FEELING (AS. Man, OITG. fuo/en, Ger. Ph len, to feel; ultimately connected with Lat. pal Gk. iraXdav, pe/aine palm of the hand, Skt. MO, hand, AS., OS. foie?, hand). A term whose variety of meaning has caused much confusion in psychology. It is used (I) for perceptions of touch: we say that a thing 'feels' hard or soft or rough; and we 'feel' for our matches in the dark, or (metaphorically) `feel' our way in some delicate undertaking. This, the popular usage, would seem to be etymologically correct. It is, however, being discontinued in psychology. (2) The word is used for certain organic sensations of diffuse character, which are ordinarily tinged with strong affection: we speak of 'feeling' hungry. thirsty. fatigued, etc. This usage ap proximates very closely to (6) below. (3) As touch is the primordial sense, from which all others have been developed, it is but natural that the term feeling, the perception of touch, should be extended to embrace every mode of mental process. Feeling, in this sense, covers all sorts of mental elements, and formations: sensa tions, affections, perceptions, ideas, emotions, actions, etc. It is being replaced by `mental process' (q.v.).
In modern psyebology, there is a well-marked tendency to restrict the term `feeling' to some kind of affective process. (See Aireecnosi.) So we find (-1) a classification of mental functions as those of the intellect, the feelings or sensibilities, and the will: feeling here including emotions, sentiments. moods, and feelings proper. We
often say, too, that `feel' sorry or glad or de pressed; or that we 'feel' the beauty of a land scape or the sublimity of a work of art. (5) Since this usage is unnecessarily wide, we find the meaffing of the term restricted. Some authors make 'feeling' thm equivalent of the German rinrs Chi arid, or pure feeling; i.e. define it as affection is defined. (0) It is, however, better to regard feeling as a eonerete process, Com pounded of sensation and affection, and lying in order of complexity next below the emotion (q.v.). It would then be correct to talk of the `feeling of drowsiness, or suffoeation, or ill health, since in all such cases we have a com plex of sensations (for the most part organic), dominated by a pleasantness or unpleasantness. It would, again, be correct to speak of 'feeling' hungry or thirsty or tired ( see (2) above), pro vided that we had in mind the total conscious ness of affectively toned organic sensations, and not merely the sensations as such. Consult: James, Principles of Psychology (New York, 1890 ) ; Wundt, Outlines of Psychology, translated by Judd (London, 1898) • Titchener, Outlines of Psychology (New York, 1899) ; Kuelpe, Outlines of Psychology, translated by Titchener (London, 1895).