Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsConscience DefinitionConscious DefinitionConsciousness DefinitionBreaking Down the Differences

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Conscience Definition

Conscious Definition

Consciousness Definition

Breaking Down the Differences

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How does the conscious differ from the conscience? Being conscious is the state of being awake and alert. Conscience, on the other hand, refers to an awareness of whether actions are right or wrong.

These two terms are sometimes confused in common everyday usage because they sound quite similar. However, as you can see, they mean very different things within thefield of psychology.

At a GlanceWhile the two terms are often confused, the conscious and the conscience refer to very different things. Your conscious allows you to be aware of your place in the world, while your conscience allows you to behave in this world in morally andsocially acceptableways. As described below, being conscious refers to your awareness of yourself and the world around you. Your conscience is your ability to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.

At a Glance

While the two terms are often confused, the conscious and the conscience refer to very different things. Your conscious allows you to be aware of your place in the world, while your conscience allows you to behave in this world in morally andsocially acceptableways. As described below, being conscious refers to your awareness of yourself and the world around you. Your conscience is your ability to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.

What Does Conscience Mean?

Yourconscienceis the part of your personality that helps you determineright and wrongand keeps you from acting upon your most basic urges and desires.

Your conscience is what makes you feel guilty when you do something bad and good when you do something kind.

It is the moral basis that helps guideprosocial behavior, or behavior that helps others, and leads you to behave in socially acceptable and evenaltruistic ways.

One way a child’s sense of morality might develop is through their caregiver’s rules. For example, if a parent sets a rule, a child could learn a sense of right and wrong regarding that topic.Studies have also examined other factors that may affect the way conscience develops, including the nature of the parent-child relationship, style of parentaldiscipline, and the child’s temperament—but more research is needed.

What Does Conscious Mean?

Yourconsciousis yourawareness of yourselfand the world around you. In the most general terms, it means being awake and aware. Some experts suggest that you are considered conscious of something if you are able to put it into words.

Not only can you be conscious—as in awake—but you can also be conscious—as in aware—of your thoughts and feelings.

The Conscious Mind

In psychology, the conscious mind includes everything inside your awareness, including:

A metaphor that is sometimes used to explain the concept of the conscious mind within psychoanalytic theory is likening the mind to an iceberg.The part of the iceberg that can be seen above the surface of the water represents conscious awareness. It is what we are aware of and can describe and articulate clearly.

The largest part of the iceberg actually lies below the surface of the water. This represents theunconscious mindand includes all the thoughts, memories, and urges that are outside of our conscious awareness. This metaphor is frequently attributed toSigmund Freud, but according to theAmerican Psychological Association (APA), he never wrote about it.

What Is Consciousness?

Yourconsciousnessrefers to your conscious experiences, your individual awareness of your own internal thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations.

Consciousnessis often thought of as a stream, constantly shifting according to the ebb and flow of your thoughts and experiences of the world around you.

“Consciousness is generally defined as awareness of your thoughts, actions, feelings, sensations, perceptions, and other mental processes,” explain psychologists Douglass A. Bernstein, Louis A. Penner, and Edward Roy.

In other words, they say, this suggests that consciousness isn’t just one mental process but rather a part of many. “For example, memories can be conscious, but consciousness is not just memory. Perceptions can be conscious, but consciousness is not just perception.”

The conscious and consciousness can be difficult to pin down. As psychologist and philosopherWilliam Jamesonce explained, “Its meaning we know so long as no one asks us to define it.”

Consciousness in Psychology

ConscienceNounMoral awarenessActs as a moral compassConsciousAdjectiveMental awarenessMeans a person is awake and responsive

ConscienceNounMoral awarenessActs as a moral compass

Noun

Moral awareness

Acts as a moral compass

ConsciousAdjectiveMental awarenessMeans a person is awake and responsive

Adjective

Mental awareness

Means a person is awake and responsive

To further explain their differences, here are examples of how the terms conscience and conscious could be used in a sentence.

Conscience

They had a guilty conscience because they cheated on the test.

The term conscience here describes this person’s sense of what is right and wrong and the subsequent feeling of guilt they have over cheating on the test.

Conscious

They were worried they might faint at the sight of the blood, but they remained conscious.

They were conscious of the fact that everyone was staring at them.

The term conscious here describes the awareness of the person who noticed that everyone was looking at them.

Tip:When thinking about these two concepts, just remember that conscious means to beawake and awarewhile conscience refers toyour inner sense of right and wrong.

Tip:

When thinking about these two concepts, just remember that conscious means to beawake and awarewhile conscience refers toyour inner sense of right and wrong.

