Abstract

This paper proposes a neurodevelopmental and phenomenological model of affective imprinting as the foundation for automatic cognitive-emotional responses later misperceived as objective truths. Drawing from developmental neuroscience, affective psychology, and reconsolidation theory, the author introduces the concept of "affective dogmas"—early-formed, emotionally charged perceptual filters that persist into adulthood as epistemic constraints. These dogmas, unless made reflexive, shape reactivity, distort reasoning, and limit cognitive autonomy. The paper explores mechanisms by which such patterns are formed and how they can be structurally rewritten through memory reconsolidation and the phenomenology of insight, offering both explanatory and therapeutic implications.