Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M2677

Freytag's Pyramid

Freytag's Pyramid
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Classic five-act dramatic structure: 1. Exposition; 2. Rising Action; 3. Climax; 4. Falling Action; 5. Resolution/Denouement.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Classic steady state. Although old-fashioned, it serves as a yardstick for testing story completeness. Check whether your story has a distinct 'peak' (climax) or is a flat mound.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Freytag's Pyramid divides drama into five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, forming an inverted V-shaped pyramidal tension curve, used to design conflict accumulation and release.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_story_structuresZH · Explicit
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