Consciousness is a psychological condition defined by the English philosopher John Locke as “the perception of what passes in a man's own mind.” Essentially it is the part of a person that is self-aware and is present to some extent in many, if not all, functions of the brain and nervous system. Psychologically an individual’s consciousness and the notion of the self are complicated ideas that cover a number of different aspects of an individual’s personality. They represent what it means to be you – an individual consciousness, or that which we call “I”.

Consciousness appears to be a construct formed and generated by a number of distinct psychological & neurophysiological functions and mechanisms, rather like a gestalt entity, in that the whole seems to be greater than the sum of its parts.


Illustration: The four planes (i - iv) and the five imperatives (I - V) of consciousness that constitute the human psyche.

There are numerous ways of breaking down a person’s consciousness or psyche (as it is sometimes termed in the field of psychology… see Freud, Jung etc). The psyche is more a 'catch all' term that covers conscious, preconscious (formerly termed the subconscious) and unconscious activity, and essentially breaks down as follows…

i. The body or physical self: the seat of the senses and of physical expression, the conduit through which perception is received and expression or behavior is communicated. Essentially the collection of organic matter animated by and possessed of the psyche. It can be argued that the psyche is active throughout the body’s entire nervous and sensory systems even though the presence is mostly unconscious – as in the case of most autonomic bodily functions and behavior. Consciousness also manifests through these bodily systems, for example, in effort (say to catch a ball) or..say to communicate).

ii. The mind or preconscious self: the seat of memory, reason & emotion; it is the root of cognitive and conceptual thoughts that evaluate perceived reality and decide on appropriate behavior and action. This aspect of the psyche is heavily influenced by perception, education and experience gained throughout a person’s life. The preconscious is that part of the psyche that is not immediately present in consciousness – often acting at a near unconscious level. However, it is capable of being recalled by the conscious awareness of the psyche (see the spirit or ego below) without any inner resistance or repression.

iii. The soul or super-ego: conscience or the moral self; it is the preconscious seat of fairness, of ethical and social concerns and is the root of altruism, conviction and empathy for others. It is most readily manifested as a sense of guilt or, alternatively, of righteousness and is heavily (though not exclusively) influenced by upbringing, peer-pressure and parental boundaries imposed and learnt as a child and through adolescence.

iv. The spirit or ego: the conscious or high self, that which we aspire to be. It is the seat of volition, charisma and creativity, the root of personal aspiration, as well as of imaginative and individualistic concerns. This is the aspect of the psyche most often, and most readily identified as an individual’s consciousness or that part of us we most often term “I”. Most every-day motives derive from the conscious ego, which is formed largely by experience but is heavily influenced by perceived positive or negative incentives learnt throughout life. It is subject to, and draws from, all the learnt or inherited aspects of the entire psyche.

I. The id, the true or hidden self: an unconscious abstract of the spirit; it is our inner child, the seat of impulse and the most base root of the primeval instincts and intuitions for self-interest and preservation. The id is deeply rooted in a person’s formative experiences as an early infant. It is the mechanism by which the “survival of the self” imperative is enacted. The unconscious is that part of the psyche that is usually deeply repressed and withdrawn from conscious thought and direct awareness, it can manifest though in dreams or at times of stress or fatigue.

II. The collective unconscious: sometimes termed genetic memory it is an unconscious abstract of the soul. The legacy of evolution that we genetically inherit from all our ancestors - possibly back to the earliest forms of life - manifesting as the intuitive and instinctual gnosis (knowledge which is inherently known to be true) of archetypal or universal life roles and situations. It is the mechanism by which the mating and nurturing imperatives are enacted. It is believed by some that certain forms of meditation and mysticism can reveal or release the gnostic truths of the collective unconscious - the knowledge and experience gained by all forebears, and that by doing so a higher level of consciousness can be achieved.

III. The anima or ideal self: a preconscious (though sometimes unconscious) abstract of the mind and the soul that encompasses ideals of conduct and which drives us to acts of heroism, bravery and personal sacrifice even when confronted by extreme danger. It is the mechanism by which the “survival of the species” imperative is enacted and can be summed up in the maxim: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

IV. The animus or libido (in its broadest sense): a generally preconscious (though sometimes unconscious) abstract of the mind and body; this is the urge or imperative to learn and to question and is the seat of interest, enthusiasm and inquisitiveness... often manifesting as a “lust for life” and a search for intellectual and sensual experience of all types. It is the mechanism by which the curiosity or learning imperative is enacted.

V. The persona: sometimes a conscious (but also often preconscious or unconscious) imperative that is rooted in the mind, soul and spirit. This defense mechanism acts both as a mask and a projection of the psyche. It manifests through the body or physical self as behavior and expression, it is the aspect of the psyche we (sometimes preconsciously or unconsciously) wish others to perceive. But also it acts as the mask behind which we (sometimes preconsciously or unconsciously) hide those deeper, more personal aspects of the psyche we wish not to share. An individual’s psyche may have many personas, depending on the physical and social environment the individual finds themselves in.