The “Id” Knows More than the “Ego” Admits: Neuropsychoanalytic and Primal Consciousness Perspectives on the Interface Between Affective and Cognitive Neuroscience
Brain Science April 17, 2012 M. Solms, J. Panksepp
Consciousness may not originate in the higher brain but in lower brain affective experiences that code survival values, providing the energetic foundation for constructing higher forms of cognitive consciousness. This view aligns with Sigmund Freud's theoretical formulations. Perceptual experiences initially arose at the primary-process brainstem level as affective, then were elaborated by secondary learning and memory into tertiary-cognitive forms. Although individual neural activities are unconscious, primal sub-neocortical emotional networks may have served as the sentient scaffolding for perceptual and higher mental activities in the neocortex. The data supporting this neuro-psycho-evolutionary perspective is discussed in relation to classical psychoanalytical models.