Stream of consciousness

Stream of consciousness refers to the flow of thoughts in the conscious mind. It was a term used by the American psychologist and philosopher William James in 1890. James said:
The idea (but not the term) had been noted before James, by the philosopher William Hamilton in his lectures of 1838/9. He described thought as "a series of acts all... connected".
A similar idea occurs in early Buddhist writings, and is sometimes called the mindstream.