Universal Dysmorphia

Universal DysmorphiaAbstractiiThis monograph proposes Universal Dysmorphia, a testable cross-domain framework for investi-gating selected relationships among internal references, perceived or inferred states, attentionalallocation, repetitive processing, environmental conditions, and psychological distress. Theframework draws on predictive processing, Bayesian inference, systems theory, clinical psychol-ogy, computational modeling, neuroscience, endocrinology, phenomenology, and digital healthresearch.The primary empirical anchors are Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and gender dysphoria(GD). They are deliberately treated as contrasting cases rather than as manifestations of an al-ready established common disorder. In BDD, the proposed research focuses on appearance-relatedpreoccupation, perceptual processing, repetitive checking, distress, and functional impairment.In GD, the framework separately represents experienced gender, embodiment-related goals,relevant bodily and social contexts, individual distress, and access to appropriate care. Genderidentity itself is not defined as a perceptual error or pathological template.The manuscript formalizes domain-specific mismatch, candidate precision-weighting variables,recurrent behavior, contextual influences, and clinical outcomes. It distinguishes an elementarydistance measure from a probabilistic Bayesian model and from an empirically estimable statis-tical model. It also specifies candidate dynamic equations, measurement requirements, modelcomparison procedures, preregistered hypotheses, and conditions under which the generalizationclaim should be restricted or rejected.Thirteen architectural layers organize the proposed research programme: conceptual definition;literature integration; systems architecture; mathematical formalization; neuroscience andcognitive science; physiological modulation; phenomenology and psychosocial context; clinicalassessment; case-specific intervention; outcome monitoring; empirical validation; therapeutictechnology; and infrastructure governance. Eight application domains are specified, with thefirst two serving as the primary cases and six others reserved for exploratory generalization.The principal contribution is architectural and methodological. The framework supplies astructured route from construct definition to operationalization, hypothesis testing, clinicalevaluation, and possible technical implementation. It does not presume that the same mechanismhas already been demonstrated in all domains. Its scientific value depends on transparentmeasurement, comparison with alternative explanations, independent replication, and clearfalsification criteria.Keywords: predictive processing; Bayesian inference; self-reality mismatch; body dysmorphicdisorder; gender dysphoria; computational modeling; clinical assessment; systems theory; digitalphenotyping; falsifiability.