Without thinking much about it, we pass through multiple states of consciousness during any given day. What state are you in at this moment? Right now you are awake and experiencing a single state of consciousness. Daydreaming, sleeping, meditation and hypnosis constitute examples of other states of consciousness. In addition, various drugs can alter consciousness.

The definition of consciousness involves a personal awareness of yourself and your environment. Psychologists believe that consciousness results from active neural connections in the brain. Since types of brain activity vary daily, states of consciousness frequently change. Daydreaming, sleeping and many substances influence brain activity, and thus cause changes in consciousness. Researchers have studied self-awareness from multiple angles, because this aspect of human thought is central to our existence. Freud shocked the world when he proposed that hidden forces existed deep within the unconscious mind, outside of people's awareness. He contended that these unconscious forces steer the conscious mind. Based on his theories, modern day psychologists have conducted research on how much of our mind makes up conscious deliberate processing, like choosing to text a friend versus unconscious automatic processing, like having a first impression of someone you just met.

Getting Started

Take a moment to reflect on your own states of consciousness by answering one of the following questions:

 

• Have you ever had too much caffeine? If so, how did it affect you?
• Think of a time when you tried to fight overwhelming drowsiness, and found that you momentarily drifted off to sleep anyway. Did it seem as if you had been asleep much longer than you later realized?
• Can you pinpoint a time when you were driving, riding in a car, or in class, and became lost in thought or unaware of your immediate surroundings? What was that experience like?
• What time of day do you feel most sleepy or alert? How do your behaviors differ during that time of day compared to others?

In your journal, compose a four to five sentence paragraph that answers one of the questions above. If you need assistance writing a journal entry, please visit the Developmental Module for more information.

Once you have completed your journal entry, please save it with a file name of mod4_consciousness and submit it to the journal dropbox.

Key Vocabulary

To view the definitions for those key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.

 

activation-synthesis	Franz Mesmer	psychoactive drug
addiction	hallucinogens	REM rebound
alcohol	hypnosis	REM stage
alpha waves	insomnia	sleep apnea
amphetamines	LSD	sleep spindles
barbiturates	marijuana	Social Influence Theory
circadian rhythm	meditation	Stage Four
cocaine	narcolepsy	Stage One
delta waves	night terrors	Stage Three
dependence	NREM	Stage Two
depressants	opiates	stimulants
dissociation	paradoxical sleep	tolerance
Divided Consciousness Theory	post-hypnotic suggestion	withdrawal
ecstasy