subject: Using The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind [print this page] The Columbian Encyclopedia describes the subconscious mind as that aspect of mental life that is separate from immediate consciousness and is not subject to recall at will.
The idea of the unconscious has been rejected by some psychological schools, although it is still used by many psychoanalysts. The term unconscious is also used to describe latent, or unrestrained, memories, or to describe stimuli too weak to enter an individual's conscious awareness
The Five Minds
There is a school of thought that the human mind is not only made up of a single mind, but that of many nodules, thus the multiple mind theory.
Sigmund Freud introduced the unconscious mind. C. G. Jung expanded on the Freudian concept, adding the idea of an inherited unconscious, known as the superconscious mind. Harvard professor Howard Gardner came up with a theory of multiple intelligences. The modular mind concept developed by Michael Gazzaniga and Robert Ornstein, out of the original split-brain research at Cal Tech, helps explain the impact of subconscious impulses on human behavior.
According to Ornstein's book Multi-Mind, the human brain is constructed with a large number of individual processing units or modules: the automatic mind, the subconscious mind, the practical mind, creative mind, and the spiritual mind. The focus of this article is to talk about the subconscious mind, and its power on the consumer.
Power of Control
The subconscious mind influences conscious thoughts and emotional responses, just beyond the boundaries of our awareness. Although it cannot be dissected for study, the operation of the subconscious mind manifest in ones. By observing your own emotional responses, impulses, and reactions to experience, we can identify the recipes for emotional processes.
In the same manner, the subconscious mind houses the demons of psychological makeup: fears, primitive impulses, addictions, greed, envy, jealousy, guilt, self-condemnation, and many other powerful emotions. Certainly our altruistic impulses--generosity, compassion, and the desire to help others--arise from the subconscious mind. Your self-concept and self-esteem also stem largely from the subconscious mind.
Knowing that the subconscious mind feeds such information to the practical mind in constructive and useful ways, you no longer have to regard the subconscious mind as the mysterious dark side. It's a legitimate and respectable part of your mental process. By this awareness of how the subconscious mind works, you learn how to control it and thus be able to control your reaction to stimuli appealing to your subconscious.
Power of Suggestion
Suggestion is sometimes used for an idea bringing in its train another idea, and is thus identified with association. Some extend the province of suggestion, and make it so broad as to coincide with any influence man exerts on his fellow-beings. This influence is what empowers the subconscious mind. It works in two ways, internally suggesting to the practical mind, as discussed in the previous section about control. The second way is it is subject to suggestion, to the influence of others, as how advertisement does to the consumers subconscious.
The most successful tool of influence on a consumers subconscious it that of frequency and lasting impression.
How many times did you have to see the yellow arches before remembering the taste of hamburger? Or what can you associate with a popping canister of chips? Or how immediate did you reach for a diet cola, after seeing the slim figure and hot bods in its ad? Those are examples of effective suggestions to your subconscious. A mind power played by marketing.
Subliminal Perception
Realizing the power that the subconscious has on the individuals conscious mind, subliminal perception or appealing to the subconscious is a physiological phenomenon used by the advertising industry.
By subliminal, it is meant that the great majority of the audience cannot perceive it consciously. Thus, the aim of advertising is to provide the most by visual stimulation and there are certain ways to stimulate the brain without its conscious awareness.
As an advertiser, your job is to research on how your intended audience will respond to subliminal stimuli of their subconscious. There are borderline methods that appeal to sex, violence and personal desires. It is your responsibility to find this subconscious appeal and tap into it. As responsible as you are, you should also be true to your promise of a truly quality product.
