Basic Control in Cognition and Psychopathology: A Predictive Processing Perspective

In this paper, I argue for the centrality and primacy of control, both at a theoretical level for understanding cognition in general, but also for understanding psychopathology. Building on previous work in Deane, Miller and Wilkinson (2020), I start by presenting how control can be understood within a predictive processing framework. Then I characterize the specialized notion of control that I want to make use of, which I call basic control. I then put this notion to work, first in our understanding of cognition in general, and then in our understanding of some core psychopathological phenomena (namely, addiction, depression, psychosis and psychological trauma). I end by pointing towards some potential therapeutic avenues that could be explored.