In psychological dictionaries, the concept of insight is interpreted as a sudden understanding of a problem situation as a whole, which is not derived from existing experience, thanks to which the task facing a person is solved.
Chimpanzee "Aha" response
But for the first time this term was introduced by the Gest alt psychologist W. Kehler in 1925 when studying the intelligence of great apes, whose behavior did not fit into the behaviorist concept of "trial and error". He called insight new thinking, a sudden insight into the essence of the task presented by the experimenter.
Kohler offered his chimpanzees the task of getting the bait in an unusual way for them: you had to guess to use a stick for this, which could be in different places, including out of sight of the animal.
Instead of fussing about doing bad thingsattempts, the monkey could do nothing for a long time, but simply look at everything around. And at some point, the right solution suddenly came to her, which was immediately implemented.
The researcher interpreted this “aha-reaction” as an intellectual action to “restructure” the field of perception for the task, when a neutral object (stick) attracts attention as a means to achieve a result (“lengthening” of the arm).
What is insight?
Subsequently, this term began to be used by psychologists of various directions when trying to explain the phenomenon of awareness, insight, sudden understanding. Especially when studying creativity.
G. Wallace identified four stages in the process of solving a creative problem:
1. Preparatory work.
2. Bearing.
3. Sudden insight.
4. Practical confirmation.
This scheme is not disputed by anyone, but everyone agrees that it is rather descriptive and cannot explain what insight really is.
The difficulty of the question lies in the fact that the solution is formed at the unconscious level, for the time being not getting into the focus of consciousness. It is interesting that consciousness at the 2nd stage is usually occupied with activities that are not directly related to the problem being solved. That is why the effect of surprise occurs when the solution suddenly appears in the mind like a ray of light against the background of gray everyday life.
Indeed, it is known from the history of science that fundamental discoverieswere committed by great scientists, starting with Archimedes (who shouted his famous “Eureka!” through the centuries) to the mathematician Poincaré and many others, in the most unexpected situations. For example, when immersed in a bathtub, under an apple tree in an orchard, or on the running board of a moving bus.
The criterion of truth is beauty
In the memoirs of Henri Poincaré, one can clearly see what insight is in the creative process. When a scientist is awake not busy thinking about the problem facing him (2nd stage), intensive work continues in his unconscious, the results of which depend on the degree of his involvement in solving the problem at the 1st stage.
When an insight has happened, it is necessary to bring an evidence base under it, including logic and mathematical calculations. The main thing in this 3rd stage is to test your sudden insights. Even despite the absolute certainty of the correctness of his guess, the scientist must prove it to himself and others.
The most interesting thing here is that the movement towards the correct solution is accompanied by strong feelings, which guide the scientist, fully concentrated on his task. Feelings, manifesting from the depths of the unconscious, direct the creator to the desired solution. Poincare says that he experienced real ecstasy when contemplating the beauty of his mathematical constructions.
In other words, the sense of beauty and harmony is a kind of filter that does not let in erroneous ideas. And if it is absent, then a person cannot solve mathematical problems. That is, insight is in psychologycreativity is a concept closely related to the beauty of form.
In principle, the same mechanism was described by Koehler, who studied the creative decisions of chimpanzees. "Gest alt" is translated as a good, beautiful, finished form regarding the connection of objects in the field of perception. Choosing this “good form” as the only correct one, the monkey solved the problem and received a reward.
Intuition or logic?
Our compatriot psychologist Ya. A. Ponomarev is of the opinion that human thinking is always a ratio of intuition and logic. At different moments of life, one or the other predominates. Intuitive search is triggered by the very formulation of the problem, the emergence of the need to solve it. The main process takes place beyond the threshold of consciousness, and only when the decision matures does it suddenly appear in its focus. That's what insight is in this context.
Based on it, a rationale for the solution is formed when another need arises - to share your find with others, to find a common algorithm for solving similar problems in the future.
When a person is faced with a new task, often he lacks logical knowledge, and then the decision process descends to a lower, unconscious-intuitive level. In this as yet unknown realm, experience seems limitless. And those who know how to get in touch with him manage to look at the problem situation from the right side. Information comes at the moment when consciousness is distracted by something, or in a dream.
Having received a fundamental answer, you need to try to justify it. Onlythen the intuitive solution will have the right to exist.
Don't ask a centipede how she moves her legs
Once Ponomarev conducted such an experiment: he offered the subjects to solve a problem in which it was required to find an algorithm for putting straps on a special panel. When they learned how to complete this task, they were asked to find their way through a maze whose shape was identical to the configuration of the planks on the panel in the previous task.
It turned out that preliminary preparation with planks dramatically reduces the number of errors in the maze. But if the experimenter asked to justify why this or that choice was made in the maze, the number of errors immediately increased.
It turns out that working in logical awareness mode interferes with contact with intuitive experience. Conversely, acting on intuition excludes their conscious control.
I can smell it, there's something in it
The main difference between human intuition and the mental activity of animals is in its connection with consciousness. The instinct of animals, according to modern science, is not capable of this.
Dipping to the level of intuition, the new thinking of a person can be accelerated tens of thousands of times, and with much lower energy costs. At the same time, even a surge of new strength can be felt, an intuitive solution brings with it an emotional upsurge and a sense of “real life”. Creative people call it inspiration.
Insight in everyday life
No need to think that insight, insight, is the prerogative of scientists or artists. Plainhuman life is filled with insights, epiphanies and other unexpected solutions. We are constantly solving new tasks for ourselves, which are far from immediately amenable to conscious assault.
Insight is a zone of enlightenment in psychology, in which answers to the main questions are found. We find it after many unsuccessful attempts, already despairing and dropping our hands, finally giving up and ceasing to look for a solution. It is at this moment that insight comes.
You just need to step aside and look at the situation differently, try to cover it all.
Foresight
Insight can be used in psychology as a synonym for insight when it comes to characterizing a person. In general, insight is the ability to guess what a stranger is, what motives drive him, what to expect from him. By and large, this is a foresight of the situation.
An astute person is hard to deceive or "set up". Such people are not prone to mistakes, and they are successful in their chosen field of activity. That is why among them there are many leaders who are able to influence others, gather teams of like-minded people and creative teams around them.
But insight is also the ability to make accurate observations, to notice the most significant in the environment, that which is not striking, but gives the key to the situation. And in this regard, it can be developed by constantly training your powers of observation. For this, special methods have been developed in psychology, with which, if desired,can be found.
Different areas of psychology use the term insight, the meaning of which is interpreted as insight, an intuitive approach to solving a difficult problem, awareness in a broad sense or insight. In the psychology of advertising, there is even the concept of “consumer insight”. Perhaps the popularity of this concept will contribute to real insights in understanding the essence of man, and will make our life better.
