Cultural fiction as predictive-affective simulation: a neurocognitive model of male emotional regulation and gender violence prevention

This conceptual article develops an integrative framework connecting the Tie-Up Theory of affective receptivity with predictive processing models of brain function, in order to advance a neurocognitive understanding of the emotional mechanisms underlying gender-based violence and its prevention. Departing from the observation that feminicide cannot be explained solely through sociological or ideological variables, the paper focuses on its emotional and predictive precursors, particularly the inability to tolerate frustration, rejection, or loss without attempting to restore control. Drawing on research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, cultural studies, and gender theory, we argue that cultural fictionality (as encountered in theatre, cinema, and literature) can function as a predictive-affective simulator. In this model, Predictive Processing provides the mechanistic account of how emotional states arise through prediction errors and their regulation, while the Tie-Up Theory specifies the affective content that these mechanisms operate upon, describing how the male Receptive Area responds to narrative interiority, vulnerability, and relational complexity. A key contribution of this paper is the identification of a specific intervention window within the documented escalation phases that precede feminicide: the transition between emotional dysregulation (rumination, anger, shame) and maladaptive coping (externalization, aggression). We argue that engagement with cultural fiction may modulate this transition by strengthening emotional flexibility and tolerability of negative affect before it crystallizes into violent scripts. Through symbolic exposure to disappointment, ambiguity, and emotional dissonance, cultural fictions allow individuals to rehearse adaptive regulation within safe aesthetic frames, counteracting the rigid control-oriented schemas that sustain patriarchal violence. Although the model is theoretical, it offers a generative basis for future empirical research in experimental psychology, audience studies, and neurocognitive measurement to assess the potential of cultural fiction as an affective regulatory intervention.