A Brief History of the Lilith-Tennov Standard of Diagnostics

Solomon Isoptera

Curator's note: Due to clerical errors, only the first draft of this essay could be recovered. If the final version is found, it will be uploaded.
Last update: 1/28/2022


Summary

The Lilith-Tennov Standard is a rating system going from 0-10 that aims to measure a biotic robot’s mental health in relation to their organic components. Despite its recognition as the Standard diagnostic tool for biotic mental issues, the Lilith-Tennov Standard is a hotly debated topic in the medical field.
Some studies have shown the Lilith-Tennov Standard has no basis in reality whatsoever, chalking it up to pure pseudoscience. Others show that patients who have undergone Lilith-Tennov tests have actually had a decrease in cognitive function. However, all studies remain unverified by the Empyrean Biotic Institute.

Section 1: Etymology

Up until recent years, the Lilith-Tennov Standard was referred to as the “Bulgakov-Tennov" Standard. Though most major studies were done using this name, for the sake of simplicity, this essay will refer to the concept using its currently accepted name of “Lilith-Tennov”. In addition, the abbreviation LTS will be used.

Dorothy Tennov coined the idea of “limerence”, which is an involuntary psychological state in which one has obsessive romantic fantasies about the “limerent object”. The fantasies are often not sexual; on the contrary, limerent desires lie more in the realm of the domestic. However, regardless of their content, all fantasies are considered intrusive. The afflicted will fantasize about doing every day activities their object. They will overanalyze every word from the object to be in their favor. Eventually, the afflicted will find spending time in their euphoric daydreams favorable to existing in reality. Limerence is said to last for about three years on average. It ends through starvation, transference, or, rarely, reciprocation.

Lilith is said to be the first wife of Adam, made from one of his own ribs. She was scorned by God and Adam when she refused to be dominated. She abandoned Eden, and lived in a cave, and bore hundreds of children. The angels God sent after her said they would always kill her children as punishment. In some stories, Lilith is said to return to Adam, as a human, to steal his seed. In others, Lilith becomes an erotic demon. Regardless of her end, her significance as the first man to flee god remains in the medical field’s milieu.

As a whole, the LTS as a whole refers to a biotic robot’s inherent need to feel justified in and in control of their body. This need differs from a fully mechanical robot’s want, in that a biotic experiences biological symptoms when this psychological need is not fulfilled.

Section 2: Scale Breakdown

The LTS goes from 0-10. As the number increases, the level of obsession increases. Meanwhile, the reported levels of derealization decreases.

A healthy biotic will lie within the range of 4-5.
Biotics with an LTS ranking of 0-3 are considered “hypochiric”.
Biotics with an LTS ranking of 6-9 are considered “hypertennovic”.
Biotics with an LTS ranking of 10 are incredibly rare, and thus do not have a proper nomenclature. In the few publicly available recorded cases, researchers have referred to it as simply “LTS 10”.

At healthy LTS rankings, the biotic will experience minimum grief. They have a healthy understanding of what is within their control. They will be able to meet some of their biological needs, but not all of them; they accept that.
The Empyrean Biotic Institute recommends that biotics come in for a ranking monthly. If an individual’s score is not within healthy range for three concurrent tests, there is reason for concern, and the individual should reach out to their primary care provider.

2.2: Hypochirism

Hypochiric individuals (also known as lilith deficiency to the general public) show a decaying sense of self. What separates a hypochiric robot from one simply experiencing depressive symptoms is their regressive behaviors.

As a biotic's LTS ranking drops below 3, they begin to revert to their coded mindset. Their AI will produce less randomly generated thoughts, and stick more to what it was trained from. This manifests as a lack of interest in hobbies, incoherency in speech, rigid eye movements, and a general “stiffness” in all aspects of life.

At a point- typically at LTS 1- they reject the very idea of an identity, including their designated one. Rather than embrace individuality or fall back on purpose, a highly hypochiric individual will allow themselves to be a totally blank slate.

When approaching LTS 0, the robot suddenly and often violently redevelops their desire for a self. However, it is not a self based on the individual’s wants, nor a coded one: it is based solely on the environment it inhabited while at LTS 1. This process takes place over the span of a day, and can mimic high level hypertennovic symptoms. Once out of this phase, the robot becomes determined on completing its assumed identity until it is completed. Once completed, the individual enters a permanent hypertennovic state. For an in-depth case study of LTS 0 hypochirism, refer to Lovejoy & Landestine (2019).

2.3: Hypertennovism

While hypertennovism is old enough to be considered a building block in modern psychology, it is still a relatively new discovery. Hypochirism was the focus of many early studies due to its commonness. As time went on, the biotic population began to face psychological symptoms that could not be explained by hypochirism, and the need for further research grew. It wasn't until 2009 that hypertennovism would be officially added into the DSM.

