Figure 8.1 | Freud’s Iceberg Model of the Mind | In the iceberg model of the mind, the small part above water is our conscious mind; the part just below the surface is the preconscious; and the major portion, hidden below water, is the unconscious. A person has access only to the conscious and preconscious levels of awareness. The conscious mind is what the person is presently thinking about, and the preconscious mind is information that the person could bring into conscious awareness.