Departmental Research Seminar with Dr Sofiia Rappe.

Our departmental research seminar talks will take place on Wednesdays during term time from 15:00 to 16:30, in 005, 48 Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HN.

This week's speaker is Dr Sofiia Rappe.

Sofia is an Honorary Fellow at the Department of Philosophy at the Durham University and an Affiliate Faculty Member in the philosophy of psychiatry and neuroscience at the newly established experimental American Canadian School of Medicine.

Title:  "After an “I”: Predictive memory, construction, and reconstruction of the self"

Abstract: The talk proposes a new framework for understanding the construction, collapse, and reconstruction of selfhood through the lens of Predictive Narrative Simulation (PNS). Integrating insights from cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and phenomenology, the PNS model posits that the self is not a static entity but a generative simulation, sustained by three interlocking processes: predictive memory (re-)construction, dialogical simulation, and prospective coherence maintenance. Disruptions in these processes—manifesting in phenomena such as ego dissolution, confabulation, and auditory verbal hallucinations—reveal the underlying architecture of selfhood. Extending existing models like REBUS, PNS introduces a dialogical dimension, emphasizing the role of internalized interlocutors in shaping and sustaining identity. I conclude by exploring how these same mechanisms can enable narrative repair, demonstrating that selfhood, while fragile, is inherently reconstructible. This reframing offers new perspectives on psychopathology, trauma recovery, and the dynamic nature of the autobiographical self.