Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious
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.
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- Level Professional
- Duration 16 hours
- Course by The University of Edinburgh
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Offered by
About
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! --- This course was created by a partnership between The University of Edinburgh and Humility & Conviction and Public Life Project, an engaged research project based at the University of Connecticut and funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.Modules
The following materials will introduce you to this course and help you prepare.
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3
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- Get to know your classmates
3
Readings
- About this course
- Course assessments and exercises
- Optional companion book
LEARN
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9
Videos
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1
Discussion
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5
Assignment
5
Assignment
- Initial thoughts: Your unconscious
- Practice Quiz #1
- Creating civilisation anew
- Practice Quiz #2
- Module 1 Quiz
1
Discussions
- Have you made a Freudian slip?
9
Videos
- Meet Sigmund
- Freud's Method
- Meditative Moment
- Inside the Unconscious
- Freudian Slips
- Dreams
- Meditative Moment
- Is a Cigar Ever Just a Cigar?
- Left Behind?
ENGAGE
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5
Readings
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4
Discussion
4
Discussions
- Listen to Freud speak!
- Puppets of our feelings
- Dreamboard app
- Share your dreams
5
Readings
- Listen to Freud Speak!
- '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
GO FURTHER
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3
Readings
3
Readings
- Freud's Civilisation and its Discontents
- Revonsuo's theory of dreaming
- Freud's General Introduction to Psychoanalysis
LEARN
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8
Videos
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1
Discussion
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5
Assignment
5
Assignment
- Initial thoughts: "In denial"
- Practice Quiz 1
- Practice Quiz 2
- Witnessing defence mechanisms
- Module 2 Quiz
1
Discussions
- Defense mechanisms in your experience
8
Videos
- 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
ENGAGE
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4
Readings
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2
Discussion
2
Discussions
- Gaslighting in your experience?
- 'She's got issues' by the Offspring
4
Readings
- Anna Freud and child psychoanalysis
- More on Projection
- A story of gaslighting
- 'Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay'
GO FURTHER
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4
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- Humor as a defense mechanism
4
Readings
- 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
LEARN
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11
Videos
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1
Discussion
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5
Assignment
5
Assignment
- Initial Thoughts
- Practice Quiz #1
- Your personal spin doctor
- Practice Quiz #2
- Module 3 Quiz
1
Discussions
- Conscious will?
11
Videos
- 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
ENGAGE
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3
Readings
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3
Discussion
3
Discussions
- Your psychological immune system
- Implicit Bias
- What if you won the lottery?
3
Readings
- 'The Adaptive Unconscious' by M. Green
- BBC documentary on Ian Waterman
- 'We don't know our own strength'
GO FURTHER
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4
Readings
4
Readings
- 'Consciousness, introspection, and the adaptive unconscious'
- Take the Implicit Association Text
- The Implicit Association Test Challenged
- Miswanting (you probably do it, too)
LEARN
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11
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
Discussion
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5
Assignment
5
Assignment
- Initial Thoughts
- Practice Quiz #1
- Practice Quiz 2
- A SEUT just for you
- Module 4 Quiz
1
Discussions
- What is somaticaly marked for you?
11
Videos
- 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?
1
Readings
- Bear cub videos!
ENGAGE
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3
Readings
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2
Discussion
2
Discussions
- Changing your markers?
- Display rules
3
Readings
- More about Phineas Gage
- 'Somatic markers: how your body makes decisions'
- Alexithymia: life without emotions
GO FURTHER
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3
Readings
3
Readings
- Damasio on the somatic marker hypothesis
- Addiction and Somatic Markers
- Cold War Kids
ENGAGE
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1
PeerReview
1
Peer Review
- The Unconscious in Action
GO FURTHER
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2
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- Wikipedia Edit-a-thon discussions
2
Readings
- Share what you've learned by editing the Wikipedia entry on self-knowledge!
- A brief How-To
Know Thyself better through other courses in our series
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2
Readings
2
Readings
- The Examined Life
- Losing Oneself
Survey
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Post-Course Survey
Auto Summary
Explore the intriguing world of the unconscious in "Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious." This professional-level course, offered by Coursera and created in partnership with The University of Edinburgh and the University of Connecticut's Humility & Conviction and Public Life Project, delves into the theories from Freud to modern experimental psychology. Ideal for health and fitness enthusiasts, it spans 960 minutes and is available through Starter and Professional subscriptions. Uncover surprising insights about your mind with expert guidance.
Mitchell Green