Final answer:
Sigmund Freud used the concept of unconscious motivation to explain inexplicable human behavior, asserting that the unconscious mind hosts repressed urges and desires influencing our actions. The correct option is C.
Step-by-step explanation:
To explain why we do things that we cannot explain, Sigmund Freud used the concept of unconscious motivation. Freud's theory posits that most of our thoughts and feelings are buried in the unconscious - a part of the mind we are often unaware of and cannot readily access.
Our consciousness, he believed, only represents a small fraction of our mental capacity, akin to the tip of an iceberg. Unacceptable urges and desires, according to Freud, can get repressed into the unconscious and can manifest through mechanisms like slips of the tongue (also known as Freudian slips), which can reveal deeper, hidden desires.
Freud's work also discussed the structure of the psyche, dividing it into the id (instinctual drives), the ego (the conscious mind dealing with reality), and the superego (moral standards and social norms).
He argued that psychological problems arise when the ego is constantly challenged by the conflicting demands of the id and superego, which it is not fully conscious of. This inner conflict can sometimes be understood through techniques like dream analysis, free association, and examination of Freudian slips. The correct option is C.