Active inference and psychodynamics: a novel integration with applications to depression and stress disorders
Hebert W. Harris
Frontiers in Psychiatry August 19, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1630858 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression |
| Key points | Proposes that the self emerges from recursive inferences about how others perceive us, and that distorted second-order inference is a core dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. |
Abstract
This paper introduces Active Intersubjective Inference (AISI), a novel framework that integrates psychodynamic theory with predictive processing to explain self-identity construction and psychopathology. AISI posits that the self emerges from recursive inferences about how others perceive us (second-order self), interacting bidirectionally with interoceptive processes. We map psychodynamic phenomena (e.g., transference, projection) onto neurocomputational mechanisms and apply AISI to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), highlighting distorted second-order inference as a core dysfunction. Therapeutic implications include psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioral approaches, and psychedelic-assisted treatments to enhance inference flexibility. AISI bridges psychodynamic insights with the NIMH Research Domain Criteria, offering a testable model for precision psychiatry and future clinical trials.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psilocybin-assisted therapy of major depressive disorder using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a therapeutic frame | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depression (using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Therapeutic Frame) | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Neuroinflammation and neuroprogression in depression: Effects of alternative drug treatments | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Improving cognitive functioning in major depressive disorder with psychedelics: A dimensional approach | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
- Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology March 29, 2012
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- Active interoceptive inference and the emotional brain Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences October 11, 2016
and 2 more in the library