Thursday, February 25, 2010

Psychology - Why Freud Was Wrong

In Psychology class we are told about how we have a Subconscious and Conscious which control everything we do in one way or another.

Webster defines it as this:
1 : perceiving, apprehending, or noticing with a degree of controlled thought or observation
It basically is everything we are currently aware of at any given time.

Now for Subconscious:
1 : existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness  
It basically says everything that we are not aware of but still effects us (what our Psych teacher told us). Also, apparently we can regularly call anything from this using some sort of association, or as Freud thought, dreams.

Why Freud Was Wrong:

I believe we can't have a system defined as above since:
  1.  Anything that comes from subconscious can become conscious through association, hypnosis, etc.
  2.  If subconscious can easily become conscious, then are you still not at least semi-aware of it?
  3. Dreams, often determined as symbols for our life make no sense when looking at an Autistic person. Typically, they are horrible or can not perceive symbolism. So, what would their dreams mean? If they can't process symbolism then what accounts for their dreams? Obviously it is not strictly symbols, although things throughout the day do appear in our dreams.

My Thoughts:

I think of the mind as a three part system, such as follows:
  • Bottom or 'Bio Level' - Everything your body automatically does that is regulated by brain that you can not control. This would include heart beating, senses, stuff like that.
  •  Middle or 'Vault' - Essentially what Subconscious is, but you can access it, pull up old memories which would be triggered by a phrase or whatnot. Also items such as breathing and blinking would fall into this category as you can actively decide when you take in a breath if you so choose. Things from this level constantly get pulled into the top-most level, it is just what makes us up and adds to how we handle situations. You might not be aware of it, but this area could still effect you even if it wasn't completely in the top-level, but more resided somewhere in the middle and top due to current situations. Fits the term 'in the back of your mind'.
  • Top or 'Awareness' - Everything you are constantly aware of at this point in time, what is currently called 'Conscious'.  Everything here directly effects what our choices are and how we act.
Today's Subconscious and Conscious definitions to not work for the mind as there is more there, and again, if the Subconscious can be pulled at any time into the Conscious then you somehow know about it as people say 'in the back of your mind'. I only hope someday there is someone who agrees with me, but as of now I only expect people to not want to challenge all they have been taught. That is another thing, people really don't like change, unless it is their idea. I try to keep an open mind for all, you should too.

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