Large-scale brain networks and Freudian ego

Abstract

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, is predominantly known for his conception of the id, ego and super-ego, representing a part of his meta-psychology of the psychic apparatus. Nowadays, with the advancements in technology and science, his meta-psychological structural model of the psyche might be either confirmed or denied by comparing the account of the psychic apparatus of the classical psychoanalysis to the newest findings in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. Indeed, the founded interdisciplinary project of neuro-psychoanalysis strives to answer such questions. In this article, the current thinking on the discussions around Freudian ego and its possible brain correlates is presented. In 2010, Robin Carhart-Harris and Karl Friston introduced a neuro-psychoanalytic account of the psychic apparatus, where the ego correlated with a large-scale brain network called the default-mode network. In the end of this paper, an original theoretical hypothesis is offered, supplemented with review of the literature, namely that the central-executive network and the salience network are viewed as the true representatives of Freudian ego. The offered hypothesis criticizes Carhart-Harris and Friston’s postulating of the default-mode network as being the brain representative of Freudian ego.

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“…DMN and mPFC are also related to the loading of autobiographical memories in the working memory, anticipation of the future (especially in social situations) and the understanding of the perspectives of other people (Dimkov, 2019b). Nonetheless, self-referential processing, in fact, uses the memories of personal identity and, according to my research, this concept does not correspond to the concept of "self" as such (Dimkov, 2015(Dimkov, , 2019b.…”

“…Experiences related to this processing and the abovementioned brain regions are the following ones: spontaneous thinking, stimulusindependent thinking and mind-wandering, which use imagination and low-level thinking (Dimkov, 2019b). DMN and mPFC are also related to the loading of autobiographical memories in the working memory, anticipation of the future (especially in social situations) and the understanding of the perspectives of other people (Dimkov, 2019b). Nonetheless, self-referential processing, in fact, uses the memories of personal identity and, according to my research, this concept does not correspond to the concept of "self" as such (Dimkov, 2015(Dimkov, , 2019b.…”

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“…Here, the id was regarded as entirely unconscious whilst the ego and superego were regarded as having conscious, preconscious, and unconscious aspects. Though Freud had initially relied on neurological terms and concepts to formulate his theories, his desire to build a "scientific psychology" eventually caused him to part ways with neurological research [39]. Consequently, the psychophysiological distinction between the Freudian parts of the mind have largely remained unexplained.…”

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“…In the narrow sense, this concept denotes a processing of experiences related to the self. As potential brain candidates (substrates) of this kind of processing, researchers have identified the following brain areas and networks: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the so-called default-mode network (DMN) (Dimkov, 2019b). Experiences related to this processing and the abovementioned brain regions are the following ones: spontaneous thinking, stimulusindependent thinking and mind-wandering, which use imagination and low-level thinking (Dimkov, 2019b).…”

“…As potential brain candidates (substrates) of this kind of processing, researchers have identified the following brain areas and networks: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the so-called default-mode network (DMN) (Dimkov, 2019b). Experiences related to this processing and the abovementioned brain regions are the following ones: spontaneous thinking, stimulusindependent thinking and mind-wandering, which use imagination and low-level thinking (Dimkov, 2019b). DMN and mPFC are also related to the loading of autobiographical memories in the working memory, anticipation of the future (especially in social situations) and the understanding of the perspectives of other people (Dimkov, 2019b).…”