Mental substance can be divided into two main components - unconscious and conscious processes. In a person's life, the psychic substance begins to manifest itself exclusively at the unconscious level and only with the appearance of the personality does the person begin to develop consciousness. In this sense, consciousness is a superstructure to the unconscious, exists at the expense of the unconscious, works for the interests of the unconscious and occupies a relatively modest part of the entire psychic substance.
One could say that consciousness is just an island in the ocean of the unconscious. The unconscious and the conscious are mutually exclusive and mutually complementary. The unconscious and the conscious are opposed to each other, but united in the psychic substance and human life. It is wrong to believe that consciousness plays the main role in the emergence of attitudes. In all important life situations, consciousness depends on the unconscious.
Properties of the unconscious:
All desires based on instinctive drives are in the unconscious and exist independently of each other. Only certain ideas of desires are realized, only what we think about our desires, but not desires as such in their original form. In the unconscious, desires are free from contradictions. If several desires, whose goals seem to be incompatible, simultaneously become active, then they do not diminish or reinforce each other. They are combined into a compromise goal. It is only consciousness that fights against paradoxes, but not the unconscious. For the unconscious, the problem of paradox does not exist at all. The unconscious is closer to the laws of the universe, which finds a place for everything.
Processes in the unconscious exist outside of time. They do not change over time and do not have a time sequence. Temporary relationships are purely the prerogative of consciousness. In other words, innate unconscious reactions and the experience acquired by the unconscious are preserved unchanged.
Everything that accumulates in the unconscious coexists with each other. This quality is clearly confirmed (proved) by the capabilities of memory. For example, memories in a state of somnambulistic hypnotic trance reproduce exactly the same experiences that were during the remembered event.
The unconscious does not doubt or deny anything. Unconscious desires and needs can be stronger or weaker only from the degree of satisfaction, and also manifest themselves in a complex compromise complex with other desires and desires of the antagonists. There is no other way to influence unconscious desires. This is very important to understand.
If there is an unconscious desire, it will remain and nothing will change it. As a result, its manifestation can be complex with other desires. In a sense, a destructive unconscious need (say, of a neurotic nature) can, as it were, dissolve in a complex with constructive needs, that is, manifest itself as a shade in the corresponding actions of a person. Any unconscious desire at the behavioral level, as a result, can receive positive treatment.
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Unconscious processes have little to do with personal ideas about reality. They are governed by their own strength and the pleasure principle. The unconscious does not care about some conditional, contrived reality, this is not his concern. Consciousness exists for connection with the conditions of the surrounding reality and cause-and-effect relationships with objective reality. And the unconscious is interested exclusively in internal desires and needs.
The unconscious seeks pleasure (release of tension) and avoids pain. The unconscious is occupied only with itself and therefore, in a sense, is moral. The unconscious is not concerned with the problem of means of satisfying desires. The problem of means is related to consciousness. This consciousness thinks how to adapt unconscious desires to reality and reality, in what form and under what pretext.
The energy of unconscious processes and ideas is much more mobile than the energy of consciousness. In the unconscious, there are no obstacles characteristic of external reality. The energy of unconscious processes is not subject to the requirements of reality, the requirements of time, orderliness and logic.
Unconscious processes easily condense, move and are conditioned only by the need for relaxation. Difficulties, confusion and congestion arise during the transition to action, when consciousness takes control.