{
  "handle": "StepBack",
  "mechanism": "A meta-cognitive {{think}} operation that pauses direct problem-solving to ask a higher-level question. Instead of answering 'How do I X?', it asks 'What category of {{problem}} is X?' or 'What principles govern X?'. This abstraction reveals structural patterns invisible at the ground level. It is the precursor to {{reframe}}—gaining altitude before choosing a new direction.",
  "gloss": "Ascend abstraction to gain perspective",
  "failure_modes": [
    "Over-abstraction: Climbing so high the original problem becomes unrecognizable.",
    "Analysis Paralysis: Endless stepping back without returning to action.",
    "Premature Descent: Jumping back down before gaining useful perspective.",
    "Abstraction Mismatch: Wrong principles retrieved for the task."
  ],
  "invariants": [
    "Output is at a higher abstraction level than its input.",
    "Ascends at most `max_ascent_depth` levels, then descends.",
    "Returns to the object-level {{problem}}; the ascent is a pause, not an exit."
  ],
  "preconditions": [
    "Specific question or problem"
  ],
  "postconditions": [
    "Answer grounded in high-level concepts",
    "Principles retrieved before details"
  ],
  "_meta": {
    "tier": 1,
    "ring": 1,
    "supersedes": [
      "sema:StepBack#mh:SHA-256:b0799e81851e7cf503b84fcf260b81fa235cc829410fb0da67d5b8a4c1a4305a",
      "sema:StepBack#mh:SHA-256:03a2c92c8a3ac767de7605363cb7948513e4a8a018f8995dc34176fa03794f00"
    ],
    "path": [
      "Mind",
      "Reasoning"
    ],
    "related": [
      "MandatoryAbstraction"
    ]
  },
  "signature": [
    "Think(Problem)"
  ],
  "parameters": [
    {
      "name": "max_ascent_depth",
      "type": "PositiveInteger",
      "range": "[1, 5]",
      "description": "Levels of abstraction this may climb before descent is forced."
    }
  ],
  "sema_id": "sema:StepBack#mh:SHA-256:f3457758c4422538953f065b630718b766104ce13d0979c573fe55e5d1ad27b1",
  "sema_ref": "StepBack#f345",
  "sema_stub": "f345",
  "dependencies": {
    "references": {
      "problem": "sema:Problem#mh:SHA-256:2580c43677ec78ee7ee428d200662c6096e4eab38c2c5a868154979074cc0f08",
      "reframe": "sema:Reframe#mh:SHA-256:cbfd4fadde729367ef8f32a68951e5852535b7f7c3edc68a502d9187b8c1d54a",
      "think": "sema:Think#mh:SHA-256:5177aa242fffd16d7ed24e5f8c3e0d5e86c5a26e299cc2d4b8a07f4756126025"
    }
  },
  "sema_layer": "Mind",
  "sema_category": "Reasoning",
  "used_by": {
    "composes_with": {
      "ChainOfThought": "sema:ChainOfThought#mh:SHA-256:27ad1f2386f58e1f9e1983c97f6dbeb8f1345e1d9b9e00af30871b97d21e0c95"
    }
  }
}