In the topographical model of the mind Freud speaks of the conscious; the preconscious and the unconscious. Each of these concepts is not a tangible, measurable independent structure but rather a set of interrelated non-anatomical structures.
The conscious mind is the one we are more likely to be familiar with. We have knowledge of its existence and are aware that our thought processes, perceptions and memories occur in the conscious mind. Unlike the unconscious it is logical in character and can be trained to adapt to differing environments. It houses the more rational rule based behaviours and has a here and now awareness which allows memories and thoughts to be present and subsequently be drawn into and out of a different level known as the pre-conscious. .
The pre-conscious level is effortlessly reached by consciously retracting information stored there. It is the area of the psyche that contains material from the unconscious before it reaches the conscious mind and also where conscious thoughts and memories are stored.
Freud used the term unconscious to represent a state of mind from within which some of the contents are not accessible to logical reasoning or expression without much conscious effort and some are never brought into the level of consciousness The unconscious mind is associative rather than logical and has no sense of time and meaning. Freud believed the unconscious mind housed concepts, thoughts and emotions which were threatening and painful to the conscious mind and therefore were kept at a level where they would not cause conflict or create anxiety. He suggested that unresolved conflict, which occurred in early childhood as a result of unmet needs lay in the unconscious mind until a time when an associative trigger raised anxiety symptoms. It is at that time, through psychotherapy and hypnotherapy it becomes possible to "tap into" the unconscious and bring its contents via the pre-conscious into conscious awareness.