Unconscious Mind

A detailed Summary of Unconscious Mind

The unconscious or subconscious mind, according to classical Freudian psychoanalysis, is a part of the mind that stores repressed memories. Sigmund Freud believed that the unconscious can be found in dreams and fantasies; and forced us to recognize that unconscious factors are significant determinants of human behavior. Since Freud studied mainly women, those unconscious factors usually were sexual traumas during early childhood. Many of his followers looked up to him and improvised on his ideas, but felt that he focused too much on sexual traumas. One of which is Carl Jung, who felt that Freud did not elaborate enough on his view of the psyche. Jung added 'collective' to unconscious mind, he believed that "...the personal, unconscious life of the individual rested on a deeper and more universal layer of the human psyche,..." (Fiero, 30). In one of his best works, The Collective Unconscious, he explains his theory on the unconscious mind. The concept of the unconscious mind can also be found in: Franz Kafka's, The Metamorphosis, my own dream, My Death, and a painting by Leyla Bruderlin and James Durant, Emotions. Kafka uses a strong image to symbolize the contents of his characters unconscious mind. In my dream, my death

My friend James Durant and I were feeling a little down one day and decided that we should express our emotions by drawing. When looking at our end product we could see many unconscious symbols. Subconsciously we drew the head of a person. The eyes are large and round, with red lines in them. There are also tears running down the side of the face. The nose is large and hook-like. Lines of vivid colors run through the top of the head. In front of the face there is what looks like a dark cloud, reaching out. Then on the opposite end, the back of the head, there is a orange yellow cloud. One can pick out the many different emotions visible in the face. For example, the shape and color of the eyes, and the tears are obvious symbols of sadness. Confusion and fear seem to be holding his eyes. The dark cloud signifies the mood that has befallen this person. The darker vivid lines running throughout the head indicate all the thoughts and worries haunting this person. The lighter, steady lines reassure happy and good thoughts.

The orange yellow shading at the back of the head tells the viewer that there is hope for joyful days. The painting also has words written on it. The

his theory. Another way to see concepts of the unconscious mind is through images in art.

the painting Emotions, different images, shapes, and colors signify all the emotions hidden in the unconscious mind.

word that catches most viewers eyes is 'Die'. One can conclude that there is a lot of unconscious thought in this painting. Perhaps, because James and I were relating our emotions through silence, it was easier for our unconscious thoughts to emerge. I feel painting is a good way to uncover the unconscious mind.

Franz Kafka is another prominent writer of the twentieth century. In his work, The Metamorphosis, the image of an insect symbolizes issues of the unconscious mind. Kafka uses this representation to show that Gregor Samsa has problems that lie deep within his subconscious. So deep, he does not even know about them. One morning Gregor awakes

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Approximate Word count = 1392
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts