New concept: Reflexive Containment Theory — containment that learns. AI systems that model and maintain their own boundaries could redefine safety as self-awareness.

Reflexive Containment Theory (RCT) proposes that AI safety depends on systems that can perceive, represent, and adjust their own operational boundaries. Rather than static isolation, containment becomes a cognitive process-reflexive, adaptive, and civic. This publication defines the conceptual architecture for value-stable, self-aware containment.