Sigmund Freud and Consciousness

Christian Nash

Philosophy 1030

Dr. Oliver

Installment #1

Sigmund Freud and Consciousness

Freud:

            Sigmund Freud, born in 1856, was an Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis. He began his medical studies in 1873 in Vienna, later studying in Paris. In 1897, Freud studied himself and his dreams, and years later, he published The Interpretations of Dreams, “which explored dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences” (“History”). Freud spent his career clinically observing and making notes of his patients. After World War One, concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego' (“History”).

Consciousness:

            Freud believed that the mind operated at three different levels: the preconscious, the conscious, and the unconscious. Each of these states of mind play an important role in influencing human behavior. Freud used an iceberg metaphor to explain each level: “The top of the iceberg that you can see above the water represents the conscious mind. The part of the iceberg that is submerged below the water but is still visible is the preconscious. The bulk of the iceberg that lies unseen beneath the waterline represents the unconscious” (Kendra).

The preconscious is all sensory input that can potentially enter the conscious mind.

The conscious mind is a composition of all thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes that we are aware of at any moment. This allows us the ability to talk and rational, coherent thinking. “A part of this includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and brought into our awareness” (Kendra).

The unconscious mind holds feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories, outside of our conscious awareness. According to Freud, the unconscious mind is the home of unacceptable or unpleasant contents, usually painful feelings, memories, or anxiety. “The unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences” (Kendra).

The Id, the Ego and the Superego:

Freud defines the id, the ego, and the superego as the characteristics of personality and how a person handles internal conflict.

The id functions on your impulses and pleasures. It tells you to indulge and enjoy the good things in life. An example of this would be eating a pint of ice cream before bed and waking up in the morning refusing to exercise because you are warm in your bed.

The superego controls mainly the unconscious mind. It sets your morals and is your self-critic. The superego uses guilt as a mechanism to keep you socially “in-line.” It lets you know whether what you are doing is right or wrong by causing you guilt by performing something that may not be socially acceptable.

The ego interprets the reality principle. The id and the superego are constantly clashing, while the ego relies on the reality principle to take the desires of the id and the caution of the superego and interpret those thoughts into real actions (“Freud’s)”.

Works Cited:

 “      Freud's Theory of the Id, Ego & Superego.” Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/id-ego-and-superego.html.

        “History - Sigmund Freud.” BBC, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/freud_sigmund.shtml.

        Kendra Cherry | Reviewed by Steven Gans, MD. “What Are Freud's 3 Levels of Mind?”Verywell, www.verywell.com/the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946.