What Is The Preconscious And What Does It Mean To Me?

You may have heard of the conscious and unconscious mind, but the word “preconscious” isn’t as widely known or used. The preconscious refers to the thoughts you aren't actively thinking of but can call to mind easily given the right trigger.

Here, we’ll explore the preconscious, how it affects us, and how the preconscious can be leveraged by therapists to help clients make connections between their feelings and past experiences and current behaviors. 

Understanding the preconscious: A theoretical overview

The term preconscious is popularized by Sigmund Freud to describe a layer of the mind that lies between the conscious and unconscious. 

Unlike the contents of the unconscious mind, which are not easily accessible to awareness, preconscious thoughts and memories can be brought into the conscious mind with some effort or through specific triggers. 

This layer consists of information that you are not actively thinking about at the moment but can easily recall if needed, such as your home address, a recent conversation, or the plot of a book you've read.

Freud's psychoanalytic theory posits that the human mind is divided into three primary components: the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. 

• Conscious thoughts can be defined as those we're aware of right now. In general, we must actively hold these thoughts in mind. If we don't, they might be stored in the long-term memory or the unconscious mind.

• The unconscious mind can encompass all the thoughts we have that we aren't actively thinking about at this moment. Within the unconscious mind, Freud said, there are usually thoughts we can't easily retrieve. These may be traumatic memories or thoughts we have repressed.

• Preconscious thoughts are generally those that we aren't thinking of now but can think of easily if we choose to or if they are triggered. We may not be using those thoughts at this moment, but we can pull them out of our unconscious minds quickly and easily.

Some sources place the preconscious as a part of the mind separate from the unconscious. This interpretation of Freudian theory makes a clear distinction between the part of the mind we can easily get to and the part we can't. However, whether the preconscious mind is a part of the unconscious or not, all three aspects of the mind work together as we perceive and make decisions about our lives.

The id, ego, and superego

As Freud continued to develop psychoanalytic theory, he is believed to have had difficulty refining the definitions of the conscious, unconscious, and preconscious. After that, he generally focused on the three parts of the psyche he identified as the id, the ego, and the superego.

• The id refers to the disorganized part of the psyche where instincts and impulses rule. The id contains our unconscious desires and drives that may not be accepted socially or within our conception of what's right and wrong.

• The superego is the part of the personality that’s concerned with what you should do. While it resides primarily within the conscious mind, some elements may reside in the preconscious. 

• The ego mediates between the id and superego to determine the actions you take. As your mind’s decision-maker, it primarily operates in the conscious mind; however, it may also operate at the preconscious or unconscious level.

Freud also related the id, ego, and superego to the theory of the conscious and unconscious mind. He generally saw the ego and superego as conscious parts of the personality. The id may contain our unconscious desires and drives that may not be accepted socially or within our conception of what's right and wrong.

The ego mostly operates in the conscious mind, although it may call on the preconscious mind for information and memories. The superego primarily operates in the conscious mind as well. However, there may be times when you have feelings of right and wrong without being aware of the thoughts that come with those feelings.

Benefits of the preconscious mind

Your preconscious mind can be very handy. It may provide several benefits that the conscious mind can't supply on its own. Below are a few ways that the preconscious may benefit you. 

Memory storage

Long-term memories may be stored in your preconscious and unconscious minds 

Keeping memories “tucked away” but close at hand allows you to access them when needed, without overwhelming the conscious mind with constant information.

Habit formation and behavioral patterns

Habits and behavioral patterns are also influenced by the preconscious mind. Through repeated actions and behaviors, the preconscious helps automate routines, making them easier to perform without conscious thought. 

This automation allows us to perform complex tasks, like driving a car or playing an instrument, with minimal conscious effort, as the preconscious mind guides much of our actions based on learned patterns.

Perception and interpretation

The preconscious mind affects how we perceive and interpret the world around us. It filters sensory information, highlighting what is deemed relevant based on past experiences and expectations, helping shape our perception of reality. 

This selective attention influences how we interpret events, interact with others, and understand our environment, often guiding our reactions and behaviors in a way that aligns with preconceived notions and biases.

Intuition, preferences, and decision-making

The preconscious mind plays a critical role in the decisions we make and our preferences. It filters through past experiences and learned behaviors to guide us in making choices that seem instinctive or intuitive. 

For instance, when faced with a familiar situation, the preconscious quickly sifts through similar past experiences to influence our current decision-making, often without our conscious awareness.

Problem-solving

The preconscious mind plays a crucial role in problem-solving. It works in the background, processing and recombining information, ideas, and memories to generate creative solutions and new ideas. 

This process often occurs when we're not actively trying to solve a problem, leading to "eureka" moments when insights seemingly come out of nowhere. The preconscious mind has been quietly at work, piecing together fragments of thoughts and experiences to present a novel solution.

How therapists work with the preconscious

Whether they practice psychoanalytic methods or other types of therapy, therapists often engage with the preconscious mind, helping clients gain insight into their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Use your preconscious mind to your advantage

Work with an online therapist

Connecting memories

Often, we have two bits of information or two experiences we could put together to provide us with insights we may never have realized before. Both factors may be in your preconscious so that you aren't aware of them at the moment.

A skilled therapist may prompt you to remember facts and events that can help you draw your own conclusions. If your psychologist knows your background, they probably have some ideas about what kinds of experiences you may have had that can apply to the current situation.

For example, if you're trying to resolve a conflict with your child, your therapist might ask you to try to remember certain childhood experiences. Then, they might ask you to remember a time when you faced a similar conflict between you and another adult. By connecting these memories in your conscious mind, the therapist can help you decipher the differences and similarities between having a conflict with a child and having a conflict with an adult.

Teaching you through your own experiences

Therapists can help you connect memories from your preconscious to the conscious thoughts you're having during the session. As you move from stored information to conscious thought, you may find it easier to make these connections on your own.

Fine-tuning your awareness

Having information in your preconscious mind allows you to quickly access and use it. This capability is especially vital since we base our reasoned decisions on what we are currently aware of. Actively choosing what to focus on can be pivotal, turning a challenging situation into an opportunity for a positive outcome.

After you gain insight into therapy, your therapist may suggest that you keep that insight in mind as you face an upcoming situation that may be difficult for you to handle. You’re not likely to have that information locked in your conscious mind from the time of the session to the time the event occurs, but you can call it up from your preconscious as soon as the event begins to take place. This can be the benefit of doing work in therapy, so you can take what you learn and apply it to circumstances outside of sessions.

The preconscious and therapy

The preconscious may play a large role in psychotherapy. Therapists often ask questions about their clients’ lives, which frequently helps them with their preconscious memories. This can help clients combine memories in their preconscious with new lessons to create solutions that lead to important changes. 

Memory recall can be difficult for those experiencing a variety of mental health disorders – including depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and others – but a licensed therapist can help improve memory and reduce undesirable symptoms. 

Benefits of online therapy

Finding time to fine-tune your awareness can prove difficult if you lead a busy life. This is where online therapy may help. In general, you won’t have to travel in traffic to a therapist’s office and sit in a waiting room. You’ll likely be able to schedule convenient sessions outside of typical office hours as well.

Although there’s currently not much research regarding online therapy’s efficacy in utilizing the preconscious mind, a literature review has shown that online therapy is typically just as effective as face-to-face therapy, and it can treat a variety of mental health concerns. Online therapy may be a consideration for you as you explore the preconscious mind and how it works in your adult life.

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