Human Unconscious Processes In Situ: The Kind of Awareness That Really Matters

The literature on unconscious influences on behavior uses two quite different definitions of “unconscious.” One is based on subliminality of the stimulus. The other, a sense associated with George Washington, is based on unawareness of the influences and consequences of a stimulus event. While the former has its origins in Freudian theory, the latter is more applicable to human behavior in natural contexts, and hence more relevant to the wider cognitive community. Under this Washingtonian definition, data strongly suggests that unconscious influences on everyday life are pervasive and come from many different sources. Research evidence supports two main types: analyses of the current situation that influence how we feel and choose and that generate behavioral impulses, and the operation of important goals outside of awareness, which direct attention, alter preferences, and guide action. The chapter notes further that conscious thoughts and feelings themselves logically must originate in unconscious processes.