This concept can be encapsulated in a single phrase:

"IF YOU HAVE TWO THINGS, THEN YOU HAVE FOUR THINGS."

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To explain and illustrate it, consider a fairly common event: two people have met, and have spent time getting to know each other, and are thinking about forming a relationship that might become important and lasting. For simplicity, assume it's a guy and a lady who are dating, and who are both beginning to wonder how serious this relationship might become – and whether they might even get married.

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Or, if it makes you more comfortable, assume he's an artist who can be difficult to get along with, and she's a marketing person with good sales and people skills, and they're thinking about going into some kind of business partnership, together.

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The "1" (or "A" or "M") in the top left corner of each square above can refer to the guy. Regardless of whether they get married, or start a business, he will still be a whole, complete, distinct individual. A person, plain and simple (and complicated). He'll still need his own food, water, air, and (in most cases) income, and he'll still have his own beliefs and opinions. He will have some combination of strengths, skills, assets, and other good stuff, as well as problems, weak spots, and shortcomings, too. So, he is represented by his very own corner, in the upper left, in all three versions of the squares shown above.

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The exact same things apply to the lady, as well. She will still be a complete, distinct individual, even if they form a partnership. She will still need her own food, water, air, and (in most cases) income,  she'll still have her own beliefs and opinions, and she will have her own set of strengths, assets, and good things, and her own set of deficits, needs, and blind spots. So, just like him, she is represented by her very own corner, in the upper right, in all three versions of the squares shown above.

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The symbol in the lower left corner of all 3 squares above is the  Greek letter called "sigma". In mathematics, it is used to represent a sum – that is, the quantity or result that is created when two or more things are ADDED together.

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In relationships, we use any of a dozen different terms, to describe the sum/combination that is created, when two (or more) people get together, and form some type of entity that they can call "we" or "us". The words pair, couple, family, company, partnership, and team, are examples of the words we use to recognize and represent that, if two or more people really do begin working together –  voluntarily, consciously, with some level of agreement and cooperation, and with some set of goals that both/all of them share – then that is a special event or development, which merits a new label, and a higher level of recognition. For better or worse (usually better, but not always), humans are social animals. If and when two or more people begin truly working together, it creates a team, a family, a partnership, a company, or some other type of semi-unified group, which can accomplish things that none of the individual members can accomplish solely by himself/herself. This is such a basic part of human nature, and relationships, that it shouldn't need to be explained any more than this. The only new point that needs to be made, in this paragraph, is that the Greek letter sigma – ∑ – since it represents a "sum" when used in mathematics, is being used to represent the new entity that is formed when two people decide to get married, form a company, or create some other type of team.

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And, it needs to be emphasized that the new entity is, indeed, a new and different entity. It will have its own identity, character, and nature, with its own newly-created set of strengths, assets, and good things (such as, "an ability to work together, cheerfully and with optimism") which will be somehow different from the individual good things contributed by each member. It will also have its own set of newly-created problems and challenges, as well.

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If this concept is not immediately obvious, then consider each of the following points, when two people get married and form a family:

1. The FAMILY will need a place to live.

2. The FAMILY will need some kind of income.

3. The FAMILY will need some kind of transportation.

4. The FAMILY will need to decide what to make for dinner, each night.

Those simple statements can help illustrate a basic point – the SUM becomes a new entity in its own right, which is different from any one of its members. That NEW and COLLECTIVE entity is what is represented by the Greek letter SIGMA – ∑ – in the squares above.

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The fourth and final part of the 4-part structure shown in all 3 drawings above is represented by the Greek letter DELTA – ∆ – which in mathematics is used to represents the DIFFERENCE between two quantities, locations, conditions, etc. If that partnership/family/whatever has been designed and built well, then the ∆ – the difference(s) between the two people who have created that team/family – will be an absolutely crucial component and contributor. As explained on the next page, it will become an essential part which helps and enables the OTHER parts to come together, work together, and form a strong, secure and stable – and TETRAHEDRAL – relationship, entity, structure, and system.

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