The Unified Dynamic Model of Mind (UDMM): An Integrative Dynamic Framework for Affect, Consciousness, and Agency

Abstract This paper introduces the Unified Dynamic Model of Mind (UDMM), an innovative integrative framework designed to unify the concepts of affect, consciousness, and agency within a single, coherent dynamic system. The model is centered on the principle of "Informational Tension" (IT), a mathematical and neural bridge between predictive coding and phenomenological experience. IT is defined as the discrepancy between sensory predictions (prior model) and sensory outcomes (posterior model), in accordance with the free-energy principle. The UDMM redefines affect as an "experiential mass" that generates IT. Consciousness is operationalized as an active "re-representation" of this mass within a cultural and narrative context, seeking an optimal state termed the "Virtual Attractor" (A^*). Finally, agency is conceptualized as a "dynamic cascade" that transforms consciousness into tangible action to minimize IT by altering the external world. A detailed clarification of the relationship between the "Virtual Attractor" and the "Saturated World" is provided, alongside an explicit treatment of "Tyndall's Point" as a philosophical boundary of the model. The paper presents a system of differential equations to describe these dynamics, supported by a comprehensive computational simulation and an updated experimental protocol integrating fMRI, EEG, and physiological measures. The model aims to convert the philosophical debate on subjective experience into testable scientific hypotheses, offering a significant contribution to computational neuroscience and the cognitive sciences.