Question

Freud coined the term unconsciousness. This was the third thing, or tripartite, after preconscious and conscious. Discuss what unconsciousness is and how it relates to symptoms exhibited by clients that are not organic in nature (medically explained).

Answer 1

The unconscious comprises of all mental processes that occur autonomously and are not amenable to immediate introspection. According to Freud, the unconscious mind is the repository of repressed memories and conflicts, and the contents of the unconscious can be investigated through dreams, automatic thoughts, slips of tongue and jokes. Symptoms exhibited by clients that cannot be explained by medical causes are often considered to be manifestations of deep rooted psychological distress. Usually, the distress is embedded in the unconscious mind and may remain undetected. The physical symptoms are subsequently exhibited without an legitimate organic cause, because their source stems from the conflicts within the unconscious. These symptoms may thus be conceptualised as a manner by which repressed conflicts bring themselves into an individual’s awareness.