Accumulated observation of human social behavior substantiates the conclusion that it is sentient, intentional, and fully willed by the actor; and yet it is often predictably correlated with variable environmental conditions. The apparent contradiction dissolves when we explore the geography of a multileveled zone in which informational signals or stimuli emanating from a variety of salient environments interact with the person's intentions to behave-in which environment and behavior in fact become interdependent, the consciousness or awareness of ordinary human beings as they maneuver their way through everyday social life. To begin exploratory mapping of this complex territory, eight levels of awareness are posited, each appropriate to a distinct salient environment; each having a specific information-feedback apparatus; and each with a unique "mode of awareness" or state of mind characteristic to it. All eight levels are routinely called into play in ordinary social interaction; we can only celebrate the dexterity and virtuosity of human capability.
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