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The “Id” Knows More than the “Ego” Admits: Neuropsychoanalytic and Primal Consciousness Perspectives on the Interface Between Affective and Cognitive Neuroscience
Open accessAbstract
It is commonly believed that consciousness is a higher brain function. Here we consider the likelihood, based on abundant neuroevolutionary data that lower brain affective phenomenal experiences provide the “energy” for the developmental construction of higher forms of cognitive consciousness. This view is concordant with many of the theoretical formulations of Sigmund Freud. In this reconceptualization, all of consciousness may be dependent on the original evolution of affective phenomenal experiences that coded survival values. These subcortical energies provided a foundation that could be used for the epigenetic construction of perceptual and other higher forms of consciousness. From this perspective, perceptual experiences were initially affective at the primary-process brainstem level, but capable of being elaborated by secondary learning and memory processes into tertiary-cognitive forms of consciousness. Within this view, although all individual neural activities are unconscious, perhaps along with secondary-process learning and memory mechanisms, the primal sub-neocortical networks of emotions and other primal affects may have served as the sentient scaffolding for the construction of resolved perceptual and higher mental activities within the neocortex. The data supporting this neuro-psycho-evolutionary vision of the emergence of mind is discussed in relation to classical psychoanalytical models.
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![Figure 1 A schematic showing nested hierarchies of brain functions in which primary processes (red squares) influence secondary (green circles) and tertiary (blue rectangles) processes, which in turn exert top-down regulatory control. The seven primary process emotions are noted: positively valenced emotions highlighted in red (SEEKING, LUST, CARE and PLAY), and negative ones in purple (RAGE, FEAR and PANIC/GRIEF) [2,4].](/paper-figures/71f136b373d3454c96602be7ce999a4b/the-id-knows-more-than-the-ego-admits-neuropsychoanalytic-and-primal-figure-1.jpg)
![Figure 2 Freud’s second model of the mental apparatus. Pcpt (previously φ) = Perceptual system; Mnem (previously ψ) = Mnemic systems; Ucs = Unconscious system; Pcs = Preconscious system; M = Motor system [also known as Consciousness system, abbreviated Cs (previously ω)]. Reproduced from [5] with permission.](/paper-figures/8a2f6fd05e4a466d8132059d86b14c8f/the-id-knows-more-than-the-ego-admits-neuropsychoanalytic-and-primal-figure-2.jpg)
![Figure 3 Freud’s final model of the mental apparatus. Pcpt.-Cs. = Perceptual-Consciousness system. Reproduced from [17] with permission.](/paper-figures/4e384e6b071c4e9683c35c287bcf9e16/the-id-knows-more-than-the-ego-admits-neuropsychoanalytic-and-primal-figure-3.jpg)



![Figure 7 A typical hydranencephalic brain. (Reprinted with permission of the American College of Radiology [40]. No other representation of this material is authorized without expressed, written permission from the American College of Radiology).](/paper-figures/eb65a7825a864cc493fa5a688e583ecd/the-id-knows-more-than-the-ego-admits-neuropsychoanalytic-and-primal-figure-7.jpg)
![Figure 8 The emotional reaction of a young hydranencephalic girl. (We thank Bjorn Merker for the use of these photographs, reproduced with permission of the child’s mother [41]).](/paper-figures/99ec08baa71e452197221cf779874368/the-id-knows-more-than-the-ego-admits-neuropsychoanalytic-and-primal-figure-8.jpg)
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“Cortex evidently provides “random-access memory” space (Solms and Panksepp, 2012, Ellis and Solms, 2018).”
From The Hard Problem of Consciousness and the Free Energy Principle (2019) · cites this paper as Solms and Panksepp, 2012
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Metadata
- Authors
- Solms, M., & Panksepp, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- Washington State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Solms, Mark
- ORCID
- Solms, Mark
- Venue
- Brain Sciences
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2012-04-17
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 147-175
- ISSN
- 2076-3425 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4061793
- OpenAlex
- W1968799970
- Cited by
- 254
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 27.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Brain Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Cognitive Science and Education Research
- Keywords
- consciousness, affective consciousness, neuropsychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, psychoanalytic theory, neuroevolution, emotions, emergence of mind, cognitive consciousness, perceptual consciousness, epigenetic development
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