Psyche and consciousness are such close but different concepts. Having a narrow and broad understanding of each of these words can confuse anyone. However, in psychology, the concepts of the psyche and consciousness have been successfully dissolved, and despite their close relationship, the boundary between them is quite simple to see.
How is consciousness different from the psyche?
The psychic, if we consider the term in a broad sense, is all the mental processes that a person realizes. Consciousness is the process of managing a person by oneself, which is also conscious. Considering concepts in a narrower sense, it turns out that the psyche is aimed at perception and evaluation of the external world, and consciousness allows us to evaluate the inner world and to realize what is happening in the soul.
Psychic and human consciousness
Speaking about the general characteristics of these concepts, it is worth paying attention to the main features of each of them. Consciousness is the highest form of mental reflection of reality and has such properties:
- presence of knowledge about the world;
- the distinction between the subject and the object (the "I" of man and his "not-self");
- setting human goals;
- the presence of relation to different objects of reality.
In the narrow sense, consciousness is regarded as the highest form of the psyche, and the psyche itself is regarded as the level of the unconscious, ie, the unconscious. those processes that are not realized by the person himself. In the unconscious area include a variety of phenomena - dreams , responses, unconscious behavioral features, etc.
Development of the human psyche and consciousness
The development of the psyche and consciousness is considered from different points of view. So, for example, the problem of development of the psyche includes three aspects:
- the emergence and development of the psyche at an early stage, in the animal kingdom;
- the emergence and development of human consciousness;
- development of the psyche throughout the life of a person.
It is believed that the emergence of the psyche is associated with the development of the nervous system, thanks to which the whole body functions as a single whole. The nervous system includes irritability, like the ability to change the state under the influence of external factors, and sensitivity, which allows you to recognize and respond to adequate and inadequate stimuli. That sensitivity is considered the main indicator of the emergence of the psyche.
Consciousness is peculiar only to man - it is capable of realizing the course of mental processes. It is not peculiar to animals. It is believed that the main role in the emergence of such a difference is played by labor and speech.