Feeling

Overview
Feeling in psychology is usually reserved for the conscious subjective experience of emotion. Phenomenology and heterophenomenology are philosophical approaches that provide some basis for knowledge of feelings. Many schools of psychotherapy depend on the therapist achieving some kind of understanding of the client's feelings, for which methodologies exist. Some theories of interpersonal relationships also have a role for shared feelings or understanding of another person's feelings.

Perception of the physical world does not necessarily result in a universal reaction among receivers (see emotions), but varies depending on one's tendency to handle the situation, how the situation relates to the receiver's past experiences, and any number of other factors. Feelings are also known as a state of consciousness, such as that resulting from emotions, sentiments or desires.

Gut feeling
A gut feeling, or gut reaction, is a visceral emotional reaction to something, and often one of uneasiness. Gut feelings are generally regarded as not modulated by conscious thought.

"Gut feeling" may also be used as a short-hand term for an individual's "common sense" perception of what is "the right thing to do", such as helping an injured passerby, avoiding dark alleys, and other seemingly instinctive feelings about a given situation. It can also refer to common knowledge that some phrases are true no matter when said, such as "The sky is blue," "Fire is hot," and even individual beliefs in quotation like "Allan loves wally more" and other such statements (which may or may not be true, but to the sayer are more true than anything).

Gut feelings, like all reflexive unconscious comparisons, can be re-programmed by practice or experiences.