Mental Construction: A Shared Framework in Psychology and Husserl-Inspired Model of Intentionality
Journal for General Philosophy of Science March 26, 2026 Chang Liu, Bin Ye
Constructionists argue that emotions arise from categorizing a basic phenomenal quality called core affect, shaped by prior experiences. Husserl's model of perception similarly describes perceptions emerging from apprehending phenomenal character, also shaped by prior experience. The two views are independent formulations of a single Construction Framework of the Mental (CFM), which treats most folk psychological categories as constructs built from more basic mental processes. Given the framework's consistency with recent neuroscience findings, competitive metaphysical positions, and its application in psychology and phenomenology, it should be considered a feasible research framework for understanding mental states.