Have you ever consciously thought about your consciousness throughout any given day? Throughout any given day regardless of the occurrences, actions are affected by differing states of consciousness. As frequently as stages of consciousness may change, one does not stop and consciously allocate parts of their day into different categories. It is important to note the importance of being aware of different conscious phases throughout any given day, because these different phases affect decision-making aspects of our lives, and are crucial in understanding our own actions and reactions. Periods throughout any given day for me are divided into asleep, alert, and daydreaming modes. Throughout my phases of the day I am sleeping, eating, studying …show more content…
This phase is not only active during the majority of my activities, however it is the main reasoning behind my actions and reactions. This phase revolves around being in familiar surroundings and personally knowing myself, which is key for a subconscious phase to come into effect. Familiar environments include being inside a classroom, school, or during work. I often find myself subconscious of my surroundings during these repetitive activities, because I have done them so often that my mind knows the appropriate actions I should take. Activities such as being in class, talking to classmates, and completing notes are things that can be done without extreme care. These are repetitive and do not require a very alert state of mind, which is why it falls into this section. However throughout these parts of my day, I often find myself switching back and forth between periods of alertness and daydreaming. My periods of alertness include taking tests at school, talking with professors, or dealing with customers at work. These are periods where I find that without mental alertness, I fail at my task. These important tasks signal my brain to be alert, and that a clear state of mind is important. Not being alert while taking notes is fine as I may miss something, however missing a question on a test is extremely detrimental. It is almost a subconscious thought, to be alert and aware during these stages of my day. I have been in school for the past 20 years, so this thought process is second nature for me. On the other hand, my brain is not always on high alert, so I do have periods of rest. My periods of daydreaming often include the time it takes to get to a different destination such as a walk from class to work. When I walk from one class to the next, I use that time to daydream about other things on my mind.
Chapter 4 discusses the several states of consciousness: the nature of consciousness, sleep and dreams, psychoactive drugs, hypnosis, and meditation. Consciousness is a crucial part of human experience, it represents that private inner mind where we think, feel, plan, wish, pray, omagine, and quietly relive experiences. William James described the mind as a stream of consciousness, a continuous flow of changing sensations, images thoughts, and feelings. Consciousness has two major parts: awareness and arousal. Awareness includes the awareness of the self and thoughts about one's experiences. Arousal is the physiological state of being engaged with the environment. Theory of mind refers to individuals understanding that they and others think,
“Too black for the white kids, too white for the black kids.” “Where do I fit in?” These are common questions one may ask themselves if he or she is struggling with double consciousness. Many people struggle with a double consciousness every day without even realizing the effects it has on them or even the people around them. Double consciousness was discovered in 1903 by W.E.B. Du Bois which he referenced the internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups in an oppressive society. He relayed his message in his writing “The Souls of Black Folk”. As stated before, double consciousness has many different effects on a person such as them trying to fit in, having to feel like they have to pick a side (black side or white side), or eventually losing themselves.
In W.E.B Du Bois’s “Double-Consciousness and the Veil”, he talks about the Negro’s viewpoint in the emancipated world. He illustrates the way that black people are able to view themselves from two perspectives. He shows the struggle that black people have to balance out in order to make it in society. I will be explaining what the theory of double-consciousness is and what Du bois felt like it meant for black people.
The unconscious mind can be explained in various ways and can take on various attributes. Carl Jung the author of “The Archetype and the Collective Unconscious,” defines unconsciousness as the first reactions and interactions a person endeavors. Several Physicists believe that the unconscious mind acts separately from our voluntary thinking. Scientist believes that understanding the unconscious mind is key to determining what type of archetype a person may have or develop. Experiments such as, reaction to stimuli, have lead cognitive psychiatrist to determine the strength of the unaware and involuntary mind. In addition, many social physicists have also believed that the unconscious mind is unaware of it actions and that the unconscious part of our brain can sometimes be focused on several signs that our conscious self can’t see.
The reading (a) From the 1967 Preface by Georg Lukacs presented three different arguments. Some of these themes have been mentioned in previous readings. Alienation, false consciousness, and stand point contribute to a better understanding of how society is expected to function based on socially constructed ideas. Alienation is losing your persona and becoming immune to a particular activity. For example, you can become alienated with work, since it's a constant and daily routine that you lose connection with the real world. False consciousness is the misleading of facts into believing unrealistic ideas; therefore they are not seeing what is in front of them. Therefore, you only see what you want to see. It is known that the proletarians are
Renner, T., Feldman, R., Majors, M., Morrissey, J., & Mae, L. (2011). States of Consciousness. Psychsmart (pp. 99-107). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Mindfulness is an ideal that has been present for thousands of years (positivepsychologyprogram.com). It has roots in almost every major religion: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and most renown, Buddhism and Hinduism (positivepsychologyprogram.com). Psychology Today defines mindfulness as “a state of active, open attention on the present.” Dr. Shauna Shapiro during a TEDx Talk defines mindfulness as “intentionally paying attention with kindness” (Shapiro, S., 2017). Mindfulness has many principles involved with it, but the short version is to be aware. It is to be aware of the present moment deliberately. Jon Kabat-Zinn, considered the father of the western movement for mindfulness by some, defines mindfulness as, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Bodhipaksa, 2007). We, as humans, get caught up in the business of life; so, we need to stay oriented to the present. Another way to describe this is “acting with awareness rather than on ‘automatic autopilot’” (Caldwell, et al, 2010). Mindfulness is non-judgmental about life. Mindfulness is to not be over-reactive by what’s going on around us (mindful.org). Mindfulness is being non-reactive to your environment. There are many things that stem from this thinking,
The days that I can stay awake and meditate, I feel much happier with myself. It usually clears my head and makes it seem like I have no worries. Everyday I follow the second step of the Law of Pure Potentiality. I commune with nature,. Most days I just sit in the green and watch the leaves blow around, I usually pick out one particular leaf and watch where it goes.
Being blessed with another day of life, waked up by the sunrise of a beautiful day. Had a couple of peaceful seconds in my mind, but eventually I started to remember all the things I had to do by the end of this infinite day. Just by thinking about it got me exhausted. I got up from my comfortable bed and took a warm shower. While, taking a shower, I was thinking of a million things; how I was going to present my project in engineering class. Or how I was going to finish my other projects for my other 3 classes? What can do to improve on my soccer skills and accomplish varsity this year? How I was going to get accepted into college and how I’m paying for college? Problems that make me feel in a diverse world. However, I checked if I had everything
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
I have never kept an hourly record of my mental alertness till now. During this three-day period, I noticed that my alertness follows a certain path. On Thursday and Friday, I noticed that during the morning time, during 7:00-8:00am I was extremely drowsy, while at 9:00am I was somewhat drowsy, by 10:00am, on I was extremely alert and efficient till about 3:00pm where I would slow down a bit more again, and that was till I at least ate lunch. In the late afternoon, around 7:00-8:00pm I was alert again till I sat down and did homework, by 9:00-10:00pm I was already tired and drowsy, due to all the duties of the day. My third day was Saturday and I noticed that my circadian rhythm was different. I slept better at night, without any disruptions. I woke up late around 11am and once I was up I was somewhat alert, by 12:00pm on I was extremely alert and efficient. I did not experience any drowsiness or tiredness during the day till about 11pm. However, I was able to keep myself up and go to bed around
Flow is not a tangible reward for doing well in an activity, it is not a state of being you can achieve from a drug, or a type of mindset that certain people have. Flow is a state of consciousness. But before Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi can define flow, the definition of consciousness must be presented. Consciousness is the awareness of ourselves and our environment. This is so important to know because what breaks the threshold to achieve flow is when one is not conscious of himself or the environment. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, flow is a completely involved, focused state of consciousness, with diminished awareness of self and time,
The way that our brain processes information and responds to the awareness of things is a very complex system with in the brain. One study mentioned talks about the integration of senses in the brain and how we process the information. “Another study better illustrates the integrative nature of this synchrony. Words were presented in various locations on a screen; whether the subject became aware of the word’s color or if its location-indicated by being able to recall is later-depended on whether a frontal or temporal area was activated during the presentation. But if the individual registered both the color and the location, additional activity occurred in a part of the parietal cortex (Uncapher, Otten, & Rugg, 2006).” (Garrett, pg.501) This research demonstrates how different people react differently to stimuli and different levels of their cognition and awareness. It is important for people to develop a sense of awareness in order to function fully in the world. The book argues “that one apparent advantage is that it enables consistency and a playfulness in our behavior that would not be possible otherwise. (Garrett, pg. 502) It is human nature to rely on a consistency and the ability to plan ahead which is why the function of awareness is so important to the human
“Consciousness is defined as everything of which we are aware at any given time - our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions of the external environment. Physiological researchers have returned to the study of consciousness, in examining physiological rhythms, sleep, and altered states of consciousness (changes in awareness produced by sleep, meditation, hypnosis, and drugs)” (Wood, 2011, 169). There are five levels of consciousness; Conscious (sensing, perceiving, and choosing), Preconscious (memories that we can access), Unconscious ( memories that we can not access), Non-conscious ( bodily functions without sensation), and Subconscious ( “inner child,” self image formed in early childhood).
Sleeping and Dreaming Despite the large amount of time we spend asleep, surprisingly little is actually known about sleeping and dreaming. Much has been imagined, however. Over history, sleep has been conceived as the space of the soul, as a state of absence akin to death, as a virtual or alternate reality, and more recently, as a form of (sub)consciousness in which memories are built and erased. The significance attributed to dreams has varied widely as well.