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

  • 4.7
Approx. 16 hours to complete

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

Related Topics for further study


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
English
Available now
Approx. 16 hours to complete
Mitchell Green
The University of Edinburgh
Coursera

Instructor

Mitchell Green

  • 4.7 Raiting
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