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NP 7(1):116-117 (2005)

The Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience Chapter of the Argentine Psychoanalytical Association

Author: Diego Cohen

Edited by: Iréne Matthis

The cognitive Freud

At three meetings during the fall of 2004 the group has centered its discussions on the theories of thought within the Freudian model of the unconscious. We started from Freud's “Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning”(1911) and compared it to new developments in cognitive neuroscience, such as the works of Westen and Gabbard (2002a, 2002b). One issue relates to the question of the existence of multiple unconscious processes. The following are some of the steps in our reasoning:

The starting point is Freud's idea that the major part of our psychic life is unconscious and that by this proposition Freud pioneered an attempt to direct psychoanalysis toward a natural science.
We are in agreement with Bucci's (2000) affirmation that the Freudian proposition of the models of the mind is in itself a cognitive revolution.
A central thesis states that ideas, feelings, and thoughts are “distributed” in neuronal networks and that they have a tendency to associate with one another.
Submit reports to: Iréne Matthis, Vikingagatan 20, S-113 42 Stockholm, Sweden (fax: 46-8-6522732; email: ).
Page 116
The unconscious mental life harbors affects, thoughts, and motivational processes.
Mental processes originate by means of the neuronal processes, both in serial and parallel linking. This could explain why the same individual can have opposite feelings toward one and the same person (a neuronal basis of ambivalence?) and why he or she, outside conscious awareness, can create compromise solutions.
There are basically three types of unconscious processes, performing distinct functions and operating by means of distinct neuroanatomical structures.
The preconscious processes cover three basic aspects: (a) implicit memories, including certain defenses and coping strategies; (b) thoughts, being in a high state of activation, ready to become conscious; and (c) images and thoughts in a potential, not yet activated state.
The images and thoughts in

NP 7(1):116-117 (2005)

The Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience Chapter of the Argentine Psychoanalytical Association

Author: Diego Cohen

Edited by: Iréne Matthis

The cognitive Freud

The starting point is Freud's idea that the major part of our psychic life is unconscious and that by this proposition Freud pioneered an attempt to direct psychoanalysis toward a natural science.
We are in agreement with Bucci's (2000) affirmation that the Freudian proposition of the models of the mind is in itself a cognitive revolution.
A central thesis states that ideas, feelings, and thoughts are “distributed” in neuronal networks and that they have a tendency to associate with one another.
Submit reports to: Iréne Matthis, Vikingagatan 20, S-113 42 Stockholm, Sweden (fax: 46-8-6522732; email: ).
Page 116
The unconscious mental life harbors affects, thoughts, and motivational processes.
Mental processes originate by means of the neuronal processes, both in serial and parallel linking. This could explain why the same individual can have opposite feelings toward one and the same person (a neuronal basis of ambivalence?) and why he or she, outside conscious awareness, can create compromise solutions.
There are basically three types of unconscious processes, performing distinct functions and operating by means of distinct neuroanatomical structures.
The preconscious processes cover three basic aspects: (a) implicit memories, including certain defenses and coping strategies; (b) thoughts, being in a high state of activation, ready to become conscious; and (c) images and thoughts in a potential, not yet activated state.
The images and thoughts in