Common Uses

It’s definitely easy to confuse the terms conscious and conscience, particularly when you hear the words spoken out loud. However, with the help of some context clues and some attention to their spelling differences, you should have no problem telling them apart when you come across them.

The Role of the Conscious Mind

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cote, S. M. Sex Differences in Types of Aggressive Behaviors: Do Women Have a Higher Level of Conscience Than Men? In: W. Koops, D. Brugman, T. J. Ferguson, A. F. Sanders.The Development and Structure of Conscience.New York: Psychology Press; 2010: pp. 287–309.Kochanska G, Koenig JL, Barry RA, Kim S, Yoon JE.Children’s conscience during toddler and preschool years, moral self, and a competent, adaptive developmental trajectory.Dev Psychol. 2010;46(5):1320-1332. doi:10.1037/a0020381Kochanska G, Aksan N.Children’s conscience and self-regulation.J Pers. 2006;74(6):1587-1617. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00421.xGreen CD.Where did Freud’s iceberg metaphor of mind come from?History of Psychology. 2019;22(4):369-372. doi:10.1037/hop0000135_bAPA Dictionary of Psychology.Iceberg metaphor.Bernstein D, Penner LA, Clarke-Stewart A, Roy E.Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company; 2008.James W. The Stream of Consciousness. Psychology. Cleveland & New York, World; 1892.Additional ReadingKalat, J. W.Introduction to Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2014.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cote, S. M. Sex Differences in Types of Aggressive Behaviors: Do Women Have a Higher Level of Conscience Than Men? In: W. Koops, D. Brugman, T. J. Ferguson, A. F. Sanders.The Development and Structure of Conscience.New York: Psychology Press; 2010: pp. 287–309.Kochanska G, Koenig JL, Barry RA, Kim S, Yoon JE.Children’s conscience during toddler and preschool years, moral self, and a competent, adaptive developmental trajectory.Dev Psychol. 2010;46(5):1320-1332. doi:10.1037/a0020381Kochanska G, Aksan N.Children’s conscience and self-regulation.J Pers. 2006;74(6):1587-1617. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00421.xGreen CD.Where did Freud’s iceberg metaphor of mind come from?History of Psychology. 2019;22(4):369-372. doi:10.1037/hop0000135_bAPA Dictionary of Psychology.Iceberg metaphor.Bernstein D, Penner LA, Clarke-Stewart A, Roy E.Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company; 2008.James W. The Stream of Consciousness. Psychology. Cleveland & New York, World; 1892.Additional ReadingKalat, J. W.Introduction to Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2014.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Cote, S. M. Sex Differences in Types of Aggressive Behaviors: Do Women Have a Higher Level of Conscience Than Men? In: W. Koops, D. Brugman, T. J. Ferguson, A. F. Sanders.The Development and Structure of Conscience.New York: Psychology Press; 2010: pp. 287–309.Kochanska G, Koenig JL, Barry RA, Kim S, Yoon JE.Children’s conscience during toddler and preschool years, moral self, and a competent, adaptive developmental trajectory.Dev Psychol. 2010;46(5):1320-1332. doi:10.1037/a0020381Kochanska G, Aksan N.Children’s conscience and self-regulation.J Pers. 2006;74(6):1587-1617. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00421.xGreen CD.Where did Freud’s iceberg metaphor of mind come from?History of Psychology. 2019;22(4):369-372. doi:10.1037/hop0000135_bAPA Dictionary of Psychology.Iceberg metaphor.Bernstein D, Penner LA, Clarke-Stewart A, Roy E.Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company; 2008.James W. The Stream of Consciousness. Psychology. Cleveland & New York, World; 1892.

Cote, S. M. Sex Differences in Types of Aggressive Behaviors: Do Women Have a Higher Level of Conscience Than Men? In: W. Koops, D. Brugman, T. J. Ferguson, A. F. Sanders.The Development and Structure of Conscience.New York: Psychology Press; 2010: pp. 287–309.

Kochanska G, Koenig JL, Barry RA, Kim S, Yoon JE.Children’s conscience during toddler and preschool years, moral self, and a competent, adaptive developmental trajectory.Dev Psychol. 2010;46(5):1320-1332. doi:10.1037/a0020381

Kochanska G, Aksan N.Children’s conscience and self-regulation.J Pers. 2006;74(6):1587-1617. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00421.x

Green CD.Where did Freud’s iceberg metaphor of mind come from?History of Psychology. 2019;22(4):369-372. doi:10.1037/hop0000135_b

APA Dictionary of Psychology.Iceberg metaphor.

Bernstein D, Penner LA, Clarke-Stewart A, Roy E.Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company; 2008.

James W. The Stream of Consciousness. Psychology. Cleveland & New York, World; 1892.

Kalat, J. W.Introduction to Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2014.

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