Seems to me, that if we doing some research, scientific or social research, then this does seem to be the process where something comes into fruition.

Even with something so inconsequential such as betting on a football game, tend to go through this kind of process. Hardly anyone reaches the Impact stage with gambling.

Not sure is this graphic applies to politics or the CIA, NSA.

My guess is that politics, CIA, NSA ... more along the lines of applied psychology.

Never took anything related to PSY101 in school.

All those textbooks in PSY101 had the title Introduction to Applied Psychology.

As I got older, that title "Applied" Psychology, started to bug me.

Seems to me it the title of those text books should be Manipulative Applied Psychology, lol.

Research is not suppose to be manipulative. Politics, CIA, NSA, yes.