What is Consciousness?

Chapter 5-Consciousness
Class Objectives
What is consciousness?

What are the stages of sleep?

How does sleep deprivation effect

us?
How would YOU define consciousness?
Consciousness is a state of awareness
and responsiveness

Events in the environment

Your own mental processes and inner

awareness

◦ Example: Your knowledge of your feelings,

thoughts, and memories.
 Is consciousness a black or white state?

No, Consciousness is a spectrum that ranges

from low to high levels of awareness.
HIGH

Very Alert
Awake

LOW

Unconscious
Level of Consciousness
According to Freud, there are three levels of
consciousness:
1. conscious (small): Freud (1915) described
conscious mind, which consists of all the
mental processes of which we are aware, and
this is seen as the tip of the iceberg. For
example, you may be feeling thirsty at this
moment and decide to get a drink.
II. preconscious (small-medium): this is
ordinary memory. So although things stored
here are not in the conscious, they can be
readily brought into conscious.
 Level of Consciousness
III. unconscious (enormous): Freud felt that
this part of the mind was not directly
accessible to awareness. In part, he saw it as a
dump box for urges, feelings and ideas  that
are tied to anxiety, conflict and pain. These
feelings and thoughts have not disappeared
and according to Freud, they are there,
exerting influence on our actions and our
conscious awareness.  This is where most of
the work of the Id, Ego, and Superego take
place.
The id is the only part of the personality that
is present at birth, according to Freud. He
also suggested that this primitive component
of personality existed wholly within the 
unconscious. The id acts as the driving force
of personality. It not only strives to fulfill
our most basic urges, many of which are
tied directly to survival, it also
provides all of the energy necessary to drive
personality.
The ego is 'that part of the id which has
been modified by the direct influence of the
external world.'
The superego incorporates the values and
morals of society which are learned from
one's parents and others. It develops around
the age of 3 – 5 .
Sleep Deprivation
The longer people go without sleep – the
sleepier they get and the worse their
performance becomes

A fatigued, sleep deprived person may

experience:
◦ Impaired concentration diminished productivity
◦ Tendency to make mistakes
◦ Irritability
◦ A depressed immune system
◦ Greater vulnerability to accidents
Sleep Deprivation
Researchon total sleep deprivation
with humans is not possible

However, rats totally deprived of sleep

die

◦ lose inability to regulate body

temperature
◦ lose weight
Sleep deprivation Disorders
Sleep Disorder
 Sleep Cycle:
NREM sleep: non-rapid eye movement
quiet sleep” slow, regular breathing,
absence of body movement, slow, regular
brain activity
REM sleep: A stage in the normal sleep
cycle during which dreams occur .The body
undergoes marked changes including rapid
eye movement, loss of reflexes, and
increased pulse rate and brain activity.
Sleep Cycle:
 Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a therapeutic technique in

which clinicians make suggestions to
individuals who have undergone a
procedure designed to relax them and
focus their minds.
Working of Hypnosis:
Hypnosis is thought to work by altering
our state of consciousness in such a way
that the analytical left-hand side of the
brain is turned off, while the non-
analytical right-hand side is made more
alert. The conscious control of the mind is
inhibited, and the subconscious mind
awoken.
How long this effect:
Again this is really dependant on both
your hypnotherapist and your
circumstances. One off services such as
smoking cessation or gastric band
hypnotherapy can last around two hours,
while a general hypnotherapy session will
usually take 50 - 60 minutes.
 Usage of Hypnosis
Hypnosis can create a highly relaxed state of
inner concentration and focused attention for
patients, and the technique can be tailored to
different treatment methods, such as
cognitive-behavioral therapy. Patients also
can become more empowered by learning to
hypnotize themselves at home to reduce
chronic pain, improve sleep, or alleviate
some symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Continue…..
The suggestions given to people under
hypnosis appear to be an important part of
the mechanism through which the procedure
works. While many people won’t accept or
respond to an up-front, direct suggestion,
under hypnosis, suggestions seem to get into
the mind - perhaps through the “back door”
of consciousness where they often germinate
and take root as important behavioral or
psychological changes.