Play+ pulls together a variety of philosophies and scientific concepts to create a map of intersubjective interaction that represents how cooperative interaction plays out in the phenomenal world. This process philosophy is not literal, it is phenomenological in the direct experience sense and seeks to get phenomenology out of the head and into an intersubjective network that has empirical, real world application that can be measured.

The philosophies and concepts borrowed from share a Mental / Physical dipolar process that represents different aspects of the ontical (experience of) and ontological (meaning of) experience and provide an epistemological framework (knowledge of) that can be built out to include intersubjective interactions and embodied experiences of play.

This process philosophy provides a practical foundation for interactive play and training and does so in an embodied, experiential manner - actual skills are done thoughtfully in the actual world and attention is drawn to these embodied play experiences through attuned cuing and marking.

I. A Dipolar Process Philosophy

Play+ represents an innovative philosophy of play that weaves the mental and physical aspects of being, behavior, perception, and learning into a single dual aspect monist process philosophy. Play+ acknowledges and elucidates the interplay of instinct, cognition, affordance, and affect as an organism interacts with its environment and navigates a world of actual opportunities.

1. Whitehead's Process Philosophy of Organism's Concrescence Process: Adopted from Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy, the Physical Pole prehends or grasps experiences while the Mental Pole represents the creative, expectant impulse. The Mental Pole is the dynamic force of creativity and expectation, while the Physical Pole is the force that actualizes or brings these expectations into reality.
2. Cue Trigger Process (Pawsitive Vybe): In this process, the Cue is the presentation of an idea or expectation, and the Trigger is the actualization of that idea. The creation of expectancy and intensity ties into the principles of Flow Theory, Whitehead, and PAN.
3. Pankseppian Affective Neuroscience (PAN): This maps the seven base affects to the Mental and Physical Poles. SEEKING is equivalent to the Physical Pole, representing the inherent drive to explore and interact with the environment. The other base affects (PLAY, PANIC/GRIEF, RAGE, LUST, FEAR, CARE) correspond to the Mental Pole, representing the complex emotional states and behaviors that arise from the expectant impulse.
4. Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi): Flow Theory is used to set goals and manage drive, engagement, and arousal in training by strategically engaging the Mental and Physical Poles. It involves matching or adjusting challenges (physical) and skills focus (mental) that match the dog's capabilities and the handler's expectations of energy and drive enabling them to immerse themselves in the task and achieve a state of flow.
5. Classical and Operant Conditioning: Classical conditioning aligns with the Physical Pole, representing the Pavlovian principle of learning through association. The physiological and emotional state is the Subjective Tone (per Whitehead). The Mental Pole maps to Operant conditioning, representing the Skinnerian principle of learning through consequences, and is resonant with the Subjective Aim from Philosophy of Organism.
6. Modified Cynefin Framework: This framework is used to distinguish between the Ideal World (Clear & Complicated ordered domains), where the ideas of skills exist, and the Actual World (Complex and Chaos domains) where skills are actually performed. The Aporetic State is used strategically to manage flow, activate the Mental Pole, and to reflect and plan for the future. The Aporetic Domain is a critical element in transitioning between these worlds.
7. Merleau-Ponty's Embodied Phenomenology: The embodied nature of learning and experience in Play+ underscores the idea that the dog's perception of their world is guided by their body and sensory experiences from the phenomenal, embodied experiences of actually doing the thing. Merleu-Ponty's Horizon concept features prominently as well as the perceptive field for Dog | Handler | Team.
8. Heidegger's Hermeneutic Circle and Ready-to-Hand: The Hermeneutic Circle represents the dynamic and cyclical process of conceptualizing training tasks and overall goals - Expectant and Inceptive Marking highlights and embodies key narrative elements. The concept of "ready-to-hand" is used and is adapted as "ready-to-paw," to highlight the role of the dog's direct, practical engagement with their world in training and their conceptual understanding of actualized skills. Ready-to-hand and ready-to-paw skills and behaviors become transparent tools and equipment for Dog | Handler | Team.
9. JJ Gibson’s Affordance Theory: Affordances are invitations for action from the world around us (Rob Gray, ASU). Affordances and action capacities are the keys to successfully actualized skills and playful interaction. Affordances are akin to criteria and behavior at the same time and straddle the Ideal & Actual Worlds.
10. McGilchrist's Hemisphere Hypothesis: The Hemisphere Hypothesis combines the characteristics of the dog's cerebral hemispheres with their experiential attributes during play and training, correlating each hemisphere with the two poles of the Play+ framework - the Physical Pole and the Mental Pole.
    • Right Hemisphere - Physical Pole: The right hemisphere, often associated with moment-to-moment sensory processing and holistic environmental experiences, aligns with the Physical Pole in Play+. This encapsulates the dog's SEEKING system and other primal, sensory-driven affects. It attends to the dog's immediate sensory engagement, environmental interactions, and instinctual reactions to stimuli.
    • Left Hemisphere - Mental Pole: The left hemisphere, typically linked to abstract cognition, language, and conceptual understandings, corresponds to the Mental Pole in Play+. It takes charge of the remaining base affects (PLAY, PANIC/GRIEF, RAGE, LUST, FEAR, CARE) which lie within the domain of the Mental Pole. This hemisphere processes cues, handles learned behaviors, and manages anticipation and expectancy, shaping the dog's conceptual reality and strategic planning during play.

II. Play+ Dog Training Universe