M I N D F U L N E S S PR AC T I T I O N E R

WHAT LIES
BENEATH YOUR
SURFACE?
 WHAT LIES BENEATH YOUR SURFACE?
‘Freud’s Iceberg Theory’ uses the illustration of an iceberg to separate the ‘3 levels of consciousness’.
Similarly, we can use an iceberg as a helpful metaphor to understand how much of ourselves we choose
to reveal to other people.

As an iceberg floats in the water, the vast mass of it remains below the surface. Only a small
percentage of the whole iceberg is visible above the surface, and the largest and most influential
part remains unseen below the surface.

EGO - CONSCIOUS

The first level of consciousness constitutes our rational awareness that guides our everyday decisions.
We make use of our conscious mind when we take in input from our senses, analyse the information, and
make decisions based on this information.

The ego operates on a reality principle by

mediating the infantile and selfish needs of
the id with the world around it. It’s
responsible for rationalising and
compromising our essential needs and
demands by intersecting (to its best ability)
the Id when the Id encourages behaviour
which may trigger negative consequences.

The ego also seeks pleasure, or rather, aims to

avoid all pain, but does so in a less irrational
and animalistic way. The ego seeks to serve
the needs of the id in a more grounded and
sensible manner. As our official shielder from
pain, the ego is responsible for all the
behavioural and mental responses to
feelings of anxiety and distress. Whilst this
problem-solving aspect of the ego is usually
sufficient, its solutions to many problems can
be destructive when it indulges the id in the
process.

SUPEREGO - SUBCONSCIOUS
The next level of consciousness, the subconscious, is relatively dim in awareness. We can consider it as
the storehouse for all our remembered experiences, impressions and tendencies that are awakened or
reinforced by these impressions.

Every experience you’ve ever had, every thought and every impression lives in the subconscious mind.
Your subconscious mind influences your patterns of thought and behaviour far more than you realise.
The subconscious holds information that is just below the surface of awareness within an easily
accessible realm.
 WHAT LIES BENEATH YOUR SURFACE?

The superego serves as our moral compass by incorporating the morals and values we adopt from both
our family and broader society. The superego manages and controls the Id’s impulses that the individual
can live by their conscience and ideal self.

When the ego falls short of the superego’s ideals, the superego punishes the ego through chastisement
and guilt. The greater the superego’s idealisation of self, the more it penalises the ego for any failures.

ID - UNCONSCIOUS

The final level of unconsciousness is known as the unconscious. The unconscious consists of thoughts,
memories, and primitive/instinctual desires that are buried deep within ourselves, far below our conscious
awareness. Even though we’re not aware of their existence, they have a significant influence on our behaviour.

The Id represents our primitive, instinctual self. It consists of our biological and intrinsic personality traits (both
those unique to us and those inherently human such as our libido and survival motives). The id is most
prevalent when we are first born as it’s the part of our psyche responsible for demanding our basic needs and
urges to be met. The id operates out of the subconscious part of our mind and remains unaffected by our
experiences and personal growth. It runs on what Freud referred to as a ‘pleasure principle’, which causes
individuals to seek out immediate gratification, regardless of the consequences.

Although our behaviours tend to indicate the unconscious forces driving them, we can’t readily access the
information stored in the unconscious mind. Throughout our childhood, we gathered many different
memories and experiences that formed the beliefs, fears and insecurities that we carry today. However, we
cannot recall most of these memories. They are unconscious forces that drive our behaviours.

For example, things in your unconscious mind that you might forget are negative experiences from your past,
a strong dislike for a parent, or a traumatic event. In the same way, each of us will often have a part of ourselves
that we reveal to others but will bury a much larger portion of ourselves where no one can see.

Complete the exercise on the pages that follow by writing down the parts of you that can be seen and
experienced by others, the parts that can’t, and the parts that you’d like others to see if you were to show
them.
 WHAT LIES BENEATH YOUR SURFACE?

ABOVE THE SURFACE

THE PARTS OF ‘YOU’ THAT PEOPLE
SEE

BENEATH THE SURFACE

THE PARTS OF ‘YOU’
THAT PEOPLE DON’T SEE
 WHAT LIES BENEATH YOUR SURFACE?

ABOVE THE SURFACE

THE PARTS OF ‘YOU’ THAT
YOU’D LIKE PEOPLE TO SEE

BENEATH THE SURFACE

THE PARTS OF ‘YOU’ THAT
YOU CAN CHANGE TODAY