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“It is a peculiarly pleasant task to introduce a book which deals with a subject so close to my heart that I would like to have written it myself,” writes Mark Solms in the introduction (p. ix). His remark reflects the significance of the book’s subject: the relation between brain and mind functionality, which is the core business of neuropsychoanalysis. After introducing hierarchical theory, Wiest illustrates its application across several domains, such as in the hierarchy of the nervous system, in neuroethology, and in psychoanalysis. Wiest concludes by proposing microgenesis as a hierarchical explanation of behavior. This book stands within the dynamic or holistic tradition of thought, as opposed to the localizationist tradition.
Living organisms have evolved toward increasing complexity, enabling them to better adapt to the dynamic and complex world in which they live. This development entails hierarchy, not in the sense of authority, but as nestedness, or an arrangement of units composed of several subunits, each further organized in the same fashion down to the bottom. This structure reduces complexity by partitioning within an organization. Lamarck, a pioneer of evolutionary theory, focused on the evolution of the nervous system in relation to an increasing degree of complexity in the animal kingdom. He formulated four laws of evolution:
the principle of increasing complexity,
the development of new organs,
the principle of use and disuse, and
the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
Darwin built upon Lamarck’s ideas. In his On the Origin of Species, he presented five basic principles:
Evolution is based on common descent, with development not occurring linearly but in the form of branching stems, as can be seen in the diversity of organisms.
Organisms tend to constantly evolve.
Species multiply over time.