Biological Foundations of the Process-Contact Theory of the Psyche
Roman Kuznetsov
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) April 29, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19897610 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Psyche Analogy Interpretation philosophy Argument complex analysis Ontology Psychic Dissipative system Generalization Existentialism Epistemology Cognitive science Autopoiesis Meaning existential Affect linguistics Extinction optical mineralogy Scientific theory |
| Key points | Argues that core constructs of the Process-Contact Theory of the Psyche can be biologically anchored in reproducibly established mechanisms or theoretical interpretations consistent with empirical data, while thermodynamic metaphors are only illustrative analogies. |
Abstract
Abstract This paper outlines the biological foundations of the Process-Contact Theory of the Psyche (PCTP). Its task is not to reduce psychic processes to neurobiological mechanisms but to establish in which physiological and molecular mechanisms the theory's ontological premises are realized, and with what degree of rigor such relations can be asserted. The argument is organized around three sources: the theory of autopoiesis and enactivism (Maturana, Varela, Thompson); Sechenov's reflex theory in its modern developments (Pavlov, LeDoux, Bouton); and Prigogine's theory of dissipative structures. Further supports include dual-pathway affect processing, somatic markers, the SEEKING system, the polyvagal framework, the epigenetics of co-regulation, and neuroplasticity. Every claim is explicitly marked at one of three levels: (✓) a reproducibly established mechanism; (◇) a theoretical interpretation consistent with empirical data but not directly proven; (⚠) an illustrative analogy not claiming to describe a mechanism. Core PCTP constructs — existential stake, internal object, retroflection, and the five-phase cycle of mental metabolism — are shown to admit biological anchoring at levels ✓ or ◇, whereas thermodynamic and energetic metaphors are kept at level ⚠. Clinical implications are discussed, in particular the limits of insight-oriented interventions in light of extinction learning, and the role of somatic and environmental components of therapeutic process. Keywords: process-contact theory of the psyche; autopoiesis; retroflection; mental metabolism; extinction learning; dissipative structures; neuroplasticity; co-regulation; epigenetics; methodology.