CONSCIOUSNESS

Consciousness in one way can be defined as the awareness present in the individual that considers or deals with exclusive thoughts, recollections, thoughts, feelings and surroundings.

We are aware of anything at that given moment also forms a part of consciousness. It is assessed by carefully observing or watching the patient’s alertness and the way they react to that situation. It varies from place to place, time to time and communication.

The four characteristics subjectivity, change, continuity, and selectivity are important in the psychology of consciousness. Consciousness stands single-handedly today as a topic that frequently leaves even the most refined thinkers tongue-tied and confused.

At a primary level consciousness can be termed as the fact of being wide awake and giving out information. It is one of the parts that allow us to survive and be aware of ourselves in this world.

The Scientists are not able to realize fully on what is happening in the brain which creates what we call as consciousness, but researchers like Damasio are refining our understanding about how neurons can lead to our thoughts and experience of the world.

A neuroscientist from the University of Southern California who has studied the neurological basis of consciousness for years named Dr. Antonio Damasio, defines consciousness as "Many species, many creatures on earth that are very likely to have a mind, but are very unlikely to have a consciousness in the sense that you and I have," says. There are numerous levels of organization, from easy to complex, and that functions as a sort of witness to what is going on in our organisms.

The consciousness does not remain the same as in every human being. The individual experience consciousness in different ways and it is difficult to compare them.

Consciousness is an individual’s “know-how, attentiveness, the capability to experience "sensitivity", understanding the concept, wakefulness, the perceptive of the thought "self", or the decision-making control system of the mind”.

A better example would be “you are working with your superiors your consciousness will then start to think about how you reached office on time at a moment and then goes on with other activities. This ever-shifting flow of thoughts can modify dramatically from one moment to the next, but your experience of it seems soft and unproblematic.

Questions

• What are the ways in which one can develop consciousness?