Representation as the "basic cell" of psychological/structural organization

Abstract

This article aims to elaborate on some of the aspects that concern a series of interconnected and interdependent mental operations that begin during early development, between the mental processes of representation, symbolization, mentalization, a firm and authentic sense of self-identity, and meaning. The images engraved in different brain areas, as a result of the psychic process of representation, are intimately linked to the emergence of the sense of self-identity; it constitutes a basic building block of the boundary between internal and external reality, but also a condition for an individual to create and elaborate the meaning of his own existence. At the same time, we bring into discussion some aspects related to the meanings expressed by various psychiatric pathologies.