This is a Lexicon entry: the mechanism, when it shows up, and the countermeasure. The full correction, with real-world cases and the audit prompt, hasn't been written yet.
When it shows up
Policy design (regulations emphasise preventing harm over enabling benefit). Medical decisions (avoiding side effects weighted more heavily than achieving therapeutic benefit). Product development (teams spend disproportionate effort preventing bugs vs. building features users want). Parenting (preventing failure prioritised over enabling growth).
Failure mode
Over-investing in prevention at the cost of missed opportunities. Risk-averse cultures that protect the downside but never capture the upside. Stagnation framed as safety.
Countermeasure
Quantify both the cost of prevention and the value of promotion explicitly. Ask: "What am I not building because I'm busy preventing?" Balance the portfolio of effort between defence and offense.
Related traps
Also connected in the map4 more, locked
Also revealed
Entry #76 of 631 in The Lexicon · see the full Lexicon