration drives avoidance, avoidance widens the skill gap, and a larger gap makes the next task feel harder, which produces more frustration. Perceived competence and task difficulty match are shared nodes that connect the two loops -- they determine which loop dominates.
Diagram Details¶
graph LR
PC["Perceived Competence"]:::shared -->|"+"| EI["Effort Invested"]:::r1
EI -->|"+ with delay"| SG["Skill Growth"]:::r1
SG -->|"+"| PC
TDM["Task Difficulty Match"]:::shared -->|"+"| PC
TDM -->|"−"| FR["Frustration"]:::r2
FR -->|"+"| AV["Avoidance"]:::r2
AV -->|"+"| SKG["Skill Gap"]:::r2
SKG -->|"−"| TDM
PC -->|"−"| FR
R1[" R1: Competence Flywheel -- reinforcing "]:::looplabel
R2[" R2: Frustration Brake -- reinforcing, corrosive "]:::looplabel
classDef r1 fill:#4A90D9,stroke:#2C5F8A,color:#fff
classDef r2 fill:#E8795A,stroke:#C0392B,color:#fff
classDef shared fill:#7B8D8E,stroke:#4A6163,color:#fff
classDef looplabel fill:none,stroke:none,color:#555,font-size:12px