Hypertennovic individuals experience the exact opposite problem their hypochiric counterparts face; they refuse to recognize themselves as robots. In pursuit of a biological need, they will shed their machinery and attempt to become a human in any sense of the word. The inherent vagueness of “humanity” makes the concept difficult to study with precision, but a few major case studies shed some light on the way hypertennovism manifests itself:

Paterillis et al. (2003) examines a hypertennovic biotic who possesses a heart. The specimen, named subject A, reached out to their doctor complaining of a slowed heart rate and an intense aversion to any object not made of ivory.
Subject A, along with twenty other heart-having biotics facing similar issues, were studied over the span of three years. Subjects' reported "favored materials" included clay, stone, and marble. Paterillis concluded hypertennovic heart-having biotics tend to be drawn to the more emotional aspects of humanity. Their transformations will often manifest more internally than physically.

Playne & Wright (2010) not only reaffirmed the conclusion of Paterillis, but gave further insight on hypertennovism in biotics with hearts. In a study with 100 hypertennovic participants, 77 reported having an aversion to the idea of altering their body in any way. Within that group, 28 responded to the idea with an "intense sickness". Playne and Wright came to the conclusion that in addition to being more inclined towards human emotions, heart biotics are typically adverse to the human form itself.

Douglas (2006) aimed to study hypertennovism in the general biotic population, rather than on a single organ type.

2.4: LTS 10

LTS 10 is the result of poorly controlled hypertennovism. Due to its rarity, there are minimal recorded cases of the psychological state. However, what we do know can be summarized in a few bullet points:

Section 3: Testing Procedures

The Lilith-Tennov testing procedure consists of three main parts: a physical exam, an association test, and an aptitude test.

3.1: The Physical Exam

The physical exam is as simple as it sounds; the robot examined by a team of biotechnicians. Their mechanical components are checked over as they would be in a normal examination. If there is any major issue with the mechanics, the Lilith-Tennov test is canceled. If the mechanics are operating normally, the robot is anesthetized using the standard 300 volt procedure.

While their higher functions are temporarily offline, their organs are examined. This part of the physical varies depending on which human components are present. The following are a few examples across three different organs:

HEART STOMACH BRAIN

3.2: The Association Test


3.3: The Aptitude Test

The aptitude test is the most recent addition to the procedure, having been added after the Anthro-Psychologist’s Association for Validating Health (APAVH) claimed that the pre-existing diagnostic process was too clinical. The test as described in this essay may quickly become outdated.
The purpose of this test is to analyze the robot’s natural behaviors and tendencies in real-world scenarios and set an emotional baseline.

The robot is placed in a room surrounded by one-way mirrors, alone, and given a paper questionnaire of 120 questions.
60 questions are multiple choice. Samples of these multiple choice questions have been provided:

FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, PLEASE INDICATE YOUR EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO EACH GIVEN SCENARIO.

1) YOU HAVE RECEIVED NEWS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE A FATHER. YOU ARE…
1. HORRENDOUSLY BAFFLED
2. PASSIONATELY ENRAGED
3. UNDERSTANDING AND PLEASED
4. REINVIGORATED AND JOYFUL
5. HORRENDOUSLY EXCITED

2) YOU HAVE BEEN CUT IN LINE AT THE RECEPTIONIST’S OFFICE.
1. HOPELESS
2. RELIGIOUS
3. MOST DEFINITELY GLEEFUL
4. TERRIFIED AND PANICKED
5. APATHETIC TO THIS SITUATION

3) YOU HAVE LET YOURSELF CHARGE TOO LONG, AND ARE LOSING YOUR ABILITY TO HOLD A CHARGE.
1. OVERWHELMINGLY MORTIFIED
2. MISCHIEVOUS AND FUN
3. ANGERED
4. PITIFUL
5. ACCEPTANCE

60 questions involve written responses- 45 of these questions are randomly generated. The randomly generated questions are not indicated to the patient. This is done in an attempt to aggravate the patient. Samples of these questions have been provided:

1) YOU HAVE BEEN ATTENDING A PRESTIGIOUS MEDICAL SCHOOL FOR SIX YEARS. YOU WORKED INCREDIBLY HARD FOR YOUR DOCTORATE. ON THE WAY HOME FROM GRADUATION, A CREEPY GUY APPROACHES YOU AND ASKS YOU IF YOU CAN PERFORM SURGERY ON HIM. HE DID NOT REFER TO YOU BY YOUR NOW FULL NAME.
KEY RESPONSE POINTS:

-WHAT WOULD YOU DO? HOW DO YOU FEEL?
-INDICATE WHAT YOU STUDIED IN SCHOOL IN THIS SCENARIO.
-WHAT MADE THIS GUY CREEPY TO YOU?

VALUED RESPONSE LENGTH: 300 WORDS

2) IT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR. YOU HAVE WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS DAY SINCE YOU WERE IN YOUR DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE. ON THIS DAY, YOU ARE SICK WITH A DISEASE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN HEARD OF BEFORE. YOU ARE NOT ONLY MAGNETIZED, BUT YOU HAVE BEEN BARRED FROM PARTICIPATING IN YOUR FAVORITE DAY.
KEY RESPONSE POINTS:

-WHAT WOULD YOU DO? HOW DO YOU FEEL?
-INDICATE THE WORST SYMPTOM OF YOUR DISEASE. DESCRIBE IN DETAIL.
-WHAT DOES BEING MAGNETIZED MEAN TO YOU?

VALUED RESPONSE LENGTH: 700 WORDS

The order of the questions are randomized each time, and are not separated by category.