AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -What is consciousness? Consciousness can be defined as the awareness of our own thoughts, feelings and perceptions (internal events) and our surroundings (external stimuli) at any given moment. It creates our reality (what we believe to be real and happening at this moment) and is central to our sense of self.

Detailed explanation-2: -Two common states of awareness exist: conscious and unconscious. Where the term unconscious represents of a lack of awareness, consciousness itself can present with varying levels of awareness. This is often referred to as a person’s state of consciousness.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sigmund Freud divided human consciousness into three levels of awareness: the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.

Detailed explanation-4: -Conscious awareness is a twofold state of being, in which the mind is both awake as well as cognizant of its surroundings. Like in the classic example of a square is always a rectangle but a rectangle is not always a square, a mind can be consciously aware but it cannot be aware without also being conscious.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Four States of Consciousness-Beyond the Waking State Mandukya Upanishad is the source of the Hindu revelations about the Four States of Consciousness and defines these states as waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and turya (the fourth state, which is the state of enlightenment).