Robert Fettgather holds a BA in psychology from San Jose State University as well as Masters and Doctoral degrees. He works as an associate faculty at Mission College in Santa Clara, educating students in different areas of psychology and human development.
Consciousness might be defined as an individual’s awareness of the world around him or her- that is, our personal awareness of feelings, sensations, and thoughts. Waking consciousness can be described as that basic state of awareness where our thoughts and feelings are relatively organized and clear. Altered states of consciousness delineate a shift in the quality or pattern of an individual's awareness. Examples of altered states of consciousness could include using certain chemicals or drugs, daydreaming, being hypnotized, or the stages of sleeping. These states may provide special access to ideas and emotions that are typically unconscious-that is apart from everyday awareness. For example, a person might come to a novel solution to a problem while daydreaming.
William James, American philosopher and psychologist, believed the process of consciousness to be a kind of “stream” that provides a sense of continuity from one day to the next. That stream consists of thoughts and feelings that interweave and sometimes interrupt each other, somewhat like currents of flowing water. They may be connected by topic, by emotion, or by event, but as in altered states, they may seem to be connected by nothing much at all.
You probably have noticed that consciousness ebbs and flows throughout the day. To demonstrate how consciousness shifts throughout any 12 hour period, set a smart phone timer at 1 hour intervals and notice changes (alert or sleepy; interested or bored etc.) in your consciousness while going through part of your day. How do you think those passing states affect your life?
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