Lutrai Psychology

Auther's Note: This segment contains a lot of stuff that I'm learning in second year psychology. I thought it might be fun to apply a bit of psychology to my lutrai concept, with some diagrams and examples. My intention here was not to show off my knowledge, but instead to make use of what I've been studying outside of a classroom setting.

Personality Structure

The standard three-way personality division is shown here. Proportionately, it's less balanced, with more conscious and pre-conscious decision-making devoted to pleasure. However, the lutrai also experience curious ego lapses, or possibly id surges during which their common sense simply shuts down. This might ordinarily be seen as little more than periods of animalistic behavior. However, this period of id domination also gives a great deal more control to the superego, and decision making becomes based almost purely on mutual pleasure; an empathy-driven conscience.

Lutrai Id
I must have the shiny stone right now, at all costs. Let's go get it! (pleasure)

Lutrai Ego
Wait, wait...the nasty orc has the shiny stone. (reality)

Lutrai Super-Ego
Oh well, he probably stole it from someone else. (morality)

As opposed to humans, lutrai tend towards conscience orientation. This is a type of morality that is based more on individual freedom than social contract or conformity. Part of this is due to their mild empathy, the ability to sense truth and emotion. Combined with their own complex body language, it becomes nearly impossible for one lutrai to lie to another. They are especially sensitive to pain, and in most cases, this negative feedback enough to discourage them from fighting.

Memory and Association

This is a modified semantic network; in this case an impulse network. These impulses move far faster than those of a human, enabling solution scripts and allowing very rapid responses to stimulus. For example, the lutrai noticing the orc would flash through several different instinct scripts and come to a solution before the orc's brain had even processed a potential target. This is an evolutionary trait, generally used in fight or flight situations, but also used in fast-paced games and intimacy.
Lutrai also use more conventional associations for everyday objects and situations. They form conceptual hierarchies based primarily around color and shape as opposed to value and function, and thus their language is very plain and visual, with less implied meaning. They are excelptionally fast learners if something catches their rather limited attention span, and show a particular aptitude for creative tasks. Once they focus on a particular task, they display an amazing amount of drive and tenacity, and the greater the challenge, the better.

Emotion
Lutrai are very passionate creatures. They see the world through the eyes of clever children, always fascinated by what others might call mundane. They do not develope a jaded view of the commonplace, nor do they attept to bottle up their feelings. Lutrai have become so tuned into emotion that they seem to have developed a form of limited empathy. This is not a cognitive process; it seems to be a constant feedback that cannot be turned off.
As individuals, lutrai are light-hearted and easily amused. They seem almost incabable of hatred and malice because of how they tie into the feelings of others. This empathy makes them very vulnerable to emotional manipulation, as well as their emotional environment. If utterly surrounded by pain and sadness for an extended period of time, most lutrai will develope severe emotional disorders, including catatonia.
Many other species feel that lutrai are naive and foolish, lacking certain concepts such as vengeance and suspicion. While it is true that their feelings can be a weakness, they are also capable of amazing feats of courage and sacrifice. While one lutrai may suffer when surrounded by sadness or rage, the opposite is also quite true. As a group, they can radiate emotions that the average mind cannot fight off, dispersing the turmoil that might otherwise harm them.