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Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious

Approx. 16 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Explore the hidden workings of your mind and uncover the secrets of the unconscious with Know Thyself: The Unconscious. This course takes you on a journey of self-discovery, using the latest research in psychology and neuroscience to help you better understand yourself and others.

Key Learning Points

Gain a deeper understanding of your own psychology and behavior
Learn how to recognize and deal with unconscious biases
Develop skills for better communication and relationships

Learning Outcomes

Gain a deeper understanding of yourself and others
Develop skills for better communication and relationships
Learn how to recognize and deal with unconscious biases

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic understanding of psychology
Open-mindedness and willingness to explore your own psychology

Course Difficulty Level

Intermediate

Course Format

Online
Self-paced

Similar Courses

The Science of Well-Being
Introduction to Psychology

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Daniel Kahneman
Carol Dweck

Related Books

Description

A challenging but fascinating topic on the way to achieving self-knowledge is the unconscious. For well over a century, psychologists, philosophers, and many others have posited a level of mentality that is not immediately open to introspection; some would even say that certain unconscious elements cannot be known through introspection. This course will examine some of the most influential ideas about the unconscious starting with the work of Sigmund Freud, and follow the development of theories of the unconscious all the way to present research in experimental psychology. But be warned: some of the things you may learn about your unconscious mind may be surprising, and possibly even disturbing!

Knowledge

Gain an appreciation of the relation of methods of learning about oneself that do not depend on introspection.
Become familiar with contemporary research in experimental social psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience into the emotions and the unconscious.
Understand the role of affect in decision making, and self-deception.
Be able to identify and analyse unconscious mechanisms motivating own and other people's actions.

Outline

Getting started
About this course
Course assessments and exercises

The Freudian Unconscious
Meet Sigmund
Freud's Method
Meditative Moment
Inside the Unconscious
Freudian Slips
Dreams
Meditative Moment
Is a Cigar Ever Just a Cigar?
Left Behind?
'The Freudian Unconscious', by M. Green
'Freud as Philosopher', by G. Marino
'What Freudian Slips Really Reveal about Your Mind'
Why You Keep Dreaming You Forgot Your Pants
Freud's Civilisation and its Discontents
Revonsuo's theory of dreaming
Freud's General Introduction to Psychoanalysis
Initial thoughts: Your unconscious
Practice Quiz #1
Creating civilisation anew
Practice Quiz #2
Module 1 Quiz

Freud's legacy
Your mind on the defence
Defense mechanisms
Meditative Moment
A window into the child's mind
Introjecting, projecting, and gaslighting
Meditative Moment
The best defence
Summary
Anna Freud and child psychoanalysis
More on Projection
A story of gaslighting
'Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay'
Is catharsis really a thing?
Empirical study of reaction-formation and other defense mechanisms
5 Signs that you're dealing with a passive-aggressive person
Object-Relations Theory
Initial thoughts: "In denial"
Practice Quiz 1
Practice Quiz 2
Witnessing defence mechanisms
Module 2 Quiz

The Adaptive Unconscious
Strangers to Ourselves
Proprioception and other automatic marvels
A snowball on top of the iceberg?
Meditative Moment
Tests for the adaptive unconscious
The psychological immune system
Implicit bias
Durability bias
Meditative Moment
Conscious will
Decision making
'The Adaptive Unconscious' by M. Green
BBC documentary on Ian Waterman
'We don't know our own strength'
'Consciousness, introspection, and the adaptive unconscious'
Take the Implicit Association Text
The Implicit Association Test Challenged
Miswanting (you probably do it, too)
Initial Thoughts
Practice Quiz #1
Your personal spin doctor
Module 3 Quiz

Rationality and Emotions
Practical and theoretical rationality
The Ghastly Ordeal of Phineas Gage
Meditative Moment
Knows, but does not feel
Primary and secondary emotions
Somatic markers
How would that make you feel?
Somatic markers and the SEUT
Meditative Moment
Somatic markers gone awry
Descartes' errors?
Bear cub videos!
More about Phineas Gage
'Somatic markers: how your body makes decisions'
Alexithymia: life without emotions
Damasio on the somatic marker hypothesis
Addiction and Somatic Markers
Cold War Kids
Initial Thoughts
Practice Quiz #1
A SEUT just for you
Module 4 Quiz

Final assessment
Share what you've learned by editing the Wikipedia entry on self-knowledge!
A brief How-To

Summary of User Reviews

Discover your unconscious mind with the Know Thyself: The Unconscious course on Coursera. This course has received positive reviews from its users for its insightful content and engaging lectures.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

Many users found the course to be informative and thought-provoking, and appreciated the practical exercises and real-life examples provided throughout the lectures.

Pros from User Reviews

Insightful and thought-provoking content
Engaging and knowledgeable instructors
Practical exercises and real-life examples provided
Well-structured and easy to follow course material
Great for anyone interested in psychology and personal development

Cons from User Reviews

Some users felt that the course material was too basic and lacked depth
A few users found the course to be slow-paced and repetitive
Limited interaction with other students in the course
Some technical issues with video playback and quizzes
The course may not be suitable for those with advanced knowledge of psychology

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