The unconscious

The second important idea presented by Freud was the idea of the unconscious. He compared the mind to an ice burg, because a greater part of our mental activity occurs without our knowledge. We are conscious of objects but we do not know how we become conscious of these objects. Just as we do not know how our body is made up and how it functions, we do not know how our mind is made up or how it works. This is why we go to a doctor when we are sick, or psychotherapist when we are mentally disturbed; the doctor and the therapist are supposed to know more than we do, about our own body and mind. This is why Freud compared the mind to an ice burg, where its greater part is submerged under the water, and only the small tip is visible above the water. Our consciousness is limited, specially the consciousness of our subjective mental processes and our memories. A greater part of our mind is beyond our awareness and therefore unconscious. The mind, however, is not a solid entity like the ice burg, but an activity like a flame. Its continuity depends on conditions. The activity is mainly the reaction of our body to environmental stimulation.


It is because a greater part of our mind is unconscious that it is so difficult to control the mind. Often our effort to control the mind is like trying to turn off an electric light by breaking the bulb, because we do not know where the switch lies. This unconsciousness or unawareness of our mental processes is because our attention is constantly focused on external circumstances and not on our mental processes. We often blame our circumstances, quite unaware that our worries are created within us, unconsciously. This is why it is important to be introspective. Introspection, however, is only “looking” within. It is only when introspection becomes “insight,” which is “seeing” within, that it is perfected. Our problem therefore is that we are not fully conscious of the mental processes that go on within us. It is only through introspection that we can become conscious of these unconscious processes. The ultimate aim of Freud was to “make the unconscious conscious,” as Eric Fromm constantly reminds us, and it must be done through introspection.


Freud also divided the consciousness into three parts, the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. The conscious part is like the tip of the ice burg. It is the mental activity that is going on in the present. The preconscious is that part of the memory that can easily be recalled. It is like that part of the ice burg which is just under the water and is visible. The unconscious is like the greater part of the ice burg that is submerged in the water and is invisible. What is in the unconscious cannot be recalled unless by a special technique. This analogy is only an aid to understanding the mental process. It is not to be taken literally. It is necessary to repeat that the mind should not be seen as a solid entity like the ice burg, but as a process of activity.