Freud’s Model of the Mind Within a Predictive Processing Neuroscientific Paradigm
Entropy March 12, 2026 Erik Stänicke, Bendik Sparre Hovet, Line Indrevoll Stänicke
The brain's predictive processing framework, which views the brain as a prediction machine, aligns with several psychoanalytic concepts including projection, transference, wish-fulfillment, and perceptual identity. Projection in psychoanalysis is closely analogous to prediction in cognitive neuroscience, both serving to shape subjective experience and cognitive functions. The article discusses how homeostasis relates to both fields and draws parallels between insight and surprise. Limitations in equating projection with prediction are acknowledged, but integrating these frameworks may allow subjectivity to be studied scientifically.