Psychological TRIZ
Apply behavioral science principles systematically to solve innovation contradictions
Psychological TRIZ adapts the Russian engineering methodology TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) for behavioral and psychological challenges. Where traditional TRIZ identifies engineering contradictions and resolves them using a database of inventive principles derived from patent analysis, Psychological TRIZ identifies behavioral contradictions and resolves them using a database of psychological principles derived from behavioral science research. The core insight is that most innovation challenges are not truly novel but are variations of problems that have been solved before in different contexts. By cataloging these solutions as behavioral principles organized by contradiction type, innovators can systematically search for proven approaches rather than trying to invent from scratch. The framework draws on evolutionary thinking: just as biological evolution adapts existing structures to new functions rather than designing from scratch, effective innovation often involves adapting existing behavioral insights to new contexts. This evolutionary approach is faster, more reliable, and more scalable than revolutionary innovation.
- Most behavioral challenges are variations of problems already solved in other contexts
- Evolutionary adaptation of existing solutions is more reliable than revolutionary invention
- Innovation contradictions can be systematically resolved using cataloged psychological principles
- The best innovations often come from looking sideways at solutions in unrelated domains
- Identify the Behavioral ContradictionDefine the innovation challenge as a contradiction: two desirable outcomes that seem to conflict. For example, you want to reinforce trust without altering the truth, or aid decisions without limiting choice. Framing the challenge as a contradiction clarifies what makes it difficult and opens the door to systematic resolution using behavioral principles that have resolved similar contradictions in other contexts.
- Search the Principle DatabaseConsult the catalog of behavioral science principles organized by contradiction type. Each principle represents a proven psychological mechanism that has resolved similar contradictions in previous applications. Principles include social proof, default effects, anchoring, loss aversion, commitment devices, and many others. The systematic search replaces brainstorming with evidence-based exploration.
- Adapt the Principle to Your ContextTake the identified principle and adapt it to your specific domain, audience, and constraints. This is the evolutionary step: you are not copying a solution wholesale but adapting its underlying mechanism to a new environment, just as evolution adapts existing biological structures to new functions. The adaptation requires understanding both the principle's mechanism and your specific context.
- Test and IterateImplement the adapted solution as a small-scale test, measure its impact against predefined metrics, and iterate based on results. Behavioral interventions often have surprising effects in real-world contexts that differ from laboratory settings, so testing is essential before scaling.
Tatam describes how a behavioral contradiction in health communication was resolved by applying a principle from an unrelated domain. The challenge was to encourage a behavior change without triggering fear or resistance. By finding a principle that had resolved a similar contradiction in consumer marketing, the team adapted it to the health context with significant success.
The original TRIZ methodology analyzed over forty thousand patents and discovered that most inventive solutions could be categorized into forty inventive principles that resolved common engineering contradictions. Tatam applied the same logic to behavioral science, analyzing hundreds of behavioral interventions to identify recurring psychological principles that resolved common behavioral contradictions. This systematic approach transformed innovation from an art into a more structured discipline.
Sam Tatam developed Psychological TRIZ while working at the behavioral science consultancy Ogilvy, where he noticed that behavioral interventions across different industries and problem domains often relied on the same underlying psychological principles. Inspired by the engineering methodology TRIZ, which systematized inventive problem-solving by analyzing patterns across thousands of patents, Tatam created a behavioral equivalent by mapping psychological principles to common innovation contradictions. The framework was refined through real-world application across diverse client challenges.