Freud’s Model of the Mind Within a Predictive-Processing Neuroscientific Paradigm

The recent paradigm shift within cognitive neuroscience toward predictive processing appearsto align with many psychoanalytic conceptualizations of the mind. In this article, we arguethat several psychoanalytic concepts, such as projection, transference, wish-fulfillment, andperceptual identity, are particularly compatible with the current neuroscientific conception ofthe brain as a prediction machine. Specifically, we propose that the concept of projection asused in modern psychoanalysis to explore subjective experience and fantasies is closelyanalogous to the concept of prediction as it is used to explain the fundamental cognitivefunctions of the brain. We discuss the implications of this parallelism for understanding therole of homeostasis in psychoanalysis and cognitive neuroscience, and we also discuss theparallels between insight and surprise in these two fields of mental science. Limitations indrawing parallels between projection and prediction are also addressed. By integrating thesetwo fields, we envision the possibility of tackling subjectivity scientifically.