PhronesisWe analyze compulsive status-signaling as a dynamical wrong attractor in the space of self-presentational dispositions. Beginning from a ground state S^0 defined by calibrated genuine self-presentation—sharing authentic aspects of one's life without curating primarily for status impression, and deriving identity from values and relationships rather than hierarchical position—we introduce a displacement cost function D() measuring deviation from S^0 and define accumulated displacement = D()\,dt as the chronic prestige-display pattern.
The wrong attractor W is characterized by a habitual orientation of choices and self-presentation toward maximizing prestige display: choosing experiences for how they will read, displaying affiliations for their status value, and curating life for recognition rather than living it for meaning. We identify the basin of attraction of W through three interlocking mechanisms: the recognition-hunger driver, the prestige-display mechanism, and the experience-as-content dynamic.
Basin depth is shown to be a monotone function of the degree to which identity becomes organized around prestige position rather than authentic values. Nine formal propositions P_1–P_9 characterize the trigger conditions, basin geometry, choice-distortion dynamics, identity-erosion trajectory, and return conditions. The return path from W to S^0 requires value-first choice, authentic sharing without curation, and identity grounding in relationships and commitments rather than position.
We conclude with structural remarks on the temporal economy of recognition-seeking and its downstream costs.