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Formalizing Lacanian psychoanalysis through the free energy principle
1Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|June 23, 2025
Summary
This study computational formalizes Lacanian psychoanalysis using the free energy principle (FEP). It models desire and the Other, bridging psychoanalytic insights and cognitive science.
Area of Science:
- Computational psychoanalysis
- Cognitive science
- Theoretical neuroscience
Background:
- Lacanian psychoanalysis offers complex theories of the mind.
- The free energy principle (FEP) models self-organizing systems.
- Both frameworks share Kantian epistemology and emphasize representational dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To computationally formalize Lacanian psychoanalysis using the FEP.
- To explore theoretical compatibilities between Lacanian theory and FEP.
- To model core Lacanian concepts (desire, the Other) within a FEP framework.
Main Methods:
- Examined theoretical convergences between Lacanian psychoanalysis and FEP.
- Developed a computational framework implementing Lacanian concepts via FEP.
- Utilized multi-level simulations to model key psychoanalytic dynamics.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated computational tractability of Lacanian concepts.
- Modeled the interdependence of the three orders as a message-passing network.
- Formalized desire as synchronization and the Other through collective dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Established a conceptual bridge between Lacanian psychoanalysis and cognitive science.
- The FEP provides a viable framework for formalizing psychoanalytic theories.
- Computational modeling can render complex psychoanalytic concepts more accessible.
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