Unconscious, in psychology, is a term used to describe such mental processes as thoughts, ideas, and feelings that go on in people’s minds without their being aware of them. Many people commonly refer to the unconscious as the subconscious. The existence of mental processes that are active in the mind without being conscious was first studied scientifically by the French neurologist Jean Martin Charcot and his pupils in the 1800’s. They studied the unconscious by means of hypnosis. Soon after, doctors realized that many people with mental illness, such as those diagnosed with “hysteria,” were influenced by unconscious thoughts and feelings.
The doctor who first realized clearly the importance of unconscious thoughts and feelings in human psychology was Sigmund Freud of Austria. He developed the method of psychoanalysis for treating patients with mental illness. This method also serves as a way of learning what goes on unconsciously in a patient’s mind. With psychoanalysis, Freud proved that unconscious feelings and thoughts not only produce the symptoms of many types of mental illness, but that they are also important in the way healthy minds work. This knowledge has enabled doctors to make great advances in the treatment of mental illness.
