This is the term loosely applied to certain inner feelings, giving rise
to a form of conviction as to the truth and reality (or the reverse)
of something then present in the mind. Intuitions are popularly
supposed to be right, and women are said to experience them far more
often than men! No statistical evidence is available, so far as I
know, upon either of these questions; indeed, it may be said that
the whole subject has been grossly neglected, from the psychological
point-of-view.
Intuitions probably present themselves to the mind as the result of
subconscious mentation. A hidden and unknown process has been going
on within the mind, the result or product of which finally emerges in
vague form into consciousness. Usually it takes the form of a more or
less vague feeling. Miss Goodrich-Freer, who had experienced many such
intuitions, attempted to analyze some of them, from introspection, and
contributed a valuable Chapter entitled “How it Came into my Head; the
Machinery of Intuitions,” in her book, “Essays in Psychical Research.”
Her conclusion is approximately that mentioned above. Mr. Walter N.
Weston has also written a book entitled “Intuition,” in which, however,
little of value can be found.