A Neurophilosophical Model of Personal and Meta-Reflective Modes of Mind
Kyrylo Somkin
Preprints.org March 5, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.20944/preprints202603.0446.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Consciousness Existentialism Dualism Personal identity Embodied cognition Mode computer interface Counterfactual thinking Meaning existential Hierarchy Cognitive science Cognitive psychology Identity music Metaphysics Neurocognitive Epistemology Object grammar Similarity geometry Modality human–computer interaction |
| Key points | Proposes that human consciousness consists of two functional brain states—the personal mode and the meta-reflective mode—whose tension may account for different categories of psychological crises. |
Abstract
This paper proposes a neurophilosophical conceptual model of human consciousness structured as two functional brain states: the personal mode and the meta-reflective mode. The personal mode is defined as a motivationally and socially embedded configuration of neural processes oriented toward adaptation, identity maintenance, and ego-relevant concerns. The meta-reflective mode is characterized as a functional state in which cognition turns upon itself, enabling abstraction, self-objectification, and existential evaluation.The model does not posit a metaphysical dualism nor strictly separable neural systems. Rather, both modes may recruit overlapping brain regions, including prefrontal structures, while differing in dominant functional orientation and hierarchical organization. The distinction is therefore not anatomical but configurational.It is argued that tensions between these modes may account for different categories of psychological crises: identity-based crises primarily emerging within the personal mode, and existential crises arising from intensified meta-reflective activation. The framework further suggests that the development of civilization reflects the structural coexistence of adaptive engagement and reflective distancing. While empirical validation remains limited, the model aims to provide a structured bridge between phenomenological analysis and contemporary neurocognitive theory.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |