This is an answer to a question posted on Quora.
What is more powerful? The inner voice or subconscious mind?
Your inner voice or conscious voice is really what you think of as ‘you’. The rest of your mind is also you but it isn’t really your identity.
Now you are asking, for mind models where a subconscious exists, if the subconscious mind or your perceived conscious identity is more powerful?
I’m going to presume when you say powerful you mean influential, more able to direct behaviour and ultimately responsible for your actions.
So let me ask you three questions:
Do you ever know you should do something (exercise, work, clean, whatever), know you’ll be better of doing it and believe that doing it will make you happier, and then just not do it? (One point for the subconscious being more powerful)
Does your body ever take actions you don’t want despite you telling it not to? (Sweating, pulse increasing, tense muscles or cramps around the neck & shoulders, etc.) (Second point for the subconscious being more powerful)
And my final question – do you ever have trouble making your mind up about something? Or change your mind without any new information but rather due to some stimuli changing a perception? That’s because your subconscious is, ultimately, responsible for what your inner or conscious voice actually says or thinks.
While this raises numerous questions around identity, responsibility, the nature of being and consciousness etc. I think the answer to your question would clearly be the subconscious.