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MENTAL MODEL · M4088

Law of Unintended Consequences

Law of Unintended Consequences
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28

CORE DEFINITION

In the social sciences, unintended consequences (sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences, more colloquially called knock-on effects) are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen. The term was popularized in the 20th century by the American sociologist Robert K. Merton. Unintended consequences can be grouped into three types:

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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In the social sciences, unintended consequences (sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences, more colloquially called knock-on effects) are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen.

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Intervening in complex systems often produces unforeseen or even opposite results. The mechanism is that feedback loops and second-order effects are not accounted for.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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