Psychology Chapter: Consciousness and Dreams

awareness of oneself and one's environment

information that is not conscious but is retrievable into conscious awareness

reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories of which we are unaware but which influences our behavior.

analogy used by Freud to describe consciousness

a psychoanalytic technique in which the therapist interprets the symbolic meaning of the client's dreams.

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream

cycles that occur in our bodies on a yearly basis, such as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), birds migrating south, or bears hibernating

cycles that occur every month, such as a woman's menstrual cycle

a 24-hour rhythm, such as the body clock (body temperature and wakefulness)

length of a sleep cycle

a signal or message designed to pass below the normal limits of perception

application of subliminal messaging used by advertisers to influence consumers

unique phase of sleep distinguishable by random/rapid movement of the eyes, accompanied with low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly

any significant loss of sleep, resulting in problems in concentration, irritability, and increased risk to physical health

any state which is significantly different from a normative waking beta wave state

a state of highly focused attention or concentration, often associated with relaxation, and heightened suggestibility

the focusing of attention to a particular stimulus such as. breathing or a mantra, which produces relaxation

drugs including those that increase activity of the body and are pleasurable and invigorating

a type of drug that alters perception of reality

a drug that lowers neurotransmission levels, which is to depress or reduce arousal or stimulation, in various areas of the brain

drug that relieves pain and induces sleep