Depth psychology makes the claim that the mind is made up not just of a conscious part but also and unconscious part, that influences how we perceive and behave in the world and is one of the most powerful determinants of our behaviour. According to Helene Smit the unconscious develops as a result of the complexity of managing ourselves in the world. In order to cope with all that is happening inside and around us our mind splits into compartments and we do not have conscious access to all these compartments.
The unconscious is intangible and invisible and often contains disturbing material which may be dangerous to the self or society. Depth psychology holds that all of this unconscious material has a logic to it, but often this logic is buried and not in awareness. This logic extends over time and it takes effort and attention to figure out where it is coming from.