Freud has developed a bad reputation in these modern times. He’s perceived as someone obsessed with sex. In one sense, he was, but we can’t let that obscure his many foundational contributions to the development of psychology as we know it today. Modern psychology and personality theory in particular would be very different without the pioneering work of Freud. Perhaps Freud’s greatest contribution was his theory of the conscious and unconscious mind. Despite the fact that many of his ideas are now outdated, the idea of the conscious and unconscious mind is still very relevant. Think of the conscious mind as any bit of information you can access at will. Compare Freud’s concept of consciousness and unconsciousness to the modern concept of mindfulness.

2.3 Assignment. Examining the Conscious and Unconscious Mind

Getting Started

Sigmund Freud has developed a bad reputation in these modern times. He’s perceived as someone obsessed with sex. In one sense, he was, but we can’t let that obscure his many foundational contributions to the development of psychology as we know it today. Modern psychology and personality theory in particular would be very different without the pioneering work of Freud.
Perhaps Freud’s greatest contribution was his theory of the conscious and unconscious mind. Despite the fact that many of his ideas are now outdated, the idea of the conscious and unconscious mind is still very relevant. Think of the conscious mind as any bit of information you can access at will. Compare Freud’s concept of consciousness and unconsciousness to the modern concept of mindfulness.For example, what was the last thing you ate? It should be easy to recall this. The unconscious mind is more mysterious. It represents things that might be hidden from our conscious mind and harder to understand. For example, someone cuts you off in traffic and you react with intense anger even though just a minute before the traffic incident you felt calm. Where did all that anger come from, and how did it erupt so quickly? Freud and his contemporary Carl Jung, another influential psychodynamic theorist, would both say that anger resides somewhere in your unconscious.
Freud and Jung believed the goal of therapy was to bring what was in the unconscious mind into conscious awareness. To get inside the unconscious and gain insight into the traffic incident, Freud might ask this question: What does being cutting off in traffic represent for you? The answer might be hidden in early life experiences where anger still resides, such as being bullied or taken advantage of.
According to Freud and Jung, everyone has an unconscious mind. But not everyone has to go through therapy to make sense of their emotional and life experiences. That’s where the concept of mindfulness comes into play. Mindfulness is simply focusing your conscious mind on what’s happening in the present moment that you’re living. That includes your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. In the fast-paced world we live in, mindfulness can be a wonderful way to slow down, become more in touch with your body, your emotions, and your relationships.
In this assignment, you have the opportunity to engage with and critique some of Freud’s ideas on the conscious and unconscious mind. You can then compare and contrast Freud’s conscious mind with our modern concept of mindfulness and apply mindfulness to some area of your life.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Compare Freud’s concept of consciousness and unconsciousness to the modern concept of mindfulness.

Resources

· Textbook: 
Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others

· Video & Transcript: Freud and Jung
· Video & Transcript: Jung’s Contributions to Psychology
· Video & Transcript: Psychology: Psychodynamic Approach
· Website: Academic Writer
· Website: OCLS Evaluating Sources Page

Background Information

Before beginning this assignment, you will want to view the three videos: Freud and Jung, Jung’s Contributions to Psychology, and Psychodynamic Approach. These videos, along with the reading from Chapter 6 of the textbook, will give you the information necessary to engage with the questions posed in this assignment.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Read Chapter 6 in your textbook.
3. Watch the following videos before attempting to write your paper:
Jung’s Contributions to Psychology (2:00 min; Segment 10)

Transcript of the “Jung’s Contributions…” video
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Freud and Jung (2:47 min.; Segment 9)

Transcript of the “Freud and Jung” video
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Psychology: Psychodynamic Approach (4:00 min; Segment 4)

Transcript of the “Psychology…” video
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4. Write a three- to four-page paper that addresses the following:
a. Summarize Freud’s perspective on the conscious and unconscious.
b. How would you critique Freud’s worldview from a biblical perspective? Be specific.
c. How is the modern concept of mindfulness similar to or different than Freud’s idea of the conscious mind?
d. Identify one area of your life where would you like to consistently apply the concept of mindfulness. Explain how you would like to implement that goal during this course.
e. Elaborate fully in your responses.
5. All references and citations should be in APA format.
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