Thread: What exactly is the subconscious?

I don't really know, but I guess whereever in the mind that dreams come from is what I would call the subconscious. Also whatever it is in my mind that tries to keep me from becoming lucid. And the part of the brain that causes words that you can't think of to pop into your mind later on.

I don't know if those are really a actual functions of the brain, or just by-products of having one.

Consciousness is what you can't get rid of, for example through meditation. I guess everything else is a part of the subconscious. Memories, urges, instincts, wishes... It's very interesting to see the subconscious in action, like being happy, embarrassed or frightened, even if it's uncomfortable. It something you don't control, like something is forcing it upon you.
I don't know the exact scientific explanation. I know (or guess) that people are going to criticize me, but that's how I explain it.

The term "subconscious" has become so hackneyed that it is essentially meaningless now. People have used the term to describe both of the things that you mentioned.

The term itself originiated from some of Sigmund Freud's earliest psychological texts. However, he very quickly realized that the term was ambiguous and misleading, and began using the terms "preconscious" and "unconscious," which are still the terms used in Freudian theory today. (The term "subconscious," although common in lay speech and "pop psychology," is never used in serious academic writing.) According to Freud's theory (known as "psychoanalytic theory" or "psychoanalysis"), the mind is divided into three levels of awareness: the conscious mind, the preconscious mind, and the unconscious mind.

The conscious mind consists of whatever you are currently conscious of at this very moment. Right now, this sentence is in your conscious mind. The preconscious consists of information which is not part of your conscious mind, but can be readily accessed by your conscious mind at any time. For example, what is your phone number? Until I asked you, this information was in your preconscious mind. Now that you are thinking about it, it is part of your conscious mind.

Then there is the unconscious mind, which is the real meat of Freud's theory. The unconscious mind consists of information which is not part of your conscious mind and cannot be brought into your conscious mind at will. According to Freud, the unconscious mind is a scary place filled with repressed memories and animalistic desires. Information in the unconscious mind can only be accessed via a handful of methods: among these he included dream interpretation, free association and hypnosis.

It is this Freudian "unconscious mind" that many people are referring to when they mention the "subconscious." So in a way, it is both of the things you are asking about: both a lower level of awareness as well as a "separate mind."

P.S. I should add that the majority of Freud's theories have been rejected by modern science, although he is still considered an important figure in early psychology. His influence is still apparent to this day (much to the dismay of many scientists).