The unconscious is the vast sum of operations of the mind that take place below the level of conscious awareness. The conscious mind contains all the thoughts, feelings, cognitions, and memories we acknowledge, while the unconscious consists of deeper mental processes not readily available to the conscious mind.
How the Unconscious Mind Works
Researchers know that the unconscious mind does the lion’s share of the brain’s work, but they don’t know exactly how all of it gets done, and it is an active subject of study. For example, one major area of research is how emotions take shape in the unconscious. Information is stored associatively in the brain, which is largely bundles of pathways of association—far too many to remember, but usually responsive to activation when needed.
People automatically tend to imitate the physical behavior of others , including their emotional displays, a response generated unconsciously and thought to be an important contributor to the ancestral human need for social cohesion. Much research shows that feelings arise in the unconscious , as everyday events stimulate networks of associations, and while we may be aware of the feelings, we often do not know how they arose.
The unconscious mind processes information faster than the conscious mind, and intuition is Exhibit A. But it is neither smarter nor stupider than the conscious mind. It is an essential part of our normal mental operations, as most human behavior is a mixed product of both conscious and unconscious brain activity. Take riding a bike: The motor movement is automatic , but the steering better be highly conscious!
The unconscious mind evolved as a way to help us survive. It’s not bent on anyone’s destruction. It is sometimes referred to as the “shadows of the mind,” because it was thought to be a shadow of the “real” mind. Although it is not a black hole of unacceptable impulses, it can be a source of hidden beliefs, biases—so-called i mplicit bias —fears, and attitudes that affect everyday thinking and behavior.
How Therapists Work With the Unconscious Mind
Psychotherapy is a form of problem-solving with an expert at knowing where to find the source of the problem. After all, it’s hard to get rid of a problem unless you know why you have it. Most forms of psychotherapy aim to bring into conscious awareness hidden beliefs and fears, often acquired during childhood so that they can be critically examined and their current value determined. The goal is to make people aware of the deeper reasons for their behaviors and feelings in order to enable change to more satisfying ways.
Unpleasant emotions, unwanted thoughts, hidden beliefs that nevertheless influence behavior, unproductive behavior patterns, fears—all are problems people may bring to therapy in the hope of relief. Most problems resist the simple desire for change because they have some component that makes sense with memories or beliefs stored at a level below conscious awareness.
Unconscious beliefs and feelings can be a hidden source of distress, leading to such common problems as self-defeating thoughts , anger , spending sprees and many forms of compulsive behavior in individuals. The same sources of distress can also set off painful patterns of interactions between partners in a relationship and members of a family, which often show up as behavior problems in a child.
There is no hocus-pocus to psychotherapy. Therapists are good at listening to people tell their stories and, based on solid knowledge of how the mind works, and especially patterns of association, discerning clues to their motivations, beliefs, and feelings. They are also experts at asking the kinds of questions that help people examine the meaning of past experiences and recognize the triggers for unproductive behaviors. All pave the way for positive change.
Explore More About Unconscious
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