The PsyHuman project

Psychology has long occupied a position between the natural sciences and the human sciences, within an ongoing and still unresolved debate. Behaviorism adopted the method of the natural sciences. Later, cognitive psychology made a similar choice, albeit a less radical one. This orientation contributed to strengthening psychological research, fostering the development of rigorous methods, quantitative measurement tools, and – particularly with the rise of cognitivism – a more systematic approach to defining mental functions and the processes that underlie them.

However, this positioning has not been without consequences. On the one hand, it has distanced psychology from the humanities and from the goal of describing the human condition in its complexity and diversity. On the other hand, it has led to an increasing fragmentation of theoretical frameworks, necessary to conduct experiments that are as precise, controlled, and replicable as possible, but often at the expense of developing broad and comprehensive explanatory models.

Within this context, the laboratory positions itself as a hub for research, education, and public engagement, aimed at fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue between psychological sciences and the humanities. Through research projects, events, and educational activities, the lab seeks to contribute to a more integrated understanding of mental phenomena and human experience.

Research Tracks

The PsyHuman Lab is a multidisciplinary research hub focused on advancing work in Psychological Humanities, Philosophy of Psychology, and, more broadly, on approaches that bridge the psychological sciences and the humanities.

Psychological Humanities

The humanities and artistic productions represent a fundamental resource for understanding and bringing back into focus the complexity of psychological experience and human lived experience. They provide not only starting points for the study of the mind, but also rich and nuanced accounts of psychological processes.

Their role, however, is not solely descriptive or interpretive; it is also socio-cultural and ethical. On the one hand, they help shape an approach to the study of the mind that places the individual at its centre, within their socio-cultural context. From this perspective, the psychological humanities promote a distinctly person-centred orientation, fostering the development of narrative and communicative skills, as well as greater attention and sensitivity toward others.

On the other hand, they invite us to recognise that “normality” is an elusive construct, and that each individual represents a unique and irreducible expression of the human condition.

Philosophy of Psychology

The PsyHuman Lab, the philosophy of psychology includes two related fields of research. The first will follow a more classical line of inquiry, engaging in philosophical reflection on psychology as a science – its methods and theories – to outline the potential and limits of this discipline. The second will engage in what can be called ‘philosophical psychology’ or ‘theoretical psychology’; its purpose will be to reflect on the available empirical evidence (observational and experimental), establish new links between current theories, develop more comprehensive models, and detect theoretical contradictions that point to problems within existing models.

The Lab: What it is and what it does

The PsyHuman Lab is conceived as a hub for collaboration and exchange dedicated to advancing research in the fields of Psychological Humanities, Philosophy of Psychology, and, more broadly, all approaches that foster dialogue between psychological sciences and the humanities. The Lab promotes an inter- and multidisciplinary perspective on the study of mental phenomena and seeks to attract scholars from diverse backgrounds who share a common interest in these topics.

The PsyHuman Lab organises debates, conferences, and seminars, and serves as a platform for the development of new research networks as well as for the presentation and advancement of scientific projects. Its activities also aim at fostering the production of academic publications.

Alongside its research mission, the Lab promotes educational initiatives—including courses, seminars, workshops, and summer schools – as well as public engagement and science communication activities within its areas of interest (see also section “Activities”).

Members of the Lab

Lab Coordinators

  • Maria Coppola Micaela (Psychological Humanities, University of Trento)
  • Sara Dellantonio (Philosophy of Psychology, University of Trento)

Collaborators

  • Andrea Binelli, (University of Trento, Italy)
  • Angelo Brandelli Costa (Pontificía Universidade Católicas do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and John Cabot University, Italy)
  • Paolo Caponi (University of Milan Statale, Italy)
  • Rodolfo D’Agostini (Integrated Healthcare Authority of Trentino – ASUIT, Italy)
  • Francesca Di Blasio (University of Trento, Italy)
  • Sabrina Francesconi (University of Trento, Italy)
  • Carla Gubert (University of Trento, Italy)
  • Alessandro Grecucci (University of Bari)
  • Jean Philippe Imbert (Dublin City University, Ireland)
  • Luigi Pastore (University of Trento, Italy)
  • Greta Perletti (University of Trento, Italy)
  • Chiara Polli (University of Perugia, Italy)
  • Alessia Tuselli (Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies – CGS, Trento, Italy)

Activities

Since 2021, the PsyHuman Lab has organised the International Summer School PsyHuman, dedicated to the development and dissemination of multidisciplinary approaches in the field of psychology.

Since 2024, it has also been involved in delivering narrative medicine workshops within psychiatric hospital units in Trentino.

In addition, the PsyHuman Lab has contributed to the implementation of the GeAr – Gender and Art in the Community project, promoted by the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Trento and the Municipality of Rovereto.

Conference in June 2026 at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science: Professor Thomas Teo (York University, Toronto, Canada), editor of the journal Theory & Psychology, editor of the Encyclopedia of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, and former president of the Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology (Division 24 of the American Psychological Association).

Conference in September 2026 at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science: Professor Lisa Osbeck (University of West Georgia, USA), a scholar active in the field of the psychological humanities and author/editor, among others, of the volumes Interdisciplinary Lives: A Multi-dimensional Study of Navigating Boundaries and Person-Centered Studies in Psychology of Science.

