Iceberg Metaphor

In psychoanalysis, Freud used the iceberg to represent that we are only aware of a small percentage of our psyche as a big part of our mind is covered or a part of the unconscious and subconscious. For example, we may be only conscious of what we are saying but the motivation behind those words and the reasons regarding the manner of speaking are unconscious. Moreover, the expression “only the tip of the iceberg” pertains to the initial and merely small part of a situation. For instance, a mother just found out that her child skipped class that day. That is only the tip of the iceberg as she is about to know that her daughter has not been attending classes for the whole month and that she has been using illegal drugs.