Famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed that behavior and personality were derived from the constant and unique interaction of conflicting psychological forces that operate at three different levels of awareness:the preconscious, conscious, and unconscious minds.He believed that each of these parts of the mind plays an important role in influencing behavior.
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About Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freudwas the founder of psychoanalytic theory. While his ideas were considered shocking at the time and create debate and controversy even now, his work had a profound influence on a number of disciplines, includingpsychology, sociology, anthropology, literature, and even art.
The termpsychoanalysisis used to refer to many aspects of Freud’s work and research, including Freudian therapy and the research methodology he used to develop his theories. Freud relied heavily upon his observations andcase studiesof his patients when he formed his theory of personality development.
How Psychoanalysis Influenced Psychology
Freud's Three Levels of the Mind
Freud delineated the mind in distinct levels, each with their own roles and functions. The three levels of the mind are:
- The preconscious consists of anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind.
- The conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. This also includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and brought into awareness.
- The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. The unconscious contains contents that are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict.
Freud likened the three levels of mind to an iceberg. 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 mind, often also referred to simply as the unconscious.
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This video has been medically reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS.
How the Unconscious Mind Affects Behavior
While the information in the unconscious mind is outside of awareness, it continues to have an influence on a person's behavior. Some of the ways the unconscious can affect behavior include:
- Negative thoughts
- Self-defeating thoughts and behaviors
- Feelings of anger
- Compulsive behaviors
- Childhood behavioral problems
- Difficulties in interpersonal relationships
- Distressing patterns in romantic relationships
- Attitudes about others
- Unhealthy habits
- Distressing dreams
- First impressions of other people
- Prejudice and stereotypes
The Freudian Slip
Another example of the unconscious mind can be seen in what are known as slips of the tongue. Many of us have experienced what is commonly referred to as aFreudian slip at some point or another. These misstatements are believed to reveal underlying, unconscious thoughts or feelings.
Freud believed that while the unconscious mind is largely inaccessible, the contents can sometimes bubble up unexpectedly, such as in dreams or slips of the tongue.
An example of a Freudian slip is a man who accidentally uses a former girlfriend's name when referring to a current girlfriend. While most of us might believe this to be a simple error, Freud believed that the slip showed the sudden intrusion of the unconscious mind into the conscious mind, often due to unresolved or repressed feelings.
Accessing the Unconscious Mind
According to Freud, thoughts and emotions outside of our awareness continue to exert an influence on our behaviors, even though we are unaware (unconscious) of these underlying influences.
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.
To identify the roots of a psychological distress, Freud employed techniques like dream analysis and free association (the sharing of seemingly random thoughts) to bring true feelings to light.
The Role of the Preconscious Mind
The contents of the conscious mind include all of the things that you are actively aware of. The closely related preconscious mind contains all of the things that you could potentially pull into conscious awareness. The preconscious also acts as something of a guard, controlling the information that is allowed to enter into conscious awareness.
Preconscious memories are not the same things as memories that are readily accessed, such as remembering your way home. They are unrepressed memories that we extract for a specific purpose at a specific time.
The Takeaway
Although many of Freud's ideas have fallen out of favor, the importance of the unconscious has become perhaps one of his most important and enduring contributions to psychology. Psychoanalytic therapy, which explores how the unconscious mind influences behaviors and thoughts, has become an important tool in the treatment of mental illness and psychological distress.
Freud's 5 Stages of Psychosexual Development
3 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Boag S. Conscious, Preconscious, and Unconscious. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
Bargh JA. Our unconscious mind. Sci Am. 2013;310(1):30-37. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0114-30
Zimmermann J, Löffler-Stastka H, Huber D, et al. Is it all about the higher dose? Why psychoanalytic therapy is an effective treatment for major depression. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2015;22(6):469-87. doi:10.1002/cpp.1917
Additional Reading
De Sousa A. Freudian theory and consciousness: A conceptual analysis. Mens Sana Monogr. 2011;9(1):210-17. doi:10.4103/0973-1229.77437
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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."
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