Sigmund Freud's Metaphor For Human Consciousness
An obscure “blog post” by Sigmund Freud in 1924 detailed how a new product on the market, the reusable “Mystic Writing Pad,” was an accurate metaphor for his psychological theory of perception-consciousness and memory. This post is inspired by his comparison of the novel erasable writing pad to the functioning of human consciousness, and how it was the closest metaphor in his day to how human memory functions.
The Mystic pad was a 1920’s invention consisting of three layers. First was a sheet of protective cellulose, second a sheet of wax paper, and third a slab of wax. With the mystic pad, you could write or draw anything, and then lift the top two layers from the wax and have a blank page again. The first layer protected the second, which Freud found would retain writing when the cellulose was lifted but would crumble and break if exposed to direct pressure from a stylus. However, even when the pad was “blank,” its wax layer always retained traces of past use.
“The apparatus of our mind consists of two layers, of an external protective shield whose task it is to diminish the strength of excitations coming in, and the surface behind it which receives the stimuli, namely the system perception conscious.” - Sigmund Freud
This is a complicated way of Freud saying that completely raw sensory data would overwhelm the perception-conscious, and hence needs a preliminary filter. This protective cellulose layer is like a pair of sunglasses or shoes, a covering that shields a sensitive and delicate interpretive instrument.
In everyday life, the perception consciousness is where humans operate while awake. This conscious mode of being is the state of mind where one operates a car, watches a movie, and generally receives sensory data from the outside world. But the conscious state is independent of impulse or hidden motivation, even though sometimes its affected by the unconscious. The protective and perception-consciousness sheets are completely porous, they only transmit data to memory (the wax) and hold nothing.
“The pad provides not only a receptive surface that can be used over and over again, like a slate, but also permanent traces of what has been written” - Sigmund Freud
The wax portion of the mystic writing tablet is what retains information forever, but is hidden from sight, making it the perfect metaphor for Freud’s unconscious memory. The memory is connected to the outside world only through the perception-consciousness of a person, essentially encoded by the continuous stream of external sensory data:
“If we imagine one hand writing upon the surface on the Mystic Writing Pad while another periodically raises its covering-sheet from the wax slab, we shall have a concrete representation of the way in which I tried to picture the functioning of the perceptual apparatus of our mind” -Sigmund Freud
The only metaphorical flaw is that the two sheets of paper cannot recall from memory, only encode. The metaphor hence is unidimensional and only applicable to the process of creating memories from sensory data and has no solution to the problem of how memory affects consciousness.
An article in The Atlantic regarding Freud’s short blurb jokes that “No, of course, Freud didn't write anything about the iPad.” but that the iPad would have solved Freud’s quandaries about a memory aid able to function like human memory. In Freud’s day, the Mystic Tablet was the only item like human memory, unconfined by the qualities of an impermanent chalkboard or single-use notebook:
“An unlimited receptive capacity and a retention of permanent traces seem to be mutually exclusive properties in the apparatus of which we use as substitutes for our memory: either the receptive surface must be renewed or the note must be destroyed.” -Sigmund Freud
Computers are certainly the extension of humanity’s unique ability to both infinitely receive and almost infinitely keep records. Yet a computer’s mechanical mode of operation makes it easy to predict, and its downloadable and deletable apps make it easy to understand what occupies its memory. A computer can store many photos but doesn’t ponder any particular picture.
The mechanical nature of Freud’s thought and metaphor is great to learn about a universal human function and provides a good framework for self-exploration. A person could probably self-diagnose events in their life that impacted their developmental trajectory or current mental state, and then delve into changing the way a recalled memory affects their conscious day-to-day activity. Essentially, they could change perspectives and habits with sufficiently deep introspection on this framework.
The human ability to receive and store information directly affects who we are. Humanity cannot be simplified down into automated receptors and a database, with each variation in a set responsible for uniqueness in personality and disposition. Although the algorithm might have you think otherwise.
I’d like to aid your introspection by describing how that wax pad, your memory, evolves over time.
Imagine a simple design. There are few lines, a lot of blank space, and room for expansion. Your Mystic writing pad is new, and the first memories and impressions of the world are simple, maybe a square or triangle. Yet with each new impression, plain shapes gain lines and transform into more complicated polygons. Next thing you know, a triangle has become a house, then life appears, then a complicated mural of existence is staring at you.
To reach mural maturity, many layers of ink must texturize and shade the patterns. Slowly and over years, the ink becomes an image, and that image is a person’s worldview. What first appeared as abstract art, now forms the basis for an entire worldview.
A worldview is a person’s best effort to make sense of what’s around them. A worldview first separates the self from everything external, then reintegrates the self through interpreting the mural. After understanding you are distinct from your surroundings, as a coping method, the mind gravitates towards latching onto any concrete interpretation of the world, risking faulty premises for a sense of security.
Humans are tricky, and because memory encoding begins before consciousness is developed and capable of influencing itself, people try to control how the image in their mind is interpreted. Think of the perpetual optimists and pessimists, the blissfully ignorant and drearily knowledgeable, the relativists and absolutists, and whether or not any of them are absolutely correct; or if all of them cling dearly to a specific interpretation of their experience, constructing their lives like a paper with every premise cited by a memory.
The result of grasping tightly one worldview is a wilderness of mirrors, of people peering deeply into still reflections of life instead of dynamic reality, because assuming constancy exists in our mental pictures makes people feel safe while they process the incredible amount of information constantly bombarding us. The data surrounding survival, motivation, and healthy relationships with people and work are only some of the pressures in day-to-day life which push a person to slip deeper into illusion.
Once trapped in the illusion, people get lost in the intricacies of their murals, they grow fixated on the inexplicable phenomena that is their own perception consciousness. The puzzle of “how do I relate to the world?” takes center stage and this unanswerable question absorbs an unhealthy level of human attention.
With the practice of letting go, of recognizing dead-end cycles of thought, and understanding that your thoughts are partially determined by the era in which you live and the people around you in formative years, a person can transcend thought patterns and change their perspective. Nurturing awareness that your mural, your wax tablet, is not the sole picture of the world only marks the beginning of a journey towards enlightenment. The rest lies in whatever adventures you experience along the path.
A Duck or Rabbit? Perspectives can determine what we see.
Yet to have the greatest adventure, one must realize that they do have a degree of influence on their mural, both in the realm of what type of sensory data comes in and how it's interpreted. As a childhood cancer survivor, I could bitterly distrust the world for dealing me a painful and trying hand. Or I could embrace the unique way cancer made me strong. In terms of sensory data, I can expose myself to a wise philosopher like Freud, and to adventures like backpacking Mexico for a year, or I could absorb the latest gossip and never leave the house.
Humanity is blessed by incredible awareness and adaptability, and using these gifts to push ourselves towards self-development and betterment of our lives lies in a conscious choice to expose ourselves to growth-stimulating externals and healthy internal thought patterns. People cannot necessarily control that they think, but they can influence where their senses are directed, and understand in what way memories impact their everyday disposition.
Regardless of whether awareness, learning from mistakes, or adaptability differentiates us from the Mystic Writing Pad and Ipad, Freud would be pleased to know an even better metaphor for human consciousness has emerged in today's technology. He would also certainly be fascinated by the content of today’s internet, too.
Next time you sit down to use your devices, think about how they are like you and how they shape you; what lines are your devices painting in your life?
Thanks for breaking a Mental Sweat with me, until next time, this is Justin Markowitz, signing off.
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