What Is the Unconscious Mind? (2024)

What Is the Unconscious Mind? (1)

Sigmund Freud described the mind as an iceberg with the unconscious mind far exceeding the visible part above the surface.

Source: Courtesy of Damian Pang, incorporating images from Annie Spratt (Unsplash) and Simon Lee (Unsplash).

Our mind encompasses the entirety of our thoughts, hopes, dreams, perceptions, and experiences (Armstrong, 1980). In scientific terms, the mind is the sum of the myriad cognitive processes and functions that include thought, perception, emotion, memory, language, and decision-making (Friedenberg & Silverman, 2015). If the mind encompasses the totality of our experience and inner life, we are only aware of a small portion of it. Most of these processes occur without our direct awareness but can still shape our thinking, influence our decisions, and impact our behaviour. This is the unconscious mind.

Early Concepts of the Unconscious Mind

The idea of an unconscious mind is not a new concept and can be found in the ancient Hindu Vedas, which explicitly referred to unconscious aspects of the mind (Venkoba, 2002). In Europe, unconscious aspects of cognition were described 500 years ago by the Swiss physician Paracelsus (Borzelleca, 2000; Galdston, 1950) and later discussed by many philosophers—from Friedrich Schelling, who talked about the two sides of the soul (Otabe, 2019; Rand, 2004) to Friedrich Nietzsche who developed a detailed framework for the unconscious mind (Katsafanas, 2013).

Early psychologists, like William James, not only supported but actively studied unconscious processes (Weinberger, 2000). One problem in tracing its history is that the term ‘unconscious’ was primarily used as a metaphysical position, claiming that mental states are composed of elementary mental units. What we now mean by the ‘unconscious’ was referred to by a range of different terms (Weinberger, 2000). Other pioneers in modern psychology, like Hermann von Helmholtz and Wilhelm Wundt also extensively studied unconscious processes, specifically on unconscious inferences (Araujo, 2012; Cristalli, 2022). However, the real paradigm shift on the unconscious came on the back of a completely new approach to psychology: psychoanalysis.

The Freudian Revolution

Sigmund Freud revolutionised psychology. Although his influence was declining, he had a profound influence on the field (Yeung, 2021). He catapulted the idea that unconscious forces impact human behaviour into the popular imagination (Power, 2000). Freud divided the mind into three parts, using an iceberg to illustrate them:

The conscious mind is what we are aware of and includes our thoughts, perceptions, and feelings. Right below the surface sits the preconscious mind, which comprises memories, knowledge, and general information. It is not in our immediate awareness but readily accessible. The vast submerged portion is made up of the unconscious mind, filled with our desires, motives, and wishes.

A Scientific Approach

Freud’s theory is pervasive as it can provide explanations for almost all mental states and behaviours. However, this is one of its main weaknesses: Being able to explain everything in hindsight—even for contradictory outcomes—removes all predictive power before the fact. Much of current science is based on the principle of falsification, but many of Freud’s theories cannot be falsified precisely because they account for almost all possible outcomes. The idea of falsification, introduced by the Austrian-British philosopher of science Karl Popper, was largely motivated by a desire to show that psychoanalysis (as well as Marxism) was not scientific (Thornton, 2023). While Freud still has some devoted followers, most cognitive scientists view his theories as unscientific. It is important to note that this does not imply that they are wrong but simply that they are not based on scientific principles and methods (Tallis, 2023).

While the iceberg theory is no longer widely used by scientists, Freud still ushered in a new era of awareness of the unconscious. Unfortunately, because of psychoanalysis's questionable scientific status, scientific studies of the unconscious have been neglected for many decades.

