Dear ave4444,
The term you have in mind is, to be exact, "Gemeingefühl". It is a
German word which can be translated in various ways, for example
"general feeling", or "common sensibility".
The first known use of this term to describe psychology-related issues
was in 1803, by the German doctor Johann Christian Reil (1759-1813).
In his book "Rhapsodieen über die Anwendung der psychischen Curmethode
auf Geisteszerrüttungen" (= "Thoughts about the use of psychic
treatment methods for mind defects"), he wrote:
"Als solche erreichen sie bloß das Gemeingefühl und die Sinnesorgane;
allein dadurch entstehn Gefühle, Vorstellungen, Gemische aus beiden."
(= "As such, they [the psychic methods of treatment] reach only the
Gemeingefühl and the sensitive organs.")
Dr. Reil utilzed the term in the sense of "the general human
feelings". It might well be that Gemeingefühl had been existing as a
more or less common word before Reil used it in his book, but it is
also possible that he himself invented it in order to express exactly
this meaning. Anyway, an earlier use as part of psychology literature
is not recorded.
The German educationalist Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel used
"Gemeingefühl" in his 1826 book "Die Menschenerziehung" (= "Education
of humans") in a different sense, meaning "unspecified sensibility
about something", or "general ability of feeling".
In 1846, the German physician Ernst Heinrich Weber (1795-1878) wrote
his book "Der Tastsinn und das Gemeingefühl" (= "The Sense of Touch
and the Common Sensibility"), in which he published the result of his
reasearch and his theories of the connections between human sensory
systems and the subjective general state of mind, which would also be
his defination of "Gemeingefühl".
A modern psychologist, Karl C. Mayer, defines "Gemeingefühl" as
follows:
"Der Begriff Zönästhesie, zusammengesetzt aus dem griechischen Koine
und Aisthesis, bedeutet wörtlich übersetzt: Allgemeine Empfindung
oder, als entsprechender deutscher Begriff: "Gemeingefühl". Dieser
Terminus war in der Physiologie und Psychologie des 19. Jahrhunderts
gängig, um das Leiberleben im Grenzgebiet zwischen Psychischem und
Physischem zu beschreiben. In den letzten Jahrzehnten unseres
Jahrhunderts, maßgeblich beeinflußt durch die grundlegenden Arbeiten
von Huber und Glatzel u. Huber, wurde der Begriff hauptsächlich in
pathologischen Zusammenhängen gebraucht."
(= "The term Zoenaesthesis, composed from the Greek words koine and
aisthesis, means literally in German: Gemeingefühl. This term was
common in 19th century's physiology and psychology to describe the
experience of the own body in the border zone between the psychic and
the physical. In the last decades of the 20th century, under the
influence of Huber's and Glatzel's works, this term was mainly used in
connection with pathological matters.")
Sources:
Mackensen Deutsche Rechtschreibung (German dictionary), Orbis Verlag
1990, ISBN 3-572-01887-0
J.C.Reil, Rhapsodieen ... 1803. By the Gesellschaft für Allgemeine und
Integrative Psychotherapie, 2002 (in German)
http://www.sgipt.org/gesch/reil/r03-iv.htm
Integrative Therapie in drei Bänden, by Markus Frauchiger, 2002
http://www.integrative-therapie.ch/vorwortIT2002.htm
Ernst Heinrich Weber, by the Max Planck Institute for the History of
Science, 2002
http://vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/people/data/per154.html
E.H.Weber on The Tactile Senses, by Psychology Press, 2002
http://www.psypress.com/BKFILES/ehwebr.htm
Fröbels Werke: Menschenerziehung, by Winfried Müller (in German)
http://www.thur.de/other/froebel/werke/mensch.html
Karl C. Mayer, psychologist, 2002
http://www.neuro24.de/glossarz.htm
Search terms used:
gemeingefühl:
://www.google.de/search?q=gemeingef%C3%BChl&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=30&sa=N
reil Geisteszerrüttungen:
://www.google.de/search?q=reil+Geisteszerr%C3%BCttungen&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=10&sa=N
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Scriptor |
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