Conscious - unconscious, this is ..

The idea of the unconscious, as an integral part of human nature, in the history of philosophical and scientific research arose long before the birth of classical psychoanalysis. However, it is Sigmund Freud who proves the idea of the dominance of the unconscious structures of the human psyche over a conscious structure (and not vice versa, as previously thought), thereby making a revolution in the history of psychological thought. With the development of psychoanalytic ideas, a person assessed as a person, from the position of activity and autonomy, suddenly falls under the dependence of his own fears, complexes and, especially unexpectedly, animal instincts. Accordingly, in spite of any evolutionary processes and scientific and technical achievements, the freedom of man's mental activity will always be limited by a certain natural conditioning, called the unconscious.

Psychic activity in psychoanalysis

All mental activity of the personality in psychoanalysis is considered from the point of view of three positions:

1. Topical position (mental structure of the personality): three areas of mental activity are distinguished: the conscious, the unconscious and the preconscious.

2. Dynamic position (movement, development of psychic energy): the repressed part of mental activity acquires an unconscious character.

3. Economic (balance / imbalance system): the alternation of the processes of mental stress / relaxation, depending on the manifestation of drives and the possibility of satisfying them.

In the context of the unconscious, these aspects, such as the role of the unconscious in the process of mental activity, are considered in these schools and directions; Boundaries of consciousness control over the unconscious; Differentiation of the results of the unconscious in the norm from pathology, etc. The main advantage of all psychological directions, focused on the study of the question of what is the unconscious component of the psyche, is a high evaluation of its significance in the process of human life, as well as solving problems associated with This structure, not by "fighting" it or by "blocking" it, but by studying its regularities in depth.

General structure of personality

With regard to the structure of the personality, the unconscious is the central part of the psyche (which is the source of psychic energy for the entire mental activity of the subject) and contains the system of all the unique complexes and properties of the personality that they receive at birth. Freud refers to this structure as Id (Ono). In addition to the unconscious, the structure of the personality is made up of the conscious ego (self) and superconsciousness, the superego (super-ego).

The instinctive structure of the unconscious

At the core of the unconscious, Freud singles out instincts that can be both physical (needs) and mental (desires). In turn, the structure of instincts includes 4 components - the goal, the source, the impulse, the object. The aim of the instinct is to satisfy (or weaken) the need / desire; The object is an object (action) that satisfies the need / desire; The energy (force, voltage) needed to satisfy the need / desire is the impulse. For example, the manifestation of an instinct (as an element of the unconscious) - this can be the behavior of a person who is thirsty:

- Source: need for liquid (due to dehydration of the body);

- the object: the necessary liquid, as well as the actions aimed at obtaining it;

- the goal: getting rid of thirst (from the physiological point of view - removal / reduction of stress caused by dehydration of the body);

- Impulse: energy, increasing tension, aimed at satisfying thirst.

Mental imbalance in the system "conscious - unconscious"

Synonym of this imbalance is the concept of conflict. It arises because of the incompatibility of the requirements of Id and Ego. The activity of the conscious component of the psyche can be violated in those cases when the unconscious component begins to exert its influence. This confrontation between consciousness and the unconscious is not realized by the personality itself. The basis of classical psychoanalysis is the idea of the irreducibility of the psyche to consciousness; An attempt is made to explore the unconscious part of the psyche - the unconscious.

Within the psychoanalytic school, the conscious component of the psyche is only a very small part of it (the tip of the iceberg), the unconscious is the dominant of the psychic activity of the individual. Unconscious drives are in contradiction with the norms of culture and morality. The process of establishing an equilibrium in the system of "conscious - unconscious" is the basis of the psychosocial development of the individual. Achievement of this equilibrium is achieved through the inclusion of mental defense mechanisms.