Subconscious

An obsolete term that was formerly used to include the preconscious (what can be recalled with effort) and the unconscious.

Unconscious’ thoughts that have been repressed.

The part of a person’s mental processes which he or she is not aware of most of the time, but which can affect his or her actions.

Partially conscious; partially aware and responsive. N, in psychoanalytic theory, the portion of the mind where mental processes occur without an individual being aware.

Mental activity that occurs just below the level of normal conscious awareness. In the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, the subconscious level lies between the conscious and the unconscious.

A state of being partially conscious, or the condition in which mental processes occur and outside objects and events are perceived with the mind nearly or quite unconscious of them. Such subconscious impressions or events may be forgotten at the time but may nevertheless exert a continued influence over the conscious mind, or may at a subsequent time come fully into consciousness. Much importance is attached to the influence of painful or unpleasant experiences which, although forgotten, continue to influence the mind; these may be a factor in the development of anxiety states. This injurious influence may be reduced when the subconscious impressions come fully into consciousness and are then remembered and clearly seen in their relative importance.

The term refers to different mental occurrences (like thoughts) that a person is not currently conscious of, but can remember when the appropriate conditions arise.