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What Is the Unconscious Mind? (2)

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The cognitive sciences have seen explosive growth in recent decades, in part because of new technological breakthroughs like the advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; Pang, 2023a). One thing that stands out from these findings is that most brain processes occur without any conscious awareness. Consciousness has sometimes been likened to a narrow spotlight on the vast stage, that is, the brain (Baars, 1988; Dehaene et al., 2006). Freud’s iceberg is merely a metaphor that does not directly correspond to specific brain states or functions. However, it is correct to highlight that most of our brains’ functions occur without awareness. As such, it serves as a good illustration. Almost everything the mind does—from seemingly simple perception to choreographing movements—requires an enormous number of unconscious processes.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The unconscious mind has captivated ancient writers as well as current cognitive scientists. It is clear that the unconscious mind is real and demands further inquiry. However, the real puzzle is why there is something beyond these unconscious processes. Why do conscious sensory experiences arise after the brain decodes sensory inputs? We do not have satisfying answers to these questions yet, but they are finally considered valid areas of scientific inquiry (Pang, 2023b, 2023c). The unconscious may have seemed esoteric and mysterious, but I would suggest that unconscious processes are what we should expect from a biological machine. The true mystery lies in the tiny sliver of ice above the water.

References

Araujo, S. D. F. (2012). Why did Wundt abandon his early theory of the unconscious? Towards a new interpretation of Wundt's psychological project. History of Psychology, 15(1), 33-49. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024478

Armstrong, D. M. (1980). Functional specification: The nature of mind. In N. Block (Ed.) Readings in Philosophy of Psychology, Volume 1 (pp.191-199). https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674594623.c21

Baars, B. J. (1998). A cognitive theory of consciousness. Cambridge University Press.

Borzelleca, J. F. (2000). Paracelsus: Herald of modern toxicology. Toxicological Sciences, 53(1), 2-4. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/53.1.2

Block, N. (1981). Psychologism and Behaviorism. Philosophical Review, 90(1), 5-43. https://doi.org/10.2307/2184371

Cristalli, C. (2022). Unconscious inferences in perception in early experimental psychology: From Wundt to Peirce. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 58(4), 432-448. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhbs.22211

Dehaene, S., Changeux, J. P., Naccache, L., Sackur, J., & Sergent, C. (2006). Conscious, preconscious, and subliminal processing: a testable taxonomy. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(5), 204-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.03.007

Friedenberg, J. D., & Silverman, G. W. (2015). Cognitive science: An introduction to the study of mind [3rd ed.]. Sage.

Galdston, I. (1950). The psychiatry of Paracelsus. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 24(3), 205-2018.

Katsafanas, P. (2013). Nietzsche on the nature oft he unconscious. Inquiry, 58(3), 327-352. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2013.855658

Otabe, T. (2019). The unconscious. Journal of Aesthetics and Phenomenology, 6(2), 95-102. https://doi.org/10.1080/20539320.2019.1672278

Pang, D. K. F. (2023a). The cognitive revolution: Unlocking the secrets of the mind. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/consciousness-and-beyond/202312/the-cognitive-revolution-unlocking-the-secrets-of-the-mind

Pang, D. K. F. (2023b). What is consciousness? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/consciousness-and-beyond/202305/what-is-consciousness

Pang, D. K. F. (2023c). The many dimensions of consciousness. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/consciousness-and-beyond/202305/the-many-dimensions-of-consciousness

Power, M. (2000). Freud and the unconscious. The Psychologist. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/freud-and-unconscious

Rand, N. (2004). The hidden soul: The growth of the unconscious in philosophy, psychology, medicine, and literatur, 1750-1900. American Imago, 61(3), 257-289. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26304856

Tallis, F. (2023). We should still pick up the pearls: on the scientific status of Freud. Brain, awad414. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad414

Thornton, S. (2023). Karl Popper. In E. N. Zalta, & U. Nodelman (Eds.) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/popper/

Venkoba, R. A. (2002). Mind in ayurveda. Indian Journal of Pyschiatry, 44(3),201-211. https://journals.lww.com/indianjpsychiatry/toc/2002/44030

Weinberger, J. (2000). William James and the unconscious: Redressing a century-old misunderstanding. Psychological Science, 11(6), 439-445. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00286

Yeung, A. W. K. (2021). Is the influence of Freud declining in psychology and psychiatry? A bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 631516. https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2021.631516

What Is the Unconscious Mind? (2024)

FAQs

What does the unconscious mind do? ›

The unconscious mind can include repressed feelings, hidden memories, habits, thoughts, desires, and reactions. Memories and emotions that are too painful, embarrassing, shameful, or distressing to consciously face are stored in the enormous reservoir that makes up the unconscious mind.