Selected publications

Coppola, M.M., Il fiume carsico della dimenticanza: amnesie individuali, silenzi collettivi e cure im/possibili nelle narrazioni cinematografiche della demenza”, Altre Modernità, n. 24, 11/2020, pp. 153-167. ISSN 2035-7680. 

Coppola, M.M., “Il fiume carsico della dimenticanza: amnesie individuali, silenzi collettivi e cure im/possibili nelle narrazioni cinematografiche della demenza”, in Altre Modernità, n. 24, 11/2020, ISSN 2035-7680, in corso di stampa.

Coppola, M.M., “La mente in chiaroscuro: Note per una definizione delle psychological humanities”, Elephant & Castle. Laboratorio dell’immaginario, n. 22, giugno 2020, ISSN 1826-6118, pp. 4-22. 

Coppola, M.M., “The Quest for Insight and Empathy in Alice Munro’s Stories of Dementia”, Le Simplegadi (rivista fascia A ANVUR), vol. XVII, no. 19, novembre 2019, pp. 128-138. ISSN 1824-5226. 

Coppola, M.M., “Psychiatric Fictional Pathography: The Alzheimer’s Brain in Lisa Genova’s Still Alice and Samantha Harvey’s The Wilderness”, Textus. English Studies in Italy, vol. XXXII (2019), no. 2 (May August), pp. 61-76. ISBN: 978-88-430-9562-9 – ISSN: 1824-3967.

Caponi Paolo, Coppola Maria Micaela, Di Blasio Francesca, “Toward Intercultural Narrative Competence: Cultural Studies and Narrative Medicine for Affective Engagement and Care. A Higher-Education Pilot Project”, Other Modernities/Altre Modernità, special issue10 e lode!, 2, 2026, pp. 142-164. ISSN 2035-7680. https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/AMonline/article/view/30972/25754

“Into the Land of Wonder: The Narrative Life of Dying Neural Cells in Dementia Stories”, Other Modernities/Altre Modernità, n. 32 (November), 2024, pp. 1-16. ISSN 2035-7680. https://doi.org/10.54103/2035-7680/27240

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Dellantonio, S., Pastore, L. (2020). Ignorance, misconceptions and critical thinking. In Synthese, Online First, pp. 1-29. DOI: 10.1007/s11229-019-02529-7

Dellantonio, S., Pastore, L., S., Mulatti (2020). Credenze paranormali: un’ipotesi cognitiva. Sistemi intelligenti, 2(3), 317-339.

Pastore, L., Dellantonio, S., Job. R. (2019). Il critical thinking e l’arte di ragionare bene. Giornale italiano di psicologia, XLVI, n. 4, pp. 877-885.

Pastore, L., Dellantonio, S. (2019) L’identificazione percettiva e la consapevolezza delle emozioni: alessitimia, agnosia e il ruolo delle sensazioni qualitative. Sistemi intelligenti, XXXI/1.

Pastore, L., Dellantonio, S., Mulatti, C., Esposito, G. (2019). To be or not to be emotionally aware and socially motivated: How alexithymia impacts autism spectrum disorders. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, n. e106.

Dellantonio, S. Pastore, L. (2019). How can you be sure? Epistemic feelings as a monitoring system for cognitive contents. In: Á. Nepomuceno-Fernández, L. Magnani, F. Salguero-Lamillar, C. Barés-Gómez, M. Fontaine (edited by), Model-Based Reasoning in Science and Technology. Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, Spinger: Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 407-426.

Dellantonio, S. (2019). La filosofia della psicologia [Philosophy of Psychology], in: Barrotta, P., Montuschi, E. (a cura di). La Filosofia della scienza in Italia, Armando editore: Roma.

Poquérusse, J., Pastore, L., Dellantonio, S. & Esposito, G. (2018). Alexithymia and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Complex Relationship." in Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 1196, pp. 1-10.
Dellantonio, S., Pastore, L. (2017). Internal Perception. The Role of Bodily Information in Concepts and Word Mastery, Springer, ISBN 978-3-662-55761-7

Dellantonio, S., Pastore, L., Esposito, G. (2017). Above and Below the Surface: Genetic and Cultural Factors in the Development of Values. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. doi:10.1017/S0140525X16000741, e235, pp. 26-28.

Dellantonio, S., Job, R. (2017). La concretezza del corpo. Una revisione della concezione classica di astratto e concreto. Sistemi intelligenti, XXIX, n. 1, aprile 2017, pp. 9-32; DOI: 10.1422/86616.
Esposito, G., Dellantonio S., Mulatti C., Job R. (2016). Axiom, anguish and amazement: How Autistic Traits Modulate Emotional and Proprioceptive Mental Imagery. Frontiers in Psychology. Vol. 7:757. DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00757

Dellantonio, S., Job, R. (2015) La natura della spiegazione scientifica. Alcune riflessioni su neurocentrismo, meccanicismo, riduzionismo e determinismo. Giornale italiano di psicologia, XLII, n. 1-2, pp. 117-122. DOI: 10.1421/79834