the unconscious mind

• the assumption of the unconscious mind is Freud's proposal that the mind is like the tip of an iceberg.
• the tip of the iceberg represents our conscious minds, below the surface is the preconscious mind and the majority of the iceberg represents our unconscious mind, which is irrational and can only be accessed through our dreams.
• Freud suggested that the unconscious mind has unresolved conflicts between the Id, ego and superego, and that these conflicts influence our behaviour.
• to protect the ego, the unconscious mind formulates ego defence mechanisms, where the ego finds a way to deal with this internal conflict and anxiety through a range of strageties.
• for example, Gothelf et al. (1995) found that regression, denial, projection and repression were common to psychiatric patients suffering from severe adolescent anorexia nervosa.