Unconscious and subconscious are responsible for reflected actions, they are the seat of personality and emotions; They communicate messages, signals and emotions through body and behaviors. It should be said that while it is true that each expression has a different meaning, some people use the terms unconscious and subconscious interchangeably.
With this Psychology-Online article we will discover the inaccuracy of this practice, easily analyzing what the subconscious is, what the unconscious is and, ultimately, we will see together the difference between the unconscious and the subconscious. Interesting, right? Keep reading!
What is the unconscious
This term is used in relation to temporarily or permanently unconscious mental parts or processes. In this area, the unconscious is distinguished in two senses:
- Like irrational intelligence: the unconscious appears as an irrational intelligence, endowed with its own procedural and productive norms, and its own symbols of complex understanding;
- As a field of psychic activity: The unconscious can be considered the neutral realm of psychic activity and unconscious computing (short-term memory, automatic responses, subliminal mechanisms, etc.).
What is the unconscious according to Freud
With the term unconscious, Freud understood a complex of processes, content and impulses that do not emerge from the subject’s consciousness and therefore are not rationally controllable. Now, what is the unconscious and how does it work according to Freud?
First of all, he referred to the term as a part of the mind in which the withdrawn psychic contents are found, and then he went on to indicate the contents themselves that can resurface in symbolic form, or manifest as missing acts, such as lapses and the distractions.
In summary, in our psyche there is an unconscious and irrational dimension, in which a series of instincts and desires are hidden, the content of which does not manifest itself on a conscious levelbut whose satisfaction is necessary.
What is the unconscious according to Carl Gustav Jung
Carl Gustav Jung believed, instead, that a psychology of the unconscious was present since the dawn of humanity, linked to the ancient shamanic practices of primitive peoples. The term unconscious, in any case, has only been used as a noun since the 19th century, while previously it was mainly used as an adjective to denote those thought processes hidden from consciousness.
What is the subconscious
It is a term used in the field of psychology and psychopathology at the end of the 19th century, in particular by Janet, to explain the phenomena of personality splitting based on the hypothesis of a second consciousnessmore attenuated, responsible for the psychic split.
In fact, the term subconscious was introduced by Pierre Janet, French psychiatrist contemporary of Freud, to indicate the contents of the mind that were at a lower level of consciousness.
Janet developed a complex theory of mind, based on the concepts of subconscious and dissociation, and was the first to hypothesize that dissociated (or deleted) subconscious contents were in the origin of neurotic symptoms in some cases.
The same term was used by in his early works, but was soon abandoned due to its ambiguity, and replaced by “unconscious”; Even in psychoanalytic literature the latter term is used as a synonym for subconscious.
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What is the difference between the unconscious and the subconscious?
The unconscious and the subconscious are two concepts that are often misunderstood and confused. Let’s see then some differences:
Its accessibility
Now that you know what a person’s subconscious is, it will be easier for you to understand that, in contrast to the unconscious, the subconscious mind is located just below consciousness and is easily accessible if you pay attention to it. When someone asks you to describe your perfect day, you reach out to your subconscious for these memories.
However, if someone asks you to describe the worst day you’ve ever had, especially if it was particularly traumatic, you may not be able to describe the worst: you could argue memories in your subconscious that were horrible, but a traumatic day could be partial or totally repressed.
Thus, one of the differences between the unconscious and the subconscious is that, at least in Freud’s estimation, the unconscious functioned as a protective force over the mind.
Its functionality
Another difference between unconscious and subconscious is that the subconscious is the emotional part of the mind, the one that allows man to feel, connect with someone and develop strong connections, the one that relies most on memories.
The unconscious mind, on the other hand, is the most primitive part and at the same time essential, the one that delineates us as human beings and is guided by the natural evolution of our species, with the task of storing all the experiences lived throughout the centuries (not remembering them, of course, but making them our own. innate way).
His, her nature
Subconscious impulses are mainly cultural and ontogenetic in nature (influences that the subject has suffered during his growth and development, beginning with his birth).
That is to say, the difference between unconscious and subconscious is that unconscious drives, on the other hand, are mainly due to psychobiological aspects, associated with derived drives. of phylogenesis of the individual (influences that derive from the history of the species and its biology).
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Petrini, P., Renzi, A., Casadei, A., Mandesem A. (2013). Dictionary of psychoanalysis. With elements of psychodynamic psychiatry and dynamic psychology. Milan: Franco Angeli.