Grooming Loop (GL): A Trajectory-Based Method for Detecting Progressive Constraint of Emotional Expression in Sequential Communication

This paper introduces the Grooming Loop (GL), a trajectory-based analytical method for detecting progressive constraint of emotional expression in sequential communication. Unlike single-message classification approaches, GL operates across multiple messages to identify structural patterns in which an initially expressed emotional state is gradually reframed, discouraged, replaced, or stabilized into an alternative identity or stance. The method is content-independent and relies on structural markers such as correction pressure, emotional narrowing, identity substitution, and stabilization. GL is presented as an extension to the Transmission Origin Diagnostics (TOD) framework, enabling longitudinal detection of progressive shaping processes in communication. An operational implementation supporting multi-message input, trajectory scoring, and highlighted shaping segments is also described. The method is rule-based and interpretable, enabling transparent trajectory inspection. The method is exploratory and intended to support further empirical testing.