To describe someone who just passed out , the choice betweensubconsciousandunconsciousis easy — the miserable fainter is unconscious . But in other position that call for one of these parole to be used , the answer is n’t always so clear
The popularity of these term trace back toSigmund Freud , who , harmonize toDr . Michael Craig Miller , editor in chief at Harvard Health Publishing , used them as synonyms in his early employment on level of consciousness . These level are often visualized as an iceberg lettuce , with the conscious ( thought , feelings , motivations , and other thing you ’re totally aware of ) render above the water supply , and the unconscious — repressed memory , desires , and other traumatic and/or taboo things to which you ’re oblivious — unseen below the surface .
Sigmund Freud by and by abandoned the wordsubconsciousin favour ofunconscious , and finally sort of revamp his whole cognizance theory by introducing the construct of i d , ego , and superego . But he also established an average grade turn up between the witting and unconscious minds : thepreconscious . Sigmund Freud believed that although you ’re not actively aware of whatever ’s stored in your preconscious , it is available for recall upon reflection .
What some the great unwashed todaylabelas the subconscious is actually Freud ’s preconscious ; others evencitesubconsciousandpreconsciousas exchangeable . If you ’re operating off Freud ’s original intent , however , that ’s not accurate — and fit in to Miller , expert inpsychology , clinical neurology , psychiatry , and other relevant field typically foreswear the termsubconsciousin scientific literature all .
That said , Freud did n’t excogitate the wordssubconsciousorunconscious , and they ’re not confined to scientific circles . informally , calling an emotion “ unconscious ” might imply to your listeners that it ’s buried a minute deep than a subconscious one . But asGrammarist explains , you may pretty much use either terminal figure to describe a lack of consciousness .
[ h / tHarvard Health Publishing ]