What are 3 things our unconscious mind controls? ›

You have no immediate access to what resides in your subconscious, but it controls 95% of how you think, react, and behave, the actions you take, and way you perceive life.

What is an example of unconscious thinking? ›

Examples of the Unconscious Mind
  • Dreams.
  • Impulse buying.
  • Intuition.
  • Memory.
  • Subconscious habits.

What is the unconscious mind for dummies? ›

Your unconscious — the preserver of memories

A part of the function of the unconscious mind is to repress memories with unresolved negative emotions. Another function of the unconscious mind is to present repressed memories for examination in order to release trapped emotions.

How do you unlock your unconscious mind? ›

7 Ways to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind
  1. Positive Affirmations. ...
  2. Visualization. ...
  3. Hypnosis. ...
  4. Subliminal Audio and Video. ...
  5. Meditation. ...
  6. Controlling Your Will and Habits. ...
  7. Autosuggestion.
Jul 19, 2024

Can we access unconscious mind? ›

You can 'access' it in a passive sense by consciously controlling the sensory input being received by the nonconscious mind. What does that mean? A conscious thought given to the 'workshop of the conscious mind' coupled with emotion is how it's done. IMAGINATION is the 'workshop' of your conscious mind.

What happens to the mind when unconscious? ›

Unconscious patients experience diminished alertness, decreased self-awareness, and impaired responsiveness to external stimuli. Unconsciousness can result from damage to the ascending reticular activating system, cerebral hemispheres, or various toxic, metabolic, or infectious causes.

Can you access your subconscious mind? ›

It can be accessed through various techniques, such as meditation, hypnosis, and visualization. By unlocking the power of the subconscious mind, we can become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, which can help us make better choices and achieve our goals.

Is the subconscious mind connected to God? ›

Conclusion. Your relationship with God and your subconscious mind are inextricably linked. We can develop a closer relationship with God and live the abundant life He promises by renewing our thoughts with His Word, employing uplifting affirmations, and conquering negative thought patterns.

What are some unconscious behaviors? ›

Unconscious behavior, on the other hand, refers to actions that occur without our conscious awareness or control. Examples of unconscious behavior include habits, automatic responses, and behaviors influenced by underlying psychological processes.

What is the difference between the subconscious mind and the unconscious mind? ›

Briefly, consciousness defines our thoughts, actions, and awareness. Subconscious is defined as the reactions and actions we realized when we think of it. Unconscious is defined as the deep recesses of our past and memories.

What are some unconscious habits? ›

Some unconscious habits can be fairly innocuous—like a tendency to bounce one's leg while sitting or clicking a pen while listening. Though, even these can become quite distracting.

How to clean an unconscious mind? ›

8 Ways to Give Your Mind a Deep Cleaning
  1. Be mindful.
  2. Start writing.
  3. Put on music.
  4. Get some sleep.
  5. Take a walk.
  6. Tidy up.
  7. Unfocus.
  8. Talk about it.
Nov 11, 2020

How do you reveal your unconscious mind? ›

Free Association. Freud believed that he could bring unconscious feelings into awareness through the use of a technique called free association. He asked patients to relax and say whatever came to mind without any consideration of how trivial, irrelevant, or embarrassing it might be.

Why is the unconscious mind so powerful? ›

The subconscious mind goes beyond learning new skills. It's involved in information processing and affects everything we think, say and do. It stores our beliefs and values, determines our memories and monitors the information all around us, deciding what to send to the conscious mind and what to store for later.

What is the primary function of the unconscious mind? ›

The unconscious mind can be seen as the source of dreams and automatic thoughts (those that appear without any apparent cause), the repository of forgotten memories (that may still be accessible to consciousness at some later time), and the locus of implicit knowledge (the things that we have learned so well that we do ...

Does the unconscious mind make decisions? ›

Many have shown that making sound decisions based on intuition rather than conscious reasoning is more common than previously thought. In fact, many studies have shown that sound intuitive decision-making depends on the association of the subliminal messages of a given situation with the limbic brain structures formed.

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