Su At Kiply

Name: Su At Kiply

NIM: 16410235

Consciousness (Kesadaran)

Consciousness is the alertness of a person in his or her environmental events and cognitive events that include memory, thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. This definition of consciousness has two sides. Awareness includes an understanding of the surrounding environmental stimuli.  Consciousness also includes the introduction of a person to his own mental events.

History of consciousness

Scientific psychology dates back to the nineteenth century as a study of conscious experiences. At the beginning of the twentieth century, consciousness was almost excluded from the realm of psychology because the followers of the psychological ideology of that period were dominant in the group of behaviorism, led by John Watson and B. F. Skinner.

Awareness skeleton: Awareness

The main characteristics of the awareness framework include attention, wakefulness, architecture, recall of knowledge, emotive. Then followed by secondary attributes that include novelty, emergence, selectivity, and subjectivity. The five elements of awareness in the concept of awareness is an attempt to reduce variance in defining the subjective experience we call consciousness. Only an architectural element is involved with the physiological processes, the other elements involved in the psychological process. The whole process contributes to awareness and a number of processes interacting with each other.

The functions of consciousness

The only reason humans have awareness is that consciousness allows us to make voluntary movements. The movement of volition itself is a movement made based on decisions, not instinctual or reflexes. With awareness, humans will be able to mobilize attention and behavior to aspects of the environment that will lead to better outcomes.

Baars and McGovern put forward a number of awareness functions:

· The context setting function, the function by which the systems work to define the context and knowledge of a stimuli coming into memory.

· Adaptation and learning, which states that awareness engagement is needed to handle new and successful information.

· Prioritization and access functions, awareness is required to access the large amount of information available at the level of consciousness,

· Recruitment and control functions, in which consciousness enters the motor systems to perform conscious actions.

· The decision-making and executive functions, which play the role of bringing information and resources out of the unconscious to help make decisions and apply control.

· Function of detection and editing of the error, which focuses on consciousness enters our norm system so that we can know when we make a mistake.

· The function of self-monitor, in the form of self-reflection, internal conversation, and imagery, which helps us to control the functions within ourselves.

· Organizational function and flexibility, this function allows us to control automatic functions in predictable situations, but at the same time allows us to enter into the knowledge resources that are unfamiliar in unexpected situations.

Levels of consciousness

· Sleep

The most obvious distinction between consciousness and unconsciousness can be observed when one is awake or asleep. This can be observed through EEG tools. Brain waves can be observed during sleep periods. During the day, we interact and are constantly in a state of alert, looking in a direction, listening to a message, or smell a new smell. However, as we fall asleep, the mechanism of alertness is greatly reduced and personal interaction is almost non-existent.

· Dream

Dreaming occurs in the REM sleep phase. Freud believed that dreams are the way our awareness is used to divulge information, and we can learn the hidden meanings behind dreams. Brain activity that takes place during REM is interpreted by the brain in the same way as when we are conscious. Dreams involve experiences and emotions similar to those we encounter daily

· Use of drugs

The use of drugs will change the state of our consciousness in such a way that the consciousness will be different from the normal state of consciousness when we are awake. Some depressant drugs (sedatives) will inhibit the activity of the nervous system. Drug stimulant (stimulants) will accelerate the activity of the nervous system. Hallucinogen drugs (hallucinogenic drugs) change our understanding of reality. All drugs work in our neurotransmitters in producing their effects. Drugs affect our awareness of the physiological and psychological aspects of our conscious experience.

· Meditation

Meditation is a condition of relaxed concentration in which the mind is emptied. Some meditation techniques use repeated chants, internal mantras, body positions, and external objects as part of the whole ritual. The reasons for meditating vary, they may be religious, spiritual, personal, or health reasons.