The Gravity of Objects: How Affectively Organized Generative Models Influence Perception and Social Behavior.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychoanalysis
• Psychology

Background:

• Psychoanalytic objects are mental representations influencing perception through fantasy projection.
• Friston's free energy principle (FEP) provides a computational framework for understanding perception and action.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reframe psychoanalytic objects using the free energy principle.
• To explain phenomena like projection and transference through FEP.
• To integrate object relations psychoanalysis with systems neuroscience.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis linking FEP to psychoanalytic object theory.
• Examination of Kleinian and Kernbergian concepts within the FEP framework.
• Exploration of reality testing continuum using FEP and aberrant precision models.

Main Results:

• Psychoanalytic objects can be modeled as generative models minimizing free energy.
• FEP explains how prior beliefs (platonic objects) interact with sensory evidence.
• Aberrant precision in FEP can account for failures in reality testing, including persecutory delusions.

Conclusions:

• FEP offers a powerful lens for understanding psychoanalytic concepts like object relations and transference.
• Integrating FEP with clinical insights can bridge theoretical divides in psychology.
• This work supports the development of an Integrative Clinical Systems Psychology.