on OCTOBER 3, 2014
Perception is a funny thing because we all have an idea of how we look at things. Each of us believe we know what is really going on. To some extent; we do. We take the information we are given, and extend our thoughts out there to make up what we "see".
According to Kendra Cherry Psychology Expert, "Perception is our sensory experience of the world around us and involves both the recognition of environmental stimuli and actions in response to these stimuli. Through the perceptual process, we gain information about properties and elements of the environment that are critical to our survival. Perception not only creates our experience of the world around us; it allows us to act within our environment."
She goes on to discuss how there are stages to how we perceive our environment. The first being our 5 senses, and how they play a huge role in the perception process. An example would be a carnival. Let's say you arrive at a carnival, and you hear kids laughing and playing. You can smell the funnel cakes, you see the bright lights on the rides, you get to pet the animals at the petting zoo. You get the idea. You are perceiving things with your 5 senses. The next stage she talks about is the attended- stimulus. This is where we see that the line for a specific ride has shortened, and we take notice of it. Once we notice it, our brain begins to interpret the image. This stage is known as sensory transduction. Following this stage of perceiving, we then undergo what is called neural processing. This is where "a series of interconnect neurons located throughout the body, electrical signals are propagated from the receptors cells to the brain," according to Cherry. This stage is necessary in order for the following to occur. Where we now have the ability to become consciously aware of what it is we are actually seeing. It is very important because perception doesn't just allow us to be completely aware of what we are seeing, it is pertinent for our brain to give meaning to what it is we are seeing. Which is known as recognition. Finally, we are able to take action to what is we are seeing. For example, we could decide to stand in the shorter line at the carnival, walk away, etc.
Now that we have discussed the technical process of what it is to perceive; let's discuss briefly how "our" perception creates "our" reality. A great quote to illustrate where I am going with this is, "You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." --- James Allen
As I have discussed previously in earlier blogs, we create our reality by our thoughts. Our mind is like a film projector and our eyes the lens in which we propel the images out into the world. Because of this; we are a product of our thoughts. If we think small, we achieve small. If we think big, we achieve big. And although we find this to be true; we still find ourselves going in opposite directions of what we want. Why? It is learned behavior, and until we understand this... we will continue on the path of much resistance.
Sources:
http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/perceptproc.htm#step-heading
It is certainly true that what constitutes an individual person's "reality" is their interpretation of the sensory perception they get through their interaction with their environment. We don't just get an unfiltered image of the world from the process you outline. The perennial questions with the issue of perception here is where do the perceptions, the interpretive apparatus each individual has come form? If my perception is different form yours, why is that? And if it is different, do I live in a different "reality"? If so, how do we avoid the implication that each of us lives in her or his own separate, individual reality? AND in that case, how do we communicate with each other?
ReplyDeleteWhat we project through our thoughts creates our outside experiences. We coexist certainly, but how we are seeing others (through our own perception) is creating that reality about them. I've heard it said.. "If you don't like how something is going.. change the way you look at it" or "It's not Mondays that suck, it's your life" that's a more harsh way but the same idea.
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