Insight

Origin

The original notion appears to have been ‘internal sight’, i.e. with the eyes of the mind or understanding (see in adv. 12c). Compare the same use of in- in Middle English inwit (sometimes an equivalent of insight ), and Old English inȝehyȝd , inȝeþanc , etc. But subsequently there arose a tendency to analyze the word as sight or seeing into a thing or subject, although even so there usually remained the notion of penetrating into things or seeing beneath their surface with the eyes of the understanding.

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Definitions

1. A sight or view of the interior of anything; a deep inspection or view; introspection; frequently used with into.
2. Power of acute observation and deduction; penetration; discernment; perception.
3. In Marketing: Knowledge (usually derived from consumer understanding) that a company applies in order to make a product or brand perform better and be more appealing to customers.

Description

Insight is the understanding of cause and effect in a specific context. Insight can be used with several related meanings:

• a piece of information
• the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively in Greek called noesis
• an introspection
• the power of acute observation and deduction, penetration, discernment, perception called intellection or noesis
• an understanding of cause and effect based on identification of relationships and behaviors within a model, context, or scenario

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. It is also known as an epiphany.

See also

• Foresight
• Hindsight