“ANTONIO DAMÁSIO’S THEORIES VS. PSYCHO-ANALYTICAL THEORIES: BODY, AFFECT AND SUBJECTIVITY IN CONTRAST WITH MATURANA AND VARELA“

by Prof. Dr. Clara Pracana,
Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy,
Lisbon, Portugal

 

ABSTRACT

Over the past decades, psychological theory has increasingly moved away from purely cognitive models of mind toward frameworks that place the body, affect, and biological processes at the center of mental life. Among the most influential contributions to this shift are the neurobiological theories of António Damásio, the long-standing psychoanalytic tradition, and the biological epistemology of Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela. Although these approaches share a rejection of disembodied cognition, they diverge significantly in their accounts of affect, subjectivity, and psychological suffering. This paper contrasts Damásio’s theory of natural intelligence and consciousness with psychoanalytic models of the mind, and further situates both in relation to the autopoietic theory of cognition proposed by Maturana and Varela. The aim is not theoretical integration, but conceptual clarification: identifying what each framework explains, where its limits lie, and why psychoanalysis retains a distinct relevance for clinical psychology.

Keywords: Neurobiology, Damásio, psychoanalysis, consciousness, autopoietic theory of cognition, Maturana & Varela.

BIOGRAPHY

Clara Pracana is a psychoanalyst, author and lecturer. She was born in the Azores, Portugal and lives in Lisbon.
She has a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology and a Masters in Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology. She is a founding and full member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy, Portugal, affiliated with the International Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies.
She is a regular lecturer on psychoanalytical topics and has published many papers and four books. She is also a training analyst.