A Phenomenological Study of an Experience of Intuition
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A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF AN EXPERIENCE OF INTUITION AND ITS MEANING FOR THE INDIVIDUAL by IRENE SUYIN LEE B.A., University of Western Washington, 1979 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Counselling Psychology We accept this Thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA February 1989 © IRENE SUYIN LEE, 1989 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada DE-6 (2/88) ii Abstract Over the centuries, various positions have been taken on intuition, its value and credibility. What has been lacking in the writings and studies has been an account of the lived experience of intuition and its personal meaning. The intuitive experience that was meaningful for the individual was studied through the existential-phenomenological method of research. Interviews were conducted with nine adult co-researchers. Each of these individuals had a significant intuitive experience and were able to speak about it with the researcher. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's (1978) and Cochran and Claspell's (1987) format, resulting in an extraction of thirty-one themes that were woven into a common narrative. These themes were returned to co-researchers for validation and to sharpen the meanings. In general, intuitive experiences were found to be highly meaningful to individuals and to have had a lasting impact on their lives. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgements vi Dedication vii CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 3 Purpose of the Study 4 Rationale 5 Significance of the Study 7 CHAPTER II - LITERATURE REVIEW 8 Philosophy 8 Classical Intuitionists 8 Contemporary Intuitionists 11 Psychology 13 Experimental Studies 16 Social Intuition 17 Clinical Intuition 17 Creative Intuition 22 Laboratory Studies 24 Recent Studies 25 Psychology: C.C. Jung 27 Contemporary Psychology 29 Humanistic Psychology : 30 Transpersonal Psychology 40 Mysticism and Intuition 45 iv Summary Discussion 47 CHAPTER 111 - METHOD 49 Co-Researchers , 50 Selection of Co-Researchers 50 Demographic Information 50 Phenomenological Interviews 51 The First Interview 51 The Second Interview 51 Analysis Procedure 53 CHAPTER IV - RESULTS 56 Summary of the Co-Researchers' Experiences 56 Formulation of Themes 62 Clusters of Themes 65 Description of the Themes 66 Before the Experience 66 During the Experience 68 After the Experience 76 The Narrative Description 90 The Essential Structure 97 N's Experience 101 CHAPTER V - DISCUSSION 104 Limitations of the Study 105 Theoretical Implications 106 Implications for Counselling 110 Implications for Future Research 113 Summary 114 Epilogue ;.115 V REFERENCES 117 APPENDIX A - Protocols 124 APPENDIX B - Introductory Letter 224 Consent Form 225 Questions to Co-Researchers 226 Second Interview Letter 227 Thank-you Letter 228 vi Acknowledgements No thesis is solely created by the author. Throughout the dark sea-journey, I have had fellow- voyagers. I wish to acknowledge the presence and support of my committee, Drs. Larry Cochran, Marv Westwood, and Jim McCullum, without whom the journey would have been very rough. My thanks to Larry in particular who often captained the ship, steered me through the reefs, and set me into calm waters with his wonderful humour, quiet reassurance and personal acknowledgement. I also extend my gratitude to my co-researchers, who were willing to share a significant life experience with me. Among my crew were my special Dromenon companions. They offered me food, drink, warmth, shelter, and much caring throughout this journey. Finally, I wish to thank my grown children, Brian and Sandra, for their encouragement and belief in me; and last and foremost, my partner and "soul-catcher", Douglas Rickson, who accompanied me totally and lovingly on this magnificent voyage. In honour of my parents: Anne Thelma Yip (1917-1986) and Yip Sai Cai (1907-1985) who made this journey possibl 1 CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION The concept of intuition has been used to refer to many kinds of situations and experiences, from vague hunches to divine revelation. It is frequently associated with scientific discovery and invention, creative inspiration, problem-solving, extra-sensory perception, premonition, and religious experience (Vaughan, 1979). Broadly defined, intuition can be said to be a way of knowing without knowing how one knows. The basic notion of intuition is ancient. Over the centuries, human beings have had the experience of knowing more than they could understand rationally. Such unexplained knowledge was attributed to magical or divine abilities of special individuals and not considered a property of ordinary people. At the turn of the century, Henri Bergson (1911), a classical intuitionist, suggested that intuition was "the sympathy by which one is transported into the interior of an object in order to coincide with what there is unique and consequently inexpressible in it" (1911, p. 181). A narrower view later arose with the psychological studies (Sarbin et al., 1960; Westcott, 1968) that defined intuition as unconscious inference in which knowledge was "based on experience and acquired through sensory contact with the subject, without the intuiter being able to formulate to himself or others exactly how he came to his conclusions" (Berne, 1949, p. 205). With the developing humanistic view of the person in psychology and studies in consciousness, intuition broadened its significance. Marilyn Ferguson, in her popular book, The Aquarian Conspiracy (1980), maintained that intuition is not separate from the intellect, but is a larger realm that encompasses the intellect. She further stated that "the left brain can organize new information into the existing scheme of things, but it cannot generate new ideas. The right brain sees context - and, therefore, meaning" (p. 297). She advocated the pursuit of "whole-brain knowing" in which society accords equal status to insights of the creative, right hemisphere with information of the linear, logical left hemisphere. 2 Another viewpoint was taken by Deikman (1982). He suggested that intuition is a special kind of contact with ultimate reality in which the "knower becomes one with the known rather than observing it" (p. 55). This perspective aligns with that of mystical science in which the knowing is direct (intuition) and not mediated by reason or the senses. With the many perspectives of intuition in several disciplines, it is worthwhile to begin this study with the etymology of the word. INTUITION originates from the Latin "intuitio" the noun, or from "intueri" the verb. The "in" of "intueri" suggests "within", "inmost", "inner"; and "tueri" means "look at", "regard", "preserve", "guard". So far, the word connotes an observing or looking inside oneself, having a regard for or caring about oneself, or preserving and defending our inner self. Another possible point of view might be gaining knowledge from an inner source. The Concise Oxford Dictionary (7th edition, 1981) emphasizes the time element of intuition by using "immediate" in its three descriptions: "immediate apprehension by the mind without reasoning", "immediate apprehension by a sense", and "immediate insight". This dictionary states specifically that intuition can be experienced through the senses. From a philosophical viewpoint the term "immediate" also suggests without mediation or direct perception. The archaic definition of intuition is the "act of contemplating or considering" {Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary of the English Language, 1976). Besides being an "act or process of coming to direct knowledge or certainty without reasoning or inferring", and an "act of looking upon, regarding, examining or inspecting", Webster's (1976) defines it as "knowledge, perception, conviction gained by intuition", and "power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without rational thought and inference". The broader context of intuition as a critical human ability or capacity as a way to truth is noted. Further, one can assume that humans can develop and amplify this talent. 3 The last distinction Webster's (1976) makes is that of "revelation by insight or innate knowledge", information that is boldly illuminated. "Revelation" might suggest a religious or spiritual quality. In summary, intuition from its Latin roots means a looking within or having a regard or caring for one self or inner self. The current definitions describe it as an act or process of immediate knowledge or perception without awareness of rational thought. Intuition is further seen as a human faculty and method of attaining knowledge. It is also noted as a spiritual experience of knowing. The current interest in intuition has evolved from the humanistic psychology movement (Goldberg, 1983). There has been an ever-increasing pursuit of individual growth and a worldview shift in values. Our belief systems, our approach to knowledge, how we use our inner and outer resources have