Conscious vs Unconscious
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The conscious and unconscious minds have distinct differences. The conscious mind is aware, intentional, and responsive, while the unconscious mind is unaware and performs actions without realizing it. The unconscious mind has been acknowledged for thousands of years by various civilizations, particularly Hindus, who described it in their sacred texts called ‘Vedas.’ The unconscious mind does not perceive events as good, bad, or indifferent like the conscious mind, which is often blinded by interpretations of good and bad, leading to bias and problems.
What is Conscious?
The conscious mind is logical and rational, reacting to different situations in life. It is not aware of the unconscious mind, but the unconscious mind is aware of the conscious. The conscious mind is responsible for learning many things and skills, but it cannot remember all of them, so some are transferred to the unconscious mind. Interestingly, emotions are credited to the unconscious mind, which perceives events and paints their picture in the conscious mind. As a result, feelings stem from the conscious mind, so emotional problems can be solved by training the conscious mind to think differently.
What is Unconscious?
Highly successful people can free their minds of judgments and biases, seeing things as they are without passing judgments. These individuals have learned to tap into the potential of their unconscious mind and are considered creative. The unconscious mind does not react like the conscious mind; it perceives what is happening beyond the conscious mind and works without the individual’s knowledge. Nonverbal communication comes before verbal communication, with the unconscious mind detecting a smile and eliciting one from the conscious mind, for example. The unconscious mind is spontaneous and intuitive, responsible for learning many subjects that the conscious mind struggles to understand. Once a skill is mastered, it is transferred to the unconscious mind, which can store knowledge for long periods.
What is the Difference Between Conscious and Unconscious?
The conscious mind is sequential and logical, while the unconscious mind is spontaneous and processes information instantly. The unconscious mind can multitask, make associations and links between multiple thoughts and ideas, and knows why, while the conscious mind is linear, thinks in terms of cause and effect, and seeks why. The unconscious mind perceives and feels, while the conscious mind does intellectual thinking. The conscious mind operates in the waking state, and the unconscious mind is associated with dreams, reflection, meditation, and sleep. The conscious mind must make an effort to move body parts, while the unconscious mind does it involuntarily.
Key Takeaways
- The conscious mind is logical, rational, and aware, while the unconscious mind is unaware, spontaneous, and intuitive.
- Emotions stem from the conscious mind, which is influenced by the unconscious mind’s perceptions and feelings.
- Once a skill is mastered, it is transferred to the unconscious mind, which can store knowledge for long periods and handle complex tasks that the conscious mind cannot.
