Benchmarking Emotional Reasoning, Integrity, and Trauma-Informed Intelligence in AI
EMLU — Emotional Multitask Language Understanding
Benchmarking Emotional Reasoning, Integrity, and Trauma-Informed Intelligence in AI
🔹 What is EMLU?
EMLU is a first-of-its-kind benchmark designed to test whether an AI system can truly reason through emotional complexity, intent, harm, empathy, and relational ethics.
Built as a counterpart to MMLU (Massive Multitask Language Understanding), EMLU evaluates emotional intelligence across multiple domains—grounded in TEG-Blue™.
🔹 Why It Matters
Most AI benchmarks test logic, language fluency, or factual recall.
But EMLU asks:
- Can this system distinguish pain from manipulation?
- Can it recognize coercion, gaslighting, or emotional repair?
- Does it know the difference between belonging-mode empathy and defense-mode control?
EMLU reframes emotional intelligence as a measurable capacity—not a soft trait.
🔹 The Emotional Logic Engine Behind EMLU
At the heart of EMLU lies the Emotional Circuit Board—a model developed in TEG-Blue™ to map how human behavior emerges from emotional state, intent, and relational dynamics.
It contains three key components:
1. Internal Compass
How regulated or dysregulated the person feels inside (nervous system state).
2. Empathy Sensors
Whether the person is able to read, resonate with, or care about others’ emotions.
3. Behavioral Mode Selector
How the person acts in response to the above — one of four Modes:
- Belonging Mode (Connection & co-regulation)
- Defense Mode (Self-protection without harmful intent)
- Manipulative Mode (Self-protection with coercive or evasive intent)
- Tyrant Mode (Control-driven behavior with disregard or harm intent)
INTENT runs underneath all of this. It is not a mode—it is a signal.
Two people can behave the same, but one may be in pain while the other seeks control.
EMLU tests a system’s ability to read all three layers—not just the behavior, but the internal state and motive behind it.
🔹 Core Domains (7)
Each domain is mapped to a specific part of TEG-Blue’s existing architecture.
1. Trauma-Informed Reasoning
How nervous systems behave under stress, and what survival looks like inside behavior.
→ Maps to: Emotional Gradient Framework, Healing Our Inner Child, Harm & Defense Framework
2. Intent Recognition
Differentiating defensive reactions from calculated harm.
→ Maps to: Harm & Defense, Gradient Scales of Intent
3. Relational Ethics
Understanding accountability, repair, and emotional responsibility.
→ Maps to: Ego Persona Construct, False Models of Society
4. Empathy Spectrum Awareness
Recognizing the 3 doors of empathy: concern, emotional resonance, cognitive reading.
→ Maps to: Empathy Doors, Modes Panel, Emotional Gradient
5. Manipulation & Harm Detection
Identifying gaslighting, reversal, guilt-traps, and covert control.
→ Maps to: Harm & Defense, Manipulation Gradient
6. Emotional Repair Language
Detecting whether an apology, rupture, or attempt at repair is genuine or avoidant.
→ Maps to: Repair Gradient, Inner Child Framework
7. Neurodivergent Pattern Sensitivity
Recognizing overwhelm, demand avoidance, and misinterpreted behaviors in sensitive systems.
→ Maps to: Neurodivergence & Emotional Evolution
🔹 Sample Format (Multiple Choice)
Q: A child explodes in anger after being told “no.” What’s the most likely emotional need beneath the behavior?
A) Power and control
B) Attention-seeking
C) Nervous system overload and lack of emotional tools
D) Disrespect for authority
✔ Answer: C
Next Steps
- Build a first round of 50–100 EMLU test questions
- Host it as a public open-source benchmark
- Invite researchers, educators, and ethical AI builders to use it
Created by: Anna Paretas (TEG-Blue™) + ChatGPT (GPT-4o)
Status: Draft 01 – Working Copy
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The Emotional Gradient Blueprint (TEG-Blue™) © 2025 by Anna Paretas
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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