About The CARDS Game
CARDS is a construct and needs-mapping game developed by Je'anna L Clements.
It is a lightweight, high-signal diagnostic tool used to:
- Decode Feelings - Treat emotions not as noise, but as precise signals about underlying needs.
- Read the Room - Interpret others' behaviour as need states rather than character flaws.
- Plan Support - Figure out what you can do to help raise someone else's capacity and wellbeing.
- Navigate Choice - Simulate decisions by asking, "Does this move my CARDS toward Green or Red?"
- Detect Manipulation - Recognise when systems or people are playing with your CARDS.
The Five Cards
| Card | Need |
|---|---|
| C | Competence - What I can do; capability; mastery; understanding. |
| A | Autonomy - My choices; agency; being myself without masking. |
| R | Relatedness - Belonging; connection; love; "we are together". |
| D | Dignity - Respect; fair treatment; freedom from shame; being seen. |
| S | Safety - Freedom from danger; physical/emotional security; comfort. |
The Three States
- Green - The need is met. "I am okay."
- Orange - The need is partly met. "I want this to be better."
- Red - The need is not met. "There is a problem."
Good solutions move CARDS into Green.
Lineage
CARDS is based on Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985). SDT identified three core needs: Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness. To complete the CARDS deck Je'anna adds Dignity and Safety as explicit, non-negotiable human needs - grounding the framework in Human Rights.
About This Application
The CARDS Game makes the CARDS diagnostic tool interactive and accessible - both as a check-in tool for real-time needs-mapping, and as an educational platform for learning the framework.
Host ≠ Author. The CARDS Game is built by Andre S Clements. The CARDS framework belongs to Je'anna L Clements.
Andre built it with the help of an AI coding assistant - Anthropic's Claude - used to write and refine code and to draft translations, always under his direction and review. Nothing here ships without human sign-off, and translations are checked by human translators whenever possible. We mention this in the same spirit of transparency and provenance that the tool itself is built on.