Intuition Defined
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the origin of the word intuition arrives from late Latin intuitio(n-) and from Latin intueri ‘. The dictionary defines the meaning of the word as
the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.
The root of the word intuition is related to tuition, that arrives from the Latin word tueri. Tueri means to protect or guard. In late Middle English it meant denoting spiritual insight or immediate spiritual communication.
In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defines wisdom as
intuitive reason combined with scientific knowledge.
The French Philosopher, Henri Bergson stated that
an absolute can only be given in an intuition, while all the rest has to do with analysis.
Intuition, sensation, thinking and feeling are the four major functions of the human mind, according to Carl Jung. In Psychological Types, Carl Jung describes intuition as
a perception of realities which are not known to the conscious, and which goes via the unconscious.
He also said that intuition is not only a perception, but a creative process with the capacity to inspire.
In her book, The Art of Intuition, Sophy Burnham describes intuition in such a way:
you can’t touch it or see it or find in on the Internet. I believe it is our subconscious mind speaking to us from dark and covert caves. If we do not listen, it will try to send its messages in dreams. Or else it becomes so insistent that we hear it even as an External Voice. Perhaps it is only our inner selves talking to ourselves, but sometimes it feels so different, so otherworldly, that you’d think it could be orchestrated by angels.
Intuition and Coaching
In search for indications on how coaches define and access their intuition and then use it to strengthen the coaching process, ten coaches were asked to answer ten questions on intuition. The survey questions were sent out via individual emails. The recipients had already agreed to take part in the survey.