Very often we do things without knowing why we do them. This aspect of savior can be easily analyzed through the concept of “unconscious” /eloped by Sigmund Freud. Freud’s concepts of “instincts” and conscious” are very much important to explain human motivation.
According to Freud, the unconscious includes ideas, thoughts and feelings, which cannot be brought to awareness or conscious level by ordinary means, just like a great underworld with powerful unseen forces, which influence conscious thoughts and the actions of individual.
In his psychoanalytic theory, Freud has rejected the principles, which limit themselves to the analysis of observable and conscious behaviour because they cannot explain the underlying powerful unconscious motives of human behaviour. He emphatically viewed that unconscious processes which guide human behaviour can be known by special techniques devised by psychoanalysts. These techniques free-association, dream analysis, hypnosis etc.
Another distinguished psychoanalyst, C.G. Jung also emphasized the importance of human behaviour in his theory. However, the concept of the unconscious differs notably from Freud.
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According to Jung, the unconscious much more complicated and it is made up of two functional divisions- the personal unconscious and collective or racial unconscious.
Personal unconscious is somehow similar to Freud’s description c unconscious. But the collective unconscious is much more influential. Jun believed that human behaviour is guided by two potential forces – the unconscious and teleology.
The unconscious includes everything about human past, teleology include everything about the future like one’s aims, aspirations and intuitions. So the psychic life results from an interaction of the past with the future.
According to Jung, the main agency which guides the past and future the ego. He calls it “conscious mind”. It is made up of conscious perception memories, thoughts, feeling etc. But beyond this ego, lies a bigger interacting system, which influences human behaviour. Jung calls it “personality” of individual.
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In his theory, Jung told about a fascinating concept called “collective unconscious”. It is the most powerful and influential system of the personal and in pathological cases it overshadows the ego and the personal unconscious. The collective unconscious is inherited from man’s ancestral past.
Jung also viewed that a person adopts a mask in response to sot demands, norms and conventions. He called it “persona”. It is the role assigned to him by the society and expected of him. The purpose of mask is to make definite impression upon others and often to conceal the real nature of person. The “persona” is the public personality. Very often, this is differing from the private personality.
According to Jung, man inherits some animal instincts, which indicate animal side of his nature. This can be inferred from the display of violence aggression, and injury to oneself.
The concept of unconscious motivation was criticized by many psychologists later on. This approach was stated to be most unscientific by many experts. The concept of collective unconscious is considered to be absurd and lacking in scientific proof.