The term conscious is closely related to Consciousness which is generally understood as awareness of selves , our thoughts, emotions and environment. The state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings, thoughts, and feelings.

In the streets when one says; ” Stay conscious ” it means “stay alert or awake” 

So the Conscious mind has to do with awareness unlike it’s elder big brother Subconscious, composed of two terms sub (below) and conscious (awareness) , whom we shall talk about later 

Enough of the woo woo’s 

So what’s the Conscious Mind?  

The conscious mind is the part of our mind that we are actively aware of. The thinking part of us, the voice inside our head. The part of us that make decisions like “let me scroll this so that I can read further”. It’s the part of our mind where we judge, obsess and even compare. It’s also controls our focus. 

Think of it like a companion who accompany us in day to day activities and we’re aware of his presence.

It has various names depending on the wish of the definer.  

Some refer to it as the rational mind, some the surface mind, some the upper mind while others call it the masculine mind. 

Among those who attempted to explain this aspect of our mind include Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. 

Freud used the metaphor of an iceberg immersed in water with only a small tip left visible at the top while a huge and builk part of it remained under the water – A clear demonstration of this part of our mind that only has a limited control over our thoughts, feelings and actions. The other huge bulk underneath is the Unconscious mind.

This part of our mind is mainly associated with the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

The roles of the Conscious Mind 

It handles rational thinking, problem-solving, planning, and decision-making.

It processes information from our senses; sight, smell, feeling, tasting and hearing. 

It also controls our voluntary actions. 

Some call it the Thinker & Decision-Maker for it makes decisions in logical and analytical way. 

It also controls our focus. Where your focus is. 

Unlike the subconscious mind which handles and stores long term decisions and memories respectively, it handles short-term decisions and memories respectively.

The Development of the Concious Mind.

Cognitive scientists and wholistic psychologists state that the conscious mind starts developing around age 7, and continues maturing untill in our mid-20s.

Many coaches in the healing industries always talk of rewriting our core beliefs. These are beliefs we absorbed in childhood mainly between ages (0-7), a time when we absorbed everything as truth without filtering.  

Why?  

There’s an absence of the conscious mind which can distinguish, analyze and think logically. It starts developing at around age 7 according to the experts who have studied it. 

As it matures, we gain better control over impulses, critical thinking, and conscious self-reflection.

The Conscious Mind as the Masculine Mind. 

In the ancient hermetic philosophy, the Concious Mind is regarded as the masculine mind while the subconscious mind is the feminine mind. For proper functionality, the two have to work together and this is achieved through meditation. The Concious Mind impresses while the subconscious mind receives, stores and expresses.

Historical Studies on The Conscious Mind & Consciousness. 

Freud, though widely acknowledged, wasn’t the first to study the concept of the mind as philosophers such as René Descartes’, Plato and Aristotle had already explored the nature and concept of the mind in the 17th century, laying the foundation for future discoveries. 

The Concept of the Conscious Mind earned attention in 1816 when Johann Friedrich Herbart described a dynamic mind with a conscious and an unconscious. 

From the philosophical background, modern psychology emerged with Wilhelm Wundt establishing the very first laboratory of experimental psychology at Leipzig University in Germany in 1879, Freud 3-mind model in 1885 and William James releasing the Principles of Psychology in 1890.

The Conscious Mind in Our everyday Life. 

Most of us unaware of the presence of the subconscious (unconcious), might mistake the day to day thoughts, feelings and emotions we are normally aware of as the entire part of the mental activity. 

But this active part of our mind which we have easy access to going by the works of the great sages since history like Freud just forms a fraction of the total psyche component. 

Beneath the conscious lies a powerful warehouse from which our active cognitive state and behavior are dictated. 

Some call it the Subconscious mind, some call it the unconscious, some call it the irrational mind. 

In a Nutshell, the Concious Mind is the rational part that store short term memories and handles tasks we’re aware of such as decision making and focus. It absorbs info through sensation before feeding the subconscious mind if repeatedly occurred.