An insight that manifests itself suddenly, such as understanding how to solve a difficult problem, is sometimes called by the German word Aha-Erlebnis. The term was coined by the German psychologist and theoretical linguist Karl Bühler Karl Bühler was a German psychologist known for his work about gestalt and his Organon model which influenced Friedemann Schulz von Thuns four sides model. It is also known as an epiphany An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has "found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture," or has new information or experience, often insignificant by itself, that.

In psychology and psychiatry

In psychology Psychology is the scientific study of human or other animal mental functions and behaviors. In this field, a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist. Psychologists are classified as social or behavioral scientists. Psychological research can be considered either basic or applied. Psychologists attempt to understand the and psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders—which include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual disorders. The term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808. It literally means the 'medical treatment of the mind' . A medical doctor specializing in, insight can mean the ability to recognize one's own mental illness.^[1] This form of insight has multiple dimensions, such as recognizing the need for treatment, and recognizing consequences of one's behavior as stemming from an illness.^[2] A person with very poor recognition or acknowledgment is referred to as having "poor insight" or "lack of insight." The most extreme form is Anosognosia Anosognosia is a condition in which a person who suffers disability seems unaware of or denies the existence of his or her disability. This may include unawareness of quite dramatic impairments, such as blindness or paralysis. It was first named by neurologist Joseph Babinski in 1914, although relatively little has been discovered about the cause, which is the total absence of insight into one's own mental illness. Many mental illnesses are associated with varying levels of insight. For example, people with obsessive compulsive disorder Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety, or by a combination of such thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). Symptoms may include repetitive hand-washing; extensive hoarding; preoccupation with sexual or aggressive and various phobias A phobia is an irrational, intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared stimulus. When the fear is beyond one's control, and if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the tend to have relatively good insight that they have a problem and that their thoughts and/or actions are unreasonable, yet are compelled to carry out the thoughts and actions regardless. Whereas people with Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease , also called Alzheimer disease, Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of dementia. This incurable, degenerative, and terminal disease was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him. Generally, it is diagnosed, schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterized by a disintegration of the process of thinking, of contact with reality, and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction. Onset of and various psychotic Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality". People suffering from psychosis are described as psychotic conditions tend to have very poor awareness that anything is wrong with them.

"Insight" can also refer to other matters in psychology. Problem solving Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Considered the most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of more routine or fundamental skills. Problem behavior requiring insight is the subject of insight phenomenology When people solve, or attempt to solve an insight puzzle, they experience a common phenomenology, that is, a set of behavioural properties that accompany problem-solving activity . Other kinds of puzzle, such as the Tower of Hanoi, an example of a transformation problem, tend not to yield these phenomena. The phenomena may include:.

An insight is the derivation of a rule which links cause Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event (the effect), where the second event is a consequence of the first with effect. The mind Mind is the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason. Mind manifests itself subjectively as a stream of consciousness is a model of the universe built up from insights.

Thoughts of the mind Mind is the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason. Mind manifests itself subjectively as a stream of consciousness fall into two categories:

1) Analysis of past experience with the purpose of gaining insight for use within this model at a later date

2) Simulations of future scenarios using existing insights in the mind Mind is the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason. Mind manifests itself subjectively as a stream of consciousness model in order to predict outcomes

A mature mind has assimilated many insights and understands cause and effect. When insight is not subordinate to a validation discipline like the 'scientific method Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. A scientific method consists of', fallacious thinking can result in a confused mind Mind is the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason. Mind manifests itself subjectively as a stream of consciousness.

Intuition, which is often described in the popular literature as an alternative thought process, is merely another manifestation of insight.^[3] In this process, multiple bits of seemingly unrelated data are linked together and a hypothesis or plan of action is generated. Usually this process is generated in a novel situation. Such a circumstance links data which had previously seemed unrelated.^[4] The categories and analytical process, however, are not distinct from any other form of insight. The only difference is the degree of novelty of the stimulus. To form an insight the frontal lobe searches through the temporal lobes in search of the data bits. It has been hypothesized that the apparently intuitive mode uses a right temporal search. The majority of insights are derived from the left temporal lobe.

In religion

In religion insight is seen as the divine impartation of knowledge Knowledge is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject; (ii) what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information; or (iii) awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation, or wisdom Wisdom is a deep understanding and realizing of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to choose or act to consistently produce the optimum results with a minimum of time and energy. Wisdom is the ability to optimally apply perceptions and knowledge and so produce the desired results. Wisdom is comprehension of what is true, for various beneficial results:

• To help a sufferer understand a troubling health condition, be it emotional, mental, spiritual or physical (possibly psychosomatic Psychosomatic medicine is an interdisciplinary medical field studying the relationships of social, psychological, and behavioral factors on bodily processes and well-being in humans and animals. The influence that the mind has over physical processes including the manifestations of physical disabilities that are based on intellectual infirmities,)
• To help a sufferer understand a troubling life situation or circumstance (e.g. relationship/employment problems)
• To give greater understanding about local, national or international social issues, often with a view to assisting intercessory prayer Intercession, in Christianity is prayer to God on behalf of another person that includes a level of intimacy--obtained through worship--and speaking God's words back to Him--praying specific Scripture from the Bible. The nature of intercession in Judaism is disputed
• To help an enquirer come to faith Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. The word "faith" can refer to a religion itself or to religion in general or belief in the religion or belief system

Sometimes insight is a precursor to miraculous interventions. In those cases the insight can be said to result in deeper understanding, which in turn results in increased faith.

The Pali Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan language (or prakrit) of India. It is best known as the language of many of the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures, as collected in the Pāḷi Canon or Tipitaka, and as the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism word for "insight" is "vipassana Vipassanā or vipaśyanā (विपश्यना, Sanskrit) in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi (vipaśyin)", which has been adopted as the name of a kind of Buddhist meditation.

In business

Nigel Bradley points out a recent development in the world of business. There has been the emergence of new departments in corporations which carry the word “Insight” in their titles. We have “Customer Insight Departments”, Insight Management Unit, Consumer Insight and so on. This extends to the job titles of executives working in those areas. One reason for this development was a realisation that the emphasis of results from individual research projects needed to be shifted to a wider understanding of the dynamics operating in the full market place. Another reason was the impact of information technology. Progress in technology gave way to the availability of masses of information found in databases. The advantages of Insight Management are numerous. By making use of all existing information, there is less need to consult customers, thereby minimising unnecessary contact and costs.^[5]

In marketing

Conroy (2008) points out that an insight is a statement based on a deep understanding of your target consumers Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods and services generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary' attitudes and beliefs, which connect at an emotional level with your consumer, provoking a clear response (This brand understands me! That is exactly how I feel! — even if they've never thought about it quite like that) which, when leveraged, has the power to change consumer behavior Consumer behaviour is the study of when, why, how, what, and where people do or do not buy products. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social, anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics. Insights must affect a change in consumer behavior that benefits your brand A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business[page needed]. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. The word brand began simply as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected brand name is called a trademark. The word brand, leading to the achievement of the marketing Marketing is the process by which companies create customer interest in products or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business development. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves objective.^{[citation needed]}

Insights can be based on:

1. Real or perceived weakness to be exploited in competitive product performance or value
2. Attitudinal or perceived barrier in the minds of consumers, regarding your brand
3. Untapped or compelling belief or practice

Insights are most effective when they are/do one of the following:

1. Unexpected
2. Create a disequilibria
3. Change momentum
4. Exploited via a benefit or point of difference that your brand can deliver

References

1. ^ Marková I.S. (2005) Insight in Psychiatry. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
2. ^ Ghaemi, S. Nassir (2002). Polypharmacy in Psychiatry. Hoboken: Informa Healthcare. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 0-8247-0776-1.
3. ^ AJ Giannini, J Daood, MC Giannini, RS Boniface, PG Rhodes. Intellect versus intuition—a dichotomy in the reception of nonverbal communication.Journal of General Psychology. 99:19–25,1978.
4. ^ AJ Giannini, ME Barringer, MC Giannini, RH Loiselle. Lack of relationship between handedness and intuitive and intellectual (rationalistic) modes of information processing. Journal of General Psychology.111:31–37,1984.
5. ^ Bradley, Nigel, (2007), Marketing Research: Tools and Techniques, Oxford: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as OUP's chief executive and as its major representative.

Further reading

• Bradley, Nigel, (2007), Marketing Research: Tools and Techniques, Oxford: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as OUP's chief executive and as its major representative. ISBN 9780199281961
• Lehrer, Jonah, Annals of Science: "The Eureka Hunt: Why do good ideas come to us when they do?". — The New Yorker The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry published by Condé Nast Publications. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published forty-seven times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans. (c/o Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological research. MIT is one of two private land-grant universities[b] and is also a sea-grant and space-), July 28, 2008. (Adobe Acrobat *PDF document)

Categories: Epistemology Categories: Branches of philosophy | Science studies | Knowledge | Sources of knowledge Categories: Epistemology | Knowledge | Sources | Creativity Categories: Human skills | Intelligence | Problem solving | Innovation | Social psychology Categories: Behavioural sciences | Branches of psychology | Social philosophy | Social sciences

See Also:

• Insight: Encyclopedia

What Links Here:

Recently Viewed Pages:

• Home
• Jacques Hadamard: Images
• Digital Object Identifier: Blogs
• Henry Moore: Blogs
• Art: Encyclopedia
• Creativity: Dictionary
• Jared Diamond: Blogs
• Edward de Bono: Blogs
• Create: Dictionary
• Originality: Dictionary

Most Popular Pages:

• Jacques Hadamard: Images
• Encyclopedia: NetBSD
• Loyalty: Blogs
• Sedona Method: Blogs
• Henry Moore: Blogs
• Martin Heidegger: Blogs
• Digital Object Identifier: Blogs
• Mathematics: Blogs
• Jared Diamond: Blogs
• Insight: Directory Search

Related 'Insight' Searches: