Pathological co-conscious thinking is an obsessional symptom involving thinking itself, and falls into the general categories of splitting of personality, feelings of unreality and depersonalization. In the cases observed it was associated with an unusual libidinization of thinking. A concept is proposed which regards thinking as current flow occurring in vertical and horizontal planes and in straight, circular or spiral directions. Co-conscious thinking takes place as a vertical splitting of the flow of thought current in the same lateral plane.

Double conscience and double consciousness are closely related—they may even be identical. Their development is dependent on the need for the protection of the biological ego against the dominance of a superego unsuited to ego needs.