Topographical theory-Human behaviour is

driven by the unconscious (Freud, 1900)

THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS
• Freud (1940/1964) proposed that human personality operates at
three different levels of awareness.
• A person’s awareness at each level of consciousness differs, and Freud
believed that each level of awareness influences behavior.
• Freud viewed consciousness like an iceberg.
• For Freud, when we look at behavior, all we usually see is the tip of
the iceberg, or the conscious level: the thoughts, perceptions, and
explanations of behavior of which the person is aware.
• The major portion of the iceberg is below the surface of the water.
The impulses, memories,and thoughts below are unseen but have a
huge impact on personality.
• Freud believed that because so large a portion of one’s personality
lies below the surface of consciousness, or awareness, any
explanation of personality and behavior must focus on these
unconscious forces.
conscious
• Conscious forms only a small part of the human psyche
• Conscious awareness contains those things of which we are currently
aware Includes those things that we are thinking about at this
moment
• If we consider these psychodynamic theories from a slightly different
angle,we could suggest that this is the equivalent of the short-term
memory presented in the multistore memory model (Atkinson &
Shiffrin, 1968); short-term memory is regarded as the mental desktop
of the brain
Preconscious level
• Below the surface of the conscious level are the preconscious and unconscious
levels.
• The preconscious level comes right before your conscious level. Your conscious
level, as previously stated, includes any memories, thoughts, or urges of which
you are currently aware.
• You know you want the new Usher CD, or you know that it is important to read
this chapter and study for the test next week. But the things that you could
potentially be aware of at any one time are infinite, and you cannot hold more
than a couple of thoughts, urges, and memories in consciousness at any one time.
• So, according to Freud, it is necessary to have a holding place for easily accessible
memories, thoughts, or impulses of which you could potentially be aware. This is
the role of the preconscious level.
• Preconscious forms a slightly larger part of the human psyche
• Preconscious is not usually within our awareness, but can be accessed
if prompted
• Includes all knowledge and information stored in the mind
• If we consider these psychodynamic theories from a slightly different
angle, we could suggest that this is the equivalent of the long-term
memory presented in the multistore memory model (Atkinson &
Shiffrin, 1968); long-term memory is regarded as the mental storage
tank of the brain
Unconscious
• The unconscious level contains all those thoughts, impulses, memories,
and behaviors of which you are unaware.
• However, although you are unaware of them, they always influence your
behavior.
• Consider the 4-year-old boy who stops his parents from hugging or
inserts himself between them to prevent them from kissing. He is not
aware that this behavior stems from a need or wish to bond with his
mother, yet it is still influencing his behavior.
• Freud believed that most psychological disorders originate from
repressed memories and instincts (sexual and aggressive) that are
hidden in the unconscious.
• The most important of the three levels is the unconscious, which Freud
believed to be the primary motivating force of human behavior.
• The unconscious holds memories that once were conscious but were so
unpleasant or anxiety provoking that they were repressed (involuntarily
removed from consciousness). For instance, a situation in which a person was
severely embarrassed might be “forgotten” by relegating to the unconscious.
• The unconscious also contains all of the instincts (sexual and aggressive),
wishes, and desires that have never been allowed into consciousness.
• Freud traced the roots of psychological disorders to these impulses and
repressed memories and proposed a three-part model of personality to
explain how the unconscious, preconscious, and conscious minds interact.