Stimulus-Specific Synchronization in Cat Visual Cortex and Its Possible Role in Visual Pattern Recognition

1. Figure-ground distinction can be observed not only in perceptual (i.e., apparently physical), but also in emotional (i.e., apparently psychical) phenomena. 2. Seif and Other are primarily emotional complexes. 3. Both of them can be experienced in a figurelike, but also in an background-like ("medial") State. 4. The phases of psychoemotional development postulated by psychoanalysts can be reinterpreted as being Steps in a transition of Seif and Other from a medial into a figural State. 5. This succession has the propcrües of a synergetic process, with "autonomy claim", a construct introduced in the framework of the "Zürich model of social motivation", acüng as a control parameter. 1. The Problem of Developmental Phases Düring the first half of our Century, psychologists used to conceive of child development in terms of more or less articulate phases. Typical for this approach was the doctrine of Sigmund FREUD, who divided psychoemotional development into an "oral", an "anal", and a "genital" phase. A mysterious general drive energy, called "libido", was thought to float through the body and concentrate, in turns, first in the mouth region, then in the rectal zone, and finally in the genitals. Once having arrived at this ultimate destination, genital libido was believed to seek its first external object in the other-sexed parent. Jealousy and hatred would then be directed against the same-sexed parent, who, in turn, threatened to castrate his infanüle rival. That's why the "genital" phase was also labelled "oedipal". There were other, and less fanciful, phase doctrines in developmental psychology, to be sure. Nevertheless, under the influence of classical behaviorism, the idea of developmental phases got altogether into a bad reputation. Development was now regarded as a continuous flow, proceeding in infinitesimally small leaming Steps without any breaks or cuts. Phase doctrines were suspiciously reeking of maturaüon, and to believe in maturaüon was feit to be nativistic and Aristotelian. Psychoanalysts did not bother about this too much, mainly since they did not take notice of the goings on in academic psychology, anyway. Somehow they were well advised to do so, for thus their theory survived the behaviorisüc ice-age wiüiout unnecessary deformation. Meanwhile, synergetics has imparted new actuality to the concept of phase transitions. Message has not yet got around to developmental psychologists, let alone, psychoanalysts. But it is well conceivable that synergeücs could provide theorizing in these areas with new paradigms and help to better elaborate whatever is true in FREUD'S ideas since, after all, these ideas seem to have some heuristic value in clinical casework. 2. Some Considerations concerning the Phenomenology of Emotions The