Conscious and subconscious information processing Essay

Conscious and subconscious information processing - Essay Example Many analogies have been made to describe the conscious mind. One effective metaphor might be the telescope. Our conscious mind looks through it and sees a particular object in focus, unaware of the world outside of that telescope lens. Thus consciousness is limited to a small radius, although it serves its purpose. Another metaphor for the conscious mind would be an iceberg. The conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg that extends out of the ocean. The conscious mind perceives the world from information derived from the subconscious below, and from the physical world around it. Subconsciousness literally means beneath the threshold of consciousness, or that part of the mind that lies just below the level of conscious thinking. In the example of the telescope, while the conscious mind is looking through the small opening, the subconscious is recording the impressions while also searching memory banks for corroborating information. The subconscious mind acts as a personal secretary who records conscious data and who also retrieves relevant memories from the unconscious mind. It behaves like the RAM (random access memory) in a computer. It filters and retains information for the purpose of directing it to its necessary applications. A very active subconscious mind detects patterns to predetermine conscious thinking and behavior. For example, when we are first learning how to drive a car, our conscious awareness must be extremely focused in order to learn the skill. Once we have learned how to drive, the conscious mind goes on autopilot, and the subconscious t akes over, doing the driving for us. The way the subconscious operates is far different from the way conscious mind works. While the conscious mind is objective, relying on logic and literal thinking, the subconscious is subjective, processing the subliminal and symbolic meaning of words and imagery. Thus it is the subconscious mind that retains feelings and images from