CONSCIOUSNESS. A term employed by psychology in two principal meanings. (1) In the first meaning. it is the equivalent of 'mental endowment' or 'the possession of mind.' I am conscious of the objects and persons about me, of my own successes or shortcomings• of the validity of an argument or the beauty of a work of art, in the sense that 1 . am mentally alive to these things, am capable of a mental reaction upon them, Nvhether by way of mere perception or by way of critical estimate and appreciation. So if 1 am sound asleep. or in stupor from a blow on the head or from the action of some drug. I a Ill said to be 'unconscions'; my mental life and reactions- are in abeyance. This mean ing, which would perhaps have lapsed from usage were it not deeply rooted in the phraseology of philosophy and in popular parlance, must be carefully distinguished from the second and more technical meaning, accord ing to which (2) consciousness is simply 'present mind,' mind now,' the total mental experience given at a particular time. "Consciousness." says Wundt, "does not. mean anything; that exists apart from mental processes; nor does it refer merely to the sum of these processes, without reference to their mode of interrelation. It ex ]. l'eS6CS the general synthesis of mental processes, within which the single complexes are marked off as more intimate connections." It is "a com prehensive interconnection of simultaneous and successive mental processes." We may therefore define it as a cross-section or temporal division of mind (q.v.) ; mind consists of a series of consciousnesses, more or less sharply differen tiated. As we begin the day we have the waking consciousness, followed by the getting-up con sciousness. the breakfast consciousness, the work consciousness, etc., etc.
The separate complexes which enter into and compose a consciousness are termed the 'contents of consciuusness."flius, the consciousness of a w ricer, at his desk, contains various psychologi cal ideas, mostly in verbal form; the perceptions of sight and touch that are aroused by the act of writing; a general feeling of effort, etc. The
question of the 'range of consciousness,' i.e. of the number of mental processes that a single consciousness can contain, has been approached experimentally, and partly answered. It is found, e.g. that if an auditory consciousness be set up, by subjecting an observer (whose mind is otherwise unoccupied) to a continued series of metronome strokes, its range lies between the limits of 8 double impressions (16 strokes, rhythmically grouped in twos) and 5 eightfold impressions (40 strokes, rhythmically grouped in eights). In other words, a practiced observer can distinguish, without counting, between two successive series of 40 and of 39 strokes, if he be allowed to group by eights; whereas he can not, however he may group them, distinguish between series of 41 and 42 strokes; these num bers exceed the maximal range of consciousness. The phrase 'state of consciousness,' formerly applied to mental processes like ideas, emotions, etc., now designates the mode of existence (Clear ness, prominence, obscurity, inhibition) of the contents of a particular consciousness; it is fully explained under ATTENTION (q.v.). Other phrases in general use are 'field of consciousness' and 'stream of consciousness,' the one formed after the analogy of the phrase `field of vision,' the other emphasizing the essentially transient nature of conscious contents. Consult: Human and Animal Psychology (London, 1896) ; id., Outlines of Psychology, trans. by Judd (Lon don• 1S95) ; Titchener, Outline of Psychology ( N en' York, 1899 ) James, Principles of Psy chology (New York, 1890). See SELF-CON SCIO US N ESS ; UNITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS.