Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M0741

Trough of Sorrow

Trough of Sorrow
BehaviormediumPsychology
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

The stage after the initial 'honeymoon period' of a startup ends, when media attention fades, growth stagnates, and product problems abound. This is the period when most companies die.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Psychological expectation management. Entrepreneurship is not an upward straight line. Anticipating the existence of the 'Trough of Sorrow' can prevent panic when it arrives, treating it as a necessary rite of passage.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Refers to a period of emotional downturn after loss or severe setback, similar to the lowest segment of the grief curve. The mechanism is the reintegration process after the psychological threshold is breached; the trough itself is a necessary stage for repair, not failure.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    36kr.comhttps://36kr.com/p/5056787ZH · Explicit
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