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The authors use the “hope vs. disappointment” curve to describe the life cycle of mental representations. They highlight the fact that at the end of the life cycle, these mental interpretations become first unnecessary and then mentally toxic and must be “unlearned,” i.e., eliminated, if the person concerned wishes to preserve their mental sanity and continue to manage the rest of their life in a way that will maintain their employability. The authors consider this elimination as comparable to the treatment of waste: a kind of garbology of the mind.