Consciousness and Reality: a Neuropsychological Perspective

The present article reviews, extends and raises further questions concerning some of the neuropsychological and philosophical aspects of the microgenetic theory of the self, con sciousness and the mind-brain state. The theoretical approach of microgenesis, or process-theory more generally, is gaining new adherents in neuropsychology and cognitive psychology, while its initial formulation and grounding in clinical studies have received scant attention. Therefore the aim of this paper is to acquaint the reader with some implications of the approach for neuropsychology and for philosophy of mind. Hopefully, it will also stimulate a closer examination of some claims in the current literature for the originality, even the “revolutionary” status, of supposedly “new” concepts of self, perception and consciousness, while their priority and greater specificity in microgenetic theory have been largely overlooked.