This section covers the following topics

Basic principles of consciousness, including the mere-exposure effect

Levels of consciousness, from conscious to unconscious

Dreams and other altered levels of consciousness

Section Summary

The basic levels of consciousness include the unconscious, preconscious, subconscious, and nonconscious. A major area of study within the study of consciousness is sleep and dreams. When we sleep, we go through four stages of sleep, the most important of which is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We dream during REM sleep, and there are multiple theories that explain how and why we dream. Not all people dream peacefully, and sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea plague many people. Sleep is a natural altered state of consciousness, but there are other altered states of consciousness that can be reached through hypnosis and drugs.

Introduction

Psychologists have always been interested in the nature of consciousness. For a long time, however, it was impossible to learn about consciousness because only the person himself or herself can describe what is going on in his or her mind. There is renewed interest now in the study of consciousness, which William James described as a “stream of thoughts.”

There are two main theories regarding the study of consciousness: dualism and monism.

Dualism: In dualism, only thought and matter exist. Matter is everything that has substance, and thought is the nonmaterial aspect that arises from the brain. Thought gives humans free will.

Monism: In monism, on the other hand, thought and matter are both aspects of the same substance. Thoughts are a result of brain processes, and when a person dies, their thoughts don’t exist anymore.

Principles of Consciousness

Concepts

People experience different levels of consciousness. The mere-exposure effect occurs when a person prefers something that he or she has seen... Sign up to continue reading Section 5: States of Consciousness >

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