The primary distinctive features of Pathoscape are its use of two bipolar axes and the four concomitant Cartesian quadrants that meaningfully divide the affect space into potential and actual regions, i.e. regions where the feelings result from interaction with a stimulus having either potential or actual value. This division of the affect space also spontaneously generates a directionally meaningful action tendency for the states in each quadrant, and associates each quadrant with one of four basic attitudes. This structure gives possible insight into how emotions are constructed and differentiated, and also allows a convenient means for mathematically representing states, relationships between states, and changes in states.

     Pathoscape differs from other models in several ways. For example, this model suggests a simple way for constructing and differentiating emotions. First, the emotion is automatically narrowed down to a quadrant just by noticing whether the stimulus has any positive or negative value and if that value is potential or actual. Appropriate action tendencies (approach, withdraw, embrace, expel) are a natural consequence of this primary appraisal alone. Initial impressions of expectation/surprise and potency/efficacy may also result from early appraisal of the stimulus, preferentially recruiting either exogenous or endogenous attention, respectively. Then, I propose the cognitive interpretation of the integrated contributions of exogenous and endogenous attention further narrow the range to a specific region or locus, and refine a state's sense of expectation/surprise and potency/efficacy. The greater the involvement of exogenous attention regarding the salient features of the stimulus, the more the sense of urgency (increasing the 𝑥-component of the state), and the greater the stimulation of the reticular system. Likewise, the greater the involvement of endogenous attention regarding the relevant features of the stimulus, the greater the sense of agency (increasing the 𝑦-component of the state), and the greater the stimulation of the mesolimbic system. The intensity of the state is automatic, given the Pythagorean relationship between the 𝑥-component and 𝑦-component from the appraised urgency and agency. Appraisal variables corresponding to an increased sense of urgency or preferential recruitment of exogenous attention may include expectation/surprise about the value of the stimulus, unexpectedness/suddenness of the stimulus, novelty, highly emotional stimuli, or anything that increases stimulus salience. Appraisal variables corresponding to an increased sense of agency or preferential recruitment of endogenous attention may include potency/efficacy, control, personal causal attribution or responsibility, and goal-relevance. This straightforward approach may be used for constructing and differentiating conscious and unconscious emotions in the self, as well as for modeling emotions in others. In recursive fashion, this may also explain emotional episodes, by showing how one emotional state can act as the stimulus for the evolution of a higher-order state about it, and so on. Similarly, emotional episodes may result from updating appraisals based on changing subject-stimulus relationships, such as varying urgency and agency, or when a stimulus with potential value is actualized (or vice versa).

     Pathoscape not only describes emotions, but also gives insight into intentions and behavior. The appraisals of positive or negative properties of the stimulus depend on three kinds of potential or actual values. (1) The stimulus may be appraised for how it feels, where positive value comes from pleasure, comfort, security, relief, etc. and negative value from opposite qualities. (2) The stimulus may be appraised for its relevance to current goals, where positive value comes from benefit, advantage, ease, efficiency, etc. and negative value from opposite qualities. (3) The stimulus may be appraised for its standing in beliefs (including moral judgments), where positive value comes from being true, correct, right, just, etc. and negative value from opposite qualities. The stimulus can be appraised for any or all of these values. In all cases, positive value comes either from the prospect or success in achieving some positive, or from thwarting or negating some negative. Therefore, both positive and negative emotions can arise from these appraisals. Fear, for example, activates action tendencies serving a goal to avoid or thwart something with potentially negative value. These three values are weighted such that when taken together it is impossible to act voluntarily unless there is a net positive value. There has to be some good that overrides all relevant bad in order to act voluntarily, because an action devoid of all subjective good can never be chosen. 

     Pathoscape allows quantitative representation of states and their relations. Because this model makes use of true Cartesian axes with two bipolar dimensions, it lends itself well to mathematical representations of states and changes of states. By placing the affect space in the complex plane, with an imaginary protovalence axis, any state 𝑧 can be specified with just the angle (θ) and the magnitude (∣𝑧∣), 

Rotations and changing magnitudes are made easy in this exponential form. For example, in addition to being able to represent changes in angle (emotional tone), changes in magnitude (valence & intensity) can be represented simultaneously by including a coefficient when multiplying by a change vector

whereby the magnitudes are multiplied (stretching or contracting the state's vector) and the angles are just added together (rotating the state's vector). In this notation, urgency is ∣cos(θ)∣ = ∣𝑥 / ∣𝑧∣∣, and agency is ∣sin(θ)∣ = ∣𝑦 / ∣𝑧∣∣. Angles (in radians) for positively-valenced states in quadrants I & II range from 0 to π. Angles for negatively-valenced states in quadrants III & IV range from 0 to -π.