States

A State represent static conditions that hold over time without internal change. Examples include Ownership, Health_State, Emotional_State.

A State is a Situation that persists over some duration without internal transition or inherent unfolding from one phase to another. It describes a static condition, configuration, or status of an entity or set of entities. Unlike an Event, a state does not inherently describe a change or an activity. However, a state can change, and the change from one state to another would be an Event. Some criteria:

• Persistence over Duration: A State is characterized by its duration, during which its defining conditions remain constant. It is not instantaneous like some Events.
• Lack of Intrinsic Dynamics/Internal Transition: A state does not involve an inherent progression or internal activity. It is a stable condition, even if it is temporary. The beginning or end of a state, or the transition between states, would be an Event.
• Cognitive Stability: Cognitively, states are understood as relatively stable configurations of entities and their relationships.
• Result of a Event (often): Many states are the result or outcome of an Event (e.g., Agreement resulting from Negotiation; ProblemResolution resulting from SolutionSteps).

They may function as background conditions or targets of change.