Consciousness and the Mind- Week 7

     As a Psychology major, the fascinating concept of our mind has always been an academic topic that sparked great interest. This week I was able to deep dive into how these psychological concepts on consciousness, dreams and art collide as being presented on art portraits or movies. 

Freud's Unconscious Mind and Conscious Mind
Freud's Three levels of Mind

    Consciousness is being discussed as having three different levels "consciousness, precociousness and unconsciousness" by Freud (Vesna). We view it as human awareness to both internal and external stimuli. As mentioned during lecture, there always has been great interest in developing technology that would be able to "control and alter our consciousness within the world" (Vesna). Whether it is implanting a stereotype, or changing the ways we perceive our living environment, with the technology of fMRI brain image scanning, we are very close to being able to conduct such actions. This mysterious topic has also been displayed in art as seen in Hollywood movies. "The Matrix" depicts a plot where a stranger leads the main character Neo into a forbidding world where he discovers the truth behind an evil cyber-intelligence. It shines light upon the question of what do we know in reality vs. what is actually the truth. Through the main character and the artistic choices of music, and lighting, audiences feel the urge to question our belongings in the world as well, while questioning whether or not our consciousness is truthful. 

The Matrix (1999) - IMDb
Movie: The Matrix

Another example of art would be the movie "Inception" starring DiCaprio. While focusing on dreams and consciousness, this movie displays a potential society where implanting ideas and plans through dreams are capable based on current technology. Such technology is considered illegal in the movie, but the possibilities and power of it is unavoidable. Through such an artistic expression, I questioned the moral standards behind mind alteration. 

Inception (2010) - IMDb
Movie: Inception

    I believe before this type of technology leaves experimental labs, it is crucial to discuss the legal restrictions and limits of the development. It is hard to imagine what actions can be done through mind alteration and thus there should be strict law enforcements or even governmental interference in place to avoid undesirable actions caused. 



Works Cited

Kendra Cherry, MSEd. “The Structure and Levels of the Mind According to Freud.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 27 Feb. 2023, www.verywellmind.com/the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946. 

“Mind.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/mind. Accessed 17 May 2024. 

Van Gulick, Robert. “Consciousness.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 14 Jan. 2014, plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness/. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience and Art pt1" Lecture. BruinLearn DESMA 9. Accessed 17 May 2024.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience and Art pt2" Lecture. BruinLearn DESMA 9. Accessed 17 May 2024. 

Images

Kendra Cherry, MSEd. “The Structure and Levels of the Mind According to Freud.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 27 Feb. 2023, www.verywellmind.com/the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946. 

“The Matrix.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 31 Mar. 1999, www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/. Accessed 17 May 2024. 

“Inception.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/plotsummary/. Accessed 17 May 2024. 



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