Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M10746

Treat the Symptom Not the Cause

Treat the Symptom Not the Cause
StructureHigh supportCritical Thinking
Included
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Updated 2026-08-22

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Handling only the surface symptom without touching the root cause means the problem keeps coming back. The model is an intervention-depth check: it forces the question of whether you are solving the symptom or the disease. Temporary symptom relief can buy time, but it must be paired with a cure for the cause, or the issue persists structurally.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Test the depth: ask whether you are treating the symptom or the disease. - Follow the 5 Whys: keep asking why until the root cause appears. - Pair relief with cure: use symptom relief to buy time for the real fix.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Symptoms are the visible expression of a root cause. Remove only the symptom while leaving the cause, and the system reproduces the problem elsewhere or later through compensation and rebound. Structurally, the cause persists, so the problem persists with it.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

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Source support: Explicit

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    zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B4%A0%E9%97%AEZH · Explicit
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