I am interested, here, in dynamics of cognitive function which are qualitatively different from those we typically associate with consciousness and conscious awareness of cognitive contents and cognitive dynamics. The form of representation peculiar to the unconscious is not that of the conscious mind. It neither attempts nor is able to sieze hold of and define its objects in a series of discursive explanations, and reduce them to clarity by logical analysis. The way of the unconscious is different.
Symbols gather round the thing to be explained, understood, interpreted.
The act of becoming conscious consists in the concentric grouping of symbols around the object, all circumscribing and describing the unknown from many sides. Each symbol lays bare another essential side of the object to be grasped, points to another facet of meaning. Only the canon of these symbols congregating about the center in question, the coherent symbol group, can lead to an understanding of what the symbols point to and of what they are trying to express. These dynamics can possess a certain apparent independence as they are not closely associated with consciousness and can, thus, exhibit what we may perceive as autonomous development and activity. This mechanism may be considered to be compensatory for the inferential biases of structured LTM and focused will and attention.