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Unconscious Fantasy and The Priming Phenomenon
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
|September 14, 2017
Summary
Past experiences, encoded in memory, shape present responses through unconscious priming. This phenomenon, observed early in life, supports the enduring influence of the past on our perceptions and actions.
Area of Science:
- Psychoanalytic theory
- Cognitive science
- Philosophy of mind
- Developmental psychology
Background:
- Unconscious fantasy is a key psychoanalytic construct.
- Contemporary models of mind require updated notions of unconscious processes.
- Psychoanalytic data can inform and challenge other disciplines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To update the concept of unconscious fantasy.
- To integrate unconscious fantasy into contemporary mental functioning models.
- To explore the operational mode of unconscious fantasy.
Main Methods:
- Review of psychoanalytic theory and data.
- Examination of experimental evidence on priming.
- Integration of findings with cognitive science and developmental psychology.
Main Results:
- Experimental priming evidence supports the claim that the past influences present experience.
- This influence operates regardless of memory encoding (declarative or procedural).
- Priming mechanisms and subjective experience encoding are present from early life.
Conclusions:
- The past significantly impacts present perception and behavior via priming.
- Unconscious fantasy is a dynamic construct relevant to contemporary psychology.
- Further interdisciplinary research is warranted.
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