GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

CONSCIOUSNESS AND ITS ALTERED STATES

OUTLINE
Nature of Consciousness
Natural State of Consciousness
Daydreaming/Fantasy
Sleep
Dreams
Altered State of Consciousness
Characteristics
Meditation
Hypnosis
Psychoactive Drugs
Religious Ecstasy

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CONSCIOUSNESS
There is no universally accepted definition of consciousness primarily because many definitions are still thought
to be too narrow scope. The following are some of the definitions by well known theorist…
 Consciousness is the unattended flow of perceptions, deliberate thoughts, memories, associations,
and pre-occupations – often called the “stream of consciousness”. In this stream, a succession of images
and ideas rise almost involuntarily to the surface where we become aware of them. (William James)
 Consciousness is an “awareness” which allows us to attend to stimuli and to act upon them. This
awareness enables us to exert some control over our actions and experience and to choose among
possible ways of thinking and behaving. (Natsoulas)
 Consciousness can range from being wide awake to being in the deepest state of sleep, with wide
variation on how aware we are of outside stimuli. Furthermore, even while we awake, consciousness
may vary from an active to a passive state. (Gazziga)

NATURAL STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (NSC)

 This is consciousness naturally stimulated daily which includes fantasy (daydreaming), sleep, dream, and
mental illness. They are thought “natural” because the physiological intervention is naturally occurring.

Daydreaming and Fantasy

o Daydreaming is a satisfying imaginative fulfillment of desires. It is an escape from the difficulties
of real life into a realm where all obstacles to success can be ignored or effectively surmounted.
It provide relief from frustration and conflict or other negative emotions.
o Daydreaming is a familiar form of fantasy. Daydreams seem to come in cycles; most people have
some sort of daydreaming every 90 to 100 minutes.
 Realistic Fantasy – related to realistic situations
 Autistic Fantasy – lacks any connection with reality
 Reverie – have less connection with reality and consist of unrelated images, scenes or
memories and are not under the control of the fantasizer.
 Hypnopompic Image – image produced in the state of consciousness that exists when a
person starts to wake up; it is also a brief vivid dreamlike state where the images occur
during the transition between sleeping and waking up.

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 Sleep
o Sleep is the most common alternate state. People spend more than one-third of their lives
sleeping.
o The following theories relate why human beings need sleep…
 Adaptive Theory – sleep evolved because it allows animals to conserve energy and keeps
them still at times when predators are active.
 Repair Theory – sleep serves an important restorative function, allowing us to
recuperate not only from physical fatigue but also from emotional or intellectual
demands.
o Rapid Eye Movement (REM) – often called paradoxical sleep because our body and brain are in
a general state of arousal. During REM Sleep, brain waves are very similar to those recorded
when awake and alert and the eyes dart rapidly back and forth.
o Sleep Disorders
 Insomnia – difficulty in falling asleep initially, difficulty in remaining asleep, and
persistent early morning awakening.
 Narcolepsy – sudden and irresistible onsets of sleep during normal waking periods.
 Sleep Apnea – frequent reflexive grasping for air that awakens a person and disrupts
sleep. The person actually stops breathing for 15-60 seconds. Severe cases may cause
hear and lung damage.
 Night Terrors – abrupt awakening from REM sleep accompanied by intense autonomic
arousal and feeling of panic. It is common in children 3-8 years.
 Nightmares – anxiety arousing dreams that lead to awakening, usually from REM sleep.
 Somnambulism – commonly known as sleep walking, occurs when a person rises and
wanders about while remaining asleep.

o Dreams – are the contents of consciousness during REM sleep. It is a mental experience during
sleep that includes vivid visual images. The following are some theory on dreams…
 Sigmund Freud – stressed the wish-fulfilling function of dreams. Ungratified needs are
expressed through dreams.
 Rosalind Carwright – emphasized the problem-solving function of dreams. According to
her, dreams provide an opportunity to work through everyday problems. It is an
extension of waking life.
 J. Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley – presented the Activation Synthesis Theory which
states that the dreams are random event caused by firing of neurons in the brain. This
produces “wide awake” brain waves during REM sleep.

ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (ASC)

 It refers to any mental state caused by physiological, psychological, or pharmacological intervention
which includes meditation, hypnosis, psychoactive drugs and religious ecstasy.
 It is a distinct change in the quality and pattern of mental activity. Typically, there are shifts in
perception, emotions, memory, time sense, thinking, feelings of self-control, and suggestibility.
 Characteristic of individual under ASC…
o Impaired cognitive functions and reality testing
o Distorted sense of time
o Loss of self-control
o Change of emotional display
o Change in body image

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 o Perceptual distortions such as hallucinations and increased visual imagery
o Sense of having experienced something that cannot be verbalized or communicated
o Feeling of rebirth
o Hypersuggestibility

 Meditation – a method of refocusing attention in order to enter inner consciousness. The aim of
meditation can be the establishment of a relaxed, tranquil state of mind or the achievement of a
heightened state of spirituality.

 Hypnosis – a systematic procedure that typically produces a heightened state of suggestibility. It may
lead to passive relaxation, narrowed attention, and enhanced fantasy.

 Psychoactive Drug – certain drugs that can alter our state of consciousness by interacting with the
central nervous system to affect mood, perception, and behavior. These drugs changes the chemistry of
the brain. Each induces distinctive state of consciousness.
o Depressant – are drugs that act on the central nervous system to suppress or slow down bodily
processes and reduce overall responsiveness.
 Opiates – includes morphine, heroin and related substances that numb the senses and
thus are used medically to relieve pain. Their appeal comes from their ability to produce
feelings of relaxation and euphoria (relief from pain, tensions, anxiety and feelings of
inferiority).
 Barbiturates – contained in sleeping pills and tranquilizers that are used for short-term
treatment of insomnia and for the relief of anxiety.
 Alcohol – widely used drug and a powerful depressant.
o Stimulants – are drugs that act on the brain and nervous system, increasing its overall activity
and general responsiveness. (e.g., amphetamines and cocaine)
o Hallucinogens – are drugs that produce visual, auditory, or other sensory hallucinations. These
drugs modify a person’s perceptual experiences and produce visual images that are not real.
 Religious Ecstasy – altered states are derived from meditation, prayer, fasting or substance use as part
of religious rituals.
 Virtual Reality – perceptual experience of being inside an object, moving through an environment, or
carrying out some action that is in fact, entirely stimulated by computer.

Reference:

1. Gaerlan, Josefina, et.al., GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 5TH Ed., Ken Inc., 2000
2. Carson-Arenas, Dr. Aggie, INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY: Understanding Human Behavior, Rex
Printing Co., 2004