preconscious
Sign in to saveIn psychoanalysis, the preconscious is the locus preceding consciousness. Thoughts are preconscious when they are unconscious at a particular moment, but are not repressed. Therefore, preconscious thoughts are available for recall and easily 'capable of becoming conscious'—a phrase attributed by Sigmund Freud to Josef Breuer.
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
8 sectionsContents
- Freud's 'Topographical' System
- Characteristics
- Relation to the Ego, Id, and Superego
- In Therapy
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
In psychoanalysis, the preconscious is the locus preceding consciousness. Thoughts are preconscious when they are unconscious at a particular moment, but are not repressed. Therefore, preconscious thoughts are available for recall and easily 'capable of becoming conscious'—a phrase attributed by Sigmund Freud to Josef Breuer.
Freud contrasted the preconscious () to both the conscious () and the unconscious () in his topographical system of the mind.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “preconscious” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.