Sigmund Freud pictured the mind as an iceberg: only a thin tip breaks the surface into awareness, while the vast bulk stays hidden underwater. Beneath the waterline an id, ego, and superego pull against one another — and the ego protects itself with unconscious defense mechanisms. Switch modes and tap to explore.
Freud's model of the mind
The dashed line is the surface of awareness. Everything above it is conscious; everything below is hidden — the preconscious just under the surface, the unconscious in the deep.