Perceptions: Our Daily Life's Impact on Us - Essay Sample

Introduction

In our daily life's activities, we tend to perceive all kinds of objects and people differently. As individuals, we make sense of the perceptions by the use of our own past experiences to assist users in organizing and filtering all the information; we intend to take in. Also, we encounter contradicting or new information that tends to change the ways we think about objects, groups, or a person. Besides, the perception others have on us, and the ways we perceive others dramatically affects how we act and communicate. Hence perception is described as the process of interpreting, organizing, and selecting information. Attitude affects the way we communicate since we find ourselves responding differently to persons or objects that one perceived favorable as compared to the one; they find unfavorable.

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For an instant, new neighbors arrived and moved next door. I decided to go over their place to say hello and welcome them. As I introduced myself to them, the husband seems to be very friendly and talkative, where he started opening up and talking about moving to a new place. The husband seemed to be very likable and outgoing. Moreover, the wife speaks very little and occasionally smiles. Once I left, my impression of the husband was positive but did not have a high opinion regarding the wife. As time go by, my perception of both people remained the same. I viewed them differently due to their behavior, habits, and believes.

Communication with the husband was very easy, but my perception of the wife made it challenging to communicate freely with the wife. As time goes by, I began to know the wife and realized that my first impression of the wife was very wrong and inaccurate. The wife was not at all snobby or cold but very introverted and shy. It takes her a while to get to know others and be comfortable with new people. How could I have very even wrong? In other words, I perceived people differently about their actions and behaviors while the family saw me be friendly since I went and visited them. My perception of the neighbors was different until I come to know each one of them. Realizing my mistake, it helped me in starting to communicate effectively with the wife, which improved our communication, and we began to be good friends.

Another experience is when I visit a native language for a vocation. Realize that the country's culture is different from that of my country. It is where the culture influenced the way I perceived the message and behaviors of those in that country. When I traveled to Japan, I experienced firsthand the way things are different from our nation, starting from language, type of food, style of dress food, and much more. I intended to perceive things differently from the people in that nation. For example, I am from a culture that values direct eye contact. I viewed a person who looks directly to my eyes as being very respectful. In the country I visited, looking at someone directly in their eyes when talking to them is a form of disrespect.

When it happened to be the first time, I perceived it as the person is insulting, and I misinterpreted the whole situation since I did not understand the differences that existed in the cultural expectations. The case caused me to misread the communication situation, making it challenging to communicate with people around me in the native nation. In other words, the people from the native land perceived things differently in regards to their culture as similar to me, which caused a barrier in communication skills.

Concerning the two scenarios experienced, it was clear that the peoples I encountered had a different perception that was driven by several factors. First is age; most of the people I engaged within the country I visited were young; hence they believed in all the things they were told about their culture, and it was hard to convince them otherwise. Secondly is gender, where I was perceived by both the husband and his wife differently due to the way they reacted when they reached the neighborhood as compared to the why I perceived them. Thirdly is culture since my culture is different from there; they intended to view me differently with the things I do similarly to how they did things. Fourthly is the personal experience of the people I engaged with hat tend to perceive things differently. For example, the wife had also been shy and introvert from the past, which made me view her differently. Lately is a mood that influenced our perception greatly.

Since there was a considerable perception different among us, it critically affected or communication. Moreover, it also shaped and impacted me much in the communication exchange. It is because the difference brought made me keep an open mind of willing to alter my impression and getting more information before I judge. Secondly, the differences helped me to understand how someone else thinks and feels. Lastly, the difference made me be able to check my perception of thinking as a person continually. It was vital since it helped me in ensuring that the way I intend to interpret something is similar to the way the other person tended to interpret. Furthermore, increasing the accuracy of my perception inclined to reduce potentials for miscommunication and shaped my communication exchange. It then helped in limiting defensiveness, withholding judgment, and gaining clarification.

Finally, these differences can best be understood and shape our relationship by developing a self-concept. These are aspect which consists of the beliefs and perception one has about themselves. In developing our self-concept, one needs to understand how peers, teachers, caregivers