Levels of consciousness
- The Random Leftist
- Oct 25, 2019
- 2 min read
The human brain has been called the most sophisticated supercomputer on Earth. Just like our series on the elements of the periodic table and dialectical materialism, this series is meant to provide people with a basic introduction to complex topic. The field of physiology is dedicated to figuring out the intricacies of the human mind. One of the most famous and controversial contributors to the area was a man by the name of Sigmund Freud. Just like my series on dialectical materialism, this series will explain the various components of philosophy. This series will be dedicated to the psychodynamic theory of Sigmund Freud. The first question you must be asking does psychodynamic mean? Psychodynamics is the explanation or interpretation (as of behavior or mental states) in terms of mental or emotional forces or processes.
Being all about the mind, one of the core concepts in psychodynamics are the levels of consciousness. These three levels of awareness comprise the mind and conduct its various functions. These functions allow our minds to be aware, have a sense of self-hood, and feel emotions. Each of these are complex enough to have their own article and as stated earlier today's article is meant to provide a basic introduction rather than an in depth explanation. Since each of these concepts are complex enough to warrant their own articles.
The first level of consciousness is the conscious, which consists of what someone is aware of at any particular point of time. This level contains the thoughts, memories, and feelings which a person is presently aware of, including what you are thinking about at this very moment. For example, let’s say your dining on a delicious meal, and all your thinking of is how well that meal taste than those thoughts happened in the conscious mind.
The second level is preconscious. It contains information that people are not instantly aware of but can easily be retrieved, such as memories. Let’s say you experience something that reminds you of a memory. You may not have been immediately aware of that memory, but after having that experience, you automatically recalled it. For example, earlier this week, I was telling some classmates of mine about this website. Then in class, we talked about examples of people overcoming challenges, and that caused me to remember the article I wrote about Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.
The third and final level is the unconscious, which contains thoughts, memories, and desires that we are hardly ever aware of. However, despite hardly ever being aware of them, they still have a massive influence on our actions and behaviors. An example would be a repressed memory. Though you may not remember it, it still shapes your expressions and personality. This is also the area of the mind where the dreaded ID inhabits. Now you may ask what is an ID and the answer to that question will be given on the next article. Stay tuned.
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