Nowadays, many (magical) lectures and seminars on unconsciousness are introduced in online videos, creating an atmosphere of saying "treating unconsciousness pays." Some of these videos focus on uncovering one's unnoticed potential. I am confused about why only unconsciousness is closed-up. Although the existence value of preconsciousness has already surpassed that of unconsciousness, the videos do not show interest in preconsciousness and advocate only unconsciousness. I think that this is a strange phenomenon.
Freud may be the man responsible for this focus on unconsciousness. Freud's thought on preconsciousness is far different from that on unconsciousness. Freud does not give much functions to preconsciousness. The most important point that Freud gives to preconsciousness is that unconscious desires should be censored by unconsciousness when they float up to consciousness. However, most of our minds lie in preconsciousness. Unless people can describe preconsciousness, they cannot describe anything, such as consciousness, language, objectivity, or structure of personality. Therefore, without making reference to preconsciousness, people stand far from the point of view of understanding the human mind.
I have repeatedly argued for my revision of Freud's topography on my website. In other words, I revised Freud's three-layer structure of "consciousness, preconsciousness, and unconsciousness" into a circular structure divided into three sections of "preconsciousness, consciousness, and unconsciousness." Through this revision, the psychodynamics of the dissociative and defensive cycles, which are retrograde cycles, can be classified, and all psychic phenomena can be explained. Incidentally, we should understand that such topography is characteristically limited while awakening. The time of sleeping is the world only of unconsciousness. When awakening, consciousness is generated as if unconsciousness is divided into two forms and preconsciousness is generated on the opposite side of unconsciousness across consciousness.
Preconsciousness is a reservoir of memories, representations, and nests. The most important function of preconsciousness is the emotional control system (the functional network of neural transmissions in the emotional brain) which handles language (emotional cognitive language including cognitive language). The emotional control system consists of the displeasure-defense system (which belongs to the unconscious system) and the displeasure-regulation system (which belongs to the preconscious system). Can the emotional control system be replaced with the relationship of "es, ego, and super-ego"? I have already introduced Freud's agony, that is, the discordance between topography and structural theory. However, it is possible to reconcile "preconsciousness ⇔ consciousness ⇔ unconsciousness" and "regulatory factor ⇔ displeasing factor ⇔ defensive factor." In this case, "regulatory factor ← displeasing factor ⇔ defensive factor" together with "regulatory factor → displeasing factor."
There are three stages in the evolution of preconsciousness regarding the relationship with consciousness.
In the first stage, preconsciousness enables awakening in cooperation with consciousness. If consciousness only faces unconsciousness, there is no knowing whether consciousness can always achieve the maintenance of life. However, preconsciousness becomes to memorize the changes of the situation and to support the choice of consciousness, thereby the risk of living decreases. If preconsciousness "temporarily" cooperates with consciousness, the degree of awakening is not raised, and when consciousness overcomes the crisis, the degree of awakening deteriorates and living organisms become asleep. In the case of humans, because preconsciousness continues to rouse consciousness, the degree of awakening is gradually raised, and becomes balanced.
In the second stage, while preconsciousness supports consciousness regarding displeasure intruding into consciousness from unconsciousness, many types of situations surface. As preconsciousness remembers the handling of all kinds of situations, preconsciousness becomes bogged down with a huge number of memories. Therefore, it becomes necessary to arrange these memories. When no stimulus intrudes into consciousness from unconsciousness, preconsciousness sends some stimuli to consciousness to determine the order of priority. In other words, without participation of unconsciousness, at the request of preconsciousness, consciousness can meet the necessity of the integration and rationalization of information.
In the third stage, the integration and rationalization of various types of information are repeatedly integrated and rationalized. Thus, in the third stage, without the function of consciousness, preconsciousness almost automatically manages such tasks by itself. We can lead everyday life more smoothly, owing to this function of preconsciousness.
These can be summarized as follows: in the first stage, preconsciousness cooperates with consciousness and contributes to raising the degree of awakening (this is described in "Consciousness and awakening" on this website). In the second stage, without unconscious requests, preconsciousness succeeds in monopolizing and letting consciousness function (this is described in "Neural transmissions that consciousness participates in" on the page of "The true character of consciousness" on this website). In the third stage, without the function of consciousness, preconsciousness independently performs the integration and rationalization of various types of information. Therefore, the burden of consciousness is further reduced, and we can lead our everyday life more smoothly (this is described in "Study on consciousness (3)" on this website).
Preconsciousness not only forms a part of a duo with consciousness, but also exhibits an important independent function. In other words, representations are formed through connecting various concepts. Specifically, without a real encounter with a phenomenon, we can create the phenomenon in our minds. Person representations and language representations are highly significant. When person representations can be formed, we can imagine something and create a kind of drama in our minds. Moreover, owing to the appearance of language representations, we can describe a person's representation.
Why do person representations require language representations? The ultimate reason is that language representations are needed not to verbalize not natural phenomena, but psychic phenomena (which have gradually become complicated). For this purpose, various preparations and conditions are required. The most important preparation is the anatomical change in humans that facilitates speaking. For humans, there was an evolutionary change from vocalization to speaking. Moreover, the numberof person representations held in the animal brain (six representations) does not need language. However, the number of person representations held in a characteristic human brain reaches up to 14. Therefore, psychic phenomena become quite complicated, as I have described in the emotional control system, and cannot be expressed sufficiently only by vocalization or gestures. Furthermore, the nature of the displeasing factors in the displeasure-defense system (held in the animal brain) and the nature of the displeasing factors in the displeasure-regulation system (held in the characteristic human brain) have strangely developed; that is, they have reversed and are opposite to each other. Hence, it becomes necessary to construct the emotional control system that responds to this development. This has already been introduced in "The Fundamental Principles of the Integration Theory of Psychoanalysis" on this website. In the animal brain and the human brain, there are double motive systems, namely, aggression and fragility. In the animal brain, (pathological) aggression is liable to be diffused to others and has destructive characteristics. In contrast, in the human brain, (healthy) aggression is not diffused to others but converges, and has productive characteristics. The displeasure-regulation system, which supports this development in humans, should have formed emotional factors to construct "the loop of forgiveness" by using language representations. Moreover, (pathological) fragility in the animal brain is not diffused to others but converges, resulting in withdrawal (autism). In contrast, (healthy) fragility in the human brain is liable to to be diffused to others and has the characteristic of becoming dependent and requiring support. The displeasure-regulation system, which supports this development in humans, should have formed emotional factors to construct "the loop of help" by using language representations. Thus, the real reason for the generation of language is a means of understanding and expression to maintain the health of human minds. In other words, unless an individual can understand and express the movements of his/her subtle mind by language, his/her mind is not healthy. It has already been possible to distinguish between normality and abnormality of mind. That is, personality structure in seven stages can be distinguished, which causes groups of disorders and psychopathology leading to collapse of preconsciousness.
"Number" is the ultimate measure for objective knowledge. Number shows an independent standard released from "pleasure and displeasure": number of articles, size, length, strength, etc. (incidentally, particles are included in the language system and do not have an independent standard). Why did the "number" acquire such a characteristic mentioned above? Psychic phenomena are generated from four solid dimensions created through three axes of "self and other" mode in the perception system, "being and not-being" mode in the thinking system, and "pleasure and displeasure" mode in the emotion system. When these three axes satisfy the conditions in four solid dimensions, the number as a measure for objectivity appears. In "self and object" mode in the perception system, the location to indicate a number leans toward the side of "other." In "being and not-being" mode in the thinking system, the location to indicate a number leans toward the side of "not-being." In "pleasure and displeasure" mode in the emotion system, the middle of the 5 levels (-2, -1, 0, +1, and +2) is "0" and a number tends to stay at "0." The number's significance is arranged as decision criteria by the collaboration of consciousness and preconsciousness. Why does "pleasure and displeasure" mode tend to stay at "0" level? It is considered that there might be a limitation of preconsciousness (or a limitation of the collaboration of consciousness and preconsciousness) with respect to language processing. The more a situation complicates, the more the language procession becomes ambiguous and slow. Moreover, it is impossible to get away from "pleasure and displeasure." Such circumstances might lead to the acquisition of a number as new decision criteria. Incidentally, what about animals' cases? In my argument, presence of language is the premise, and a number is generated exceeding the limit of language. Additionally, in animals, "pleasure and displeasure" can stay at "0" level. When the activation of the ideal self continues in "ideal self ⇔ weak self-object ⇔ grandiose object," which is generated in the fragile system in the displeasure-defense system, there is a possibility that "pleasure and displeasure" mode stay at "0" level. However, animals do not have language-related conditions. Therefore, it is difficult to think that "0" level is maintained for a long time. Thus, it is doubtful whether animals have the concept of numbers. In humans, there are some differing circumstances between the displeasure-regulation system and the displeasure-defense system. The pursuit of pleasure (curiosity) originates in "+1" produced by the displeasure-regulation system. So-called cognitive language (emotion potential language) uses this for excessive pleasure. However, this "+1" is intermittent rather than persistent. Because the emotional control system continues to work, it is kept waiting for the next "+1" level. The case of "0" also circulates in a similar manner. However, in the case of "0" level, by the collaboration of consciousness and preconsciousness, an intrusion of displeasing factors (from unconsciousness) into consciousness can be stopped for a while. In other words, objectivity, which is necessary for producing some results, can be obtained (this is "the emotion exclusion type of self-consciousness"). In contrast, "+1" produced by the displeasure-defense system indicates manic defense and "0" indicates withdrawal. Neither of these are persistent. However, this case of "0" level is also maintained for a while as it is considered necessary through the collaboration of consciousness and preconsciousness. Therefore, even if an individual is not psychologically healthy, he/she can sometimes fulfill his/her potential considering a number (numerical formula). Thus, in humans, preconsciousness has evolved to possess enormous power (assisted by consciousness). In any case, a dream is characteristic of unconsciousness, and a number is characteristic of preconsciousness.
Animals have only the displeasure-defense system and can experience only an abnormal mind. Regarding the preconsciousness of animals, I cannot precisely describe its size and function. In contrast, in humans, even if abnormal minds are predominantly functional, in the conditions wherein it becomes possible to acquire and learn the experience of being loved, for example, by the radical treatment (described on this website), regulatory factors and regulatory sub-factors are acquired, the displeasure-regulation system starts to work, and the displeasure-defense system is suppressed. Subsequently, a curative mechanism of disease is generated, which leads to cure. Because the displeasure-regulation system is formed in preconsciousness, preconsciousness plays an important role in "placing unconsciousness into consciousness."
Even if an individual suffers from psychological symptom formation and the displeasure-defense system is highly activated in him/her, the "undifferentiated" displeasing factors meet the defensive factors in preconsciousness. Both the undifferentiated displeasing factors and the defensive factors are generated from unconsciousness. The undifferentiated displeasing factors appear in preconsciousness through the dissociative cycle (preconsciousness ← consciousness ← unconsciousness), and the defensive factors appear in preconsciousness through the defensive cycle (unconsciousness → preconsciousness). In an actual clinical case, when a patient suffers from depression, he/she is administered antidepressants by simple medical examination through interviews. Therefore, therapists almost always neither understand nor use the psychodynamics of symptom formation and the mechanism of radical treatment, as mentioned later. Thus, when a patient opts for psychotherapy and psychoanalysis with depression, therapists cannot meet the patient's request without knowing the content mentioned later.
In the basic psychodynamics of a patient with depression, projective identification is present in the fragile system and "weak object → weak self → ideal self" is constantly functioning. However, projective identification is only a basic method of neural transmission, and there are two circumstances as follows. One is the circumstances before leading to projective identification, and the other is circumstances after projective identification. In the circumstances prior to leading to projective identification, destructive aggression more or less attacks "weak self-object" which is the undifferentiated displeasing factor. Consider the case of a teacher with depression. For example, a teacher unconsciously attacks a student and his/her parent (weak object ⇔ grandiose object). A "weak object" mentioned above is transformed into an "injured weak object" and projective identification develops into "perversive thinking." In circumstances after projective identification, "grandiose object → bad object → punitive object → ideal self" is generated and self-reproach grows worse. In other words, the injured student's parent gets angry and starts to censure the teacher; hence, the "punitive type" of guilt is generated in a teacher. The mechanism of the formation of depression mentioned above works insidiously. In a treatment, a patient is first released from self-reproach and then from projective identification, which forms perversive thinking. It is necessary to activate the regulatory factors in the aggressive system for releasing the patient from self-reproach, and to activate the regulatory factors in the fragile system for releasing the patient from projective identification. All these tasks are performed in preconsciousness.
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