The Conscious, Preconscious and Unconscious Mind. Freud’s Topographical Model

The founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud  believed the majority of what you experience   in life, emotions, impulses and memories  are not available on a conscious level.  He believed that most of what drives you is buried  deep in your unconscious mind and hidden from   awareness. Freud believed the human mind has three  parts the conscious, pre-conscious and unconscious.   This is called the Topographical model. Freud  used the analogy of an iceberg to describe   this model the tip depicts the conscious mind.  The conscious mind consists of all the mental   processes and sensations of which you are  aware for example you notice you feel hungry   and decide to get some food or you  feel cold and decide to put a jacket on.   The conscious mind also takes control over  all logical and intellectual thought processes,   it's all that you are aware of at any given  time. The pre-conscious is just below the   level of consciousness this includes things  you don't instantly know but you can access   by association for example the smell of freshly  baked bread brings back a memory of baking with   your grandmother when you were five years old or  listening to a specific song evokes memories of   your first holiday abroad. The pre-conscious  is a little bit like a mental waiting room   in which memories thoughts or feelings remain  until they move into conscious awareness. The unconscious mind is depicted by the base of  the iceberg includes mental processes that are   inaccessible or hidden this might include  traumatic events or memories that are too   frightening to acknowledge. Most of what goes on in  the mind is unconscious but can still impact your   behaviour. Much of what is in the unconscious mind  got there by the process of repression. Repression   describes a mechanism whereby you push unpleasant  or unacceptable feelings, memories or urges   into your unconscious mind. For example Anna was  abused by a parent when she was three years old   she has no memory of the abuse but struggles  forming relationships with others or we can   look at Simon who was attacked by a stray dog when  he was five he doesn't remember the incident but   had an intense phobia of dogs. Although both Anna  and Simon repressed traumatic childhood events   the symptoms they experience as adults is  an expression of their traumas. Repression   is a defence mechanism and a defence mechanism  is a behaviour used to separate yourself from   unpleasant events actions or thoughts according  to Freud much of what happened to you as a child   is still present in your unconscious mind and is  therefore capable of exerting great influence over   you as an adult. Since most people are incapable  of recalling the details of their childhood   the focus of therapy is to look more closely at  the past with the view of uncovering significant   and meaningful memories. The idea here is that  by understanding the connections between past   and present a new perspective can be gained. So  what are your thoughts about the topographical   model? iId love to hear from you and if you found  this video interesting please give it a thumbs   up. You may also be interested in the video on the  screen now and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Channel: Lewis Psychology

Views: 61,391

Keywords: Conscious unconscious preconscious, topographical model, Sigmund Freud, repression, defence mechanisms, unconscious mind, preconscious mind, conscious mind, psychoanalytic theory, psychoanalytic theory of personality topographical model of Sigmund Freud, psychodynamic approach to personality, freud personality theory examples, psychology of the unconscious, subconscious mind, levels of consciousness psychology, Teresa Lewis wolverhampton, Lewis Psychology wolverhampton, psychology

Id: PFQyM7rdPsk

Length: 4min 1sec (241 seconds)

Published: Tue May 03 2022