2. The “Unconscious Mind”
Freud compared the mind
to an iceberg. He believed
the “conscious mind” is the
tip of the iceberg: these are
the thoughts were are
aware of. The submerged
part of the iceberg is the
“unconscious mind” - the
desires and memories that
we don’t actively think
about.
Conscious Mind: Active Thoughts
Unconscious Mind: The things buried
in our minds that we don’t think about.
3. Id, Ego, Superego
According to Freud, the
id, ego, and superego are
the three parts of the
human mind.
He believed that the id is
fully unconscious.The Ego
and Superego are partially
conscious.
Ego
Id
Super-
ego
Conscious Mind
Unconscious Mind
The area directly below the surface of the
water is called the “preconscious mind,”
because although it is currently unconscious,
it can easily be brought to our awareness.
4. Psychoanalysis
What’s in the
“unconscious mind”?
Some of the information
in our unconscious mind
is so disturbing that the
mind automatically buries
it away (suppresses it) so
we do not have to
remember it and face it.
Freud believes these
buried things impact our
behavior and emotional
states.
Ego
Id
Super-
ego
Conscious Mind
Unconscious Mind
Traumatic life experiences (especially
from childhood)
Socially unacceptable desires (especially
sexual desires and the desire to harm
others)
Childish desires (such as the desire for
attention)
5. One of Freud’s biggest
contributions to the
field of Psychology was
psychoanalysis - the
“talking cure.”
Freud believed that our
emotional and
behavioral problems
are due to repressed
desires and negative life
experiences that we
keep buried in our
unconscious minds.
6. The idea is that if we
talk to a therapist, the
act of talking itself can
provide clues about
what’s hidden in our
unconscious. It might
even force us to talk
about things we don’t
normally think about.
Becoming more aware
of our hidden desires
and difficult life
experiences is like
medicine: it helps us
grow.
7. Hello Josh - thanks for coming
in for another psychotherapy
session.Today, let’s talk about
your parents. Can you tell me
about them?
Hmm, ok. My parents moved to
this country when I was a baby.
They were nice, usually
supportive people.
8. Was there ever a time when
they were not supportive?
One time I wrote a play. I asked
my mom to watch it first
before performing for my
friends. I remember she said,
“Josh, your voice sounds like a
mouse,” so I tried to make my
voice deeper but I couldn’t. I
threw my play away and never
performed it for anyone else.
9. Once my girlfriend made a joke
about her voice being lower-
pitched than mine.
Huh. I never realized it before,
but lots of people have made
me feel bad about my voice. I
wonder if that’s related to my
fear of speaking in crowded
places?
Hm. I’m noticing a pattern - you
seem to mention your voice a
lot during our conversations.
Has anyone else ever
commented on the sound of
your voice?
10. Releasing the Unconscious
Other psychologists invented ways to help reveal the
thoughts in a patient’s unconscious mind. Carl Jung
worked alongside Sigmund Freud, and agreed with the
idea that the unconscious mind impacts our behavior.
He used word association to help learn more about
what might be going on in a patient’s mind.
I’m going to say a
word, and without
pausing, you say
the first word new
that comes into
your mind.
12. Word Association
The goal of word association is to see if there are any
interesting patterns in the types of words you choose,
or to see if you say something that reveals interesting
information about yourself.
Grandma
Evil Wait a minute… why
did I say that?
13. Word Association
Let’s try it!
1. I will give you a word…
2. Write down the next new word that
enters your mind in the space
provided in your notes.
3. At the end, you can re-read your
answers to see if they reveal anything
about your unconscious mind.
14. Releasing the Unconscious
Hermann Rorschach also lived alongside Freud.
He created a new association test that asked
patients to interpret symmetrical ink blot pictures.
15. The Rorschach Test
Patients are shown an image made from ink blots, and
are asked to freely describe what the blots look like
and how the image makes them feel. Afterward, the
examiner asks the patient questions like,“why do you
think the image looks like that?” and takes notes on
how the patient responds.The responses (both verbal
and non-verbal) are analyzed to see if they reveal
anything about the patient’s personality or motives.
The examiner uses their knowledge of behavioral problems and
personality traits to analyze the patient’s responses. They look for
symptoms of common disorders like psychopathy, they listen for pauses
which could indicate confusion or shock, and they look for patterns.
17. What do
you see?
It looks like two birds with
long beaks facing opposite
directions…
18. Word Association
Let’s try it!
1. I will show you an image…
2. Describe what you see in the space
provided in your notes.
3. At the end, you can re-read your
answers to see if they reveal anything
about your unconscious mind.
19.
20.
21.
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23.
24. Conclusions
• Psychoanalysis continues to be
practiced by psychiatrists, social
workers, and other mental health
professionals; however, its practice is
less common today than in the past.
• A common critique is that it relies
too much on the subjective
interpretation made by the
therapist. There’s no qualitative
data or official scientific process
involved in analyzing someone.
25. Conclusions
• Even though many people think Freud’s ideas
were wrong, a lot of people still find that the
“talking cure” helps them feel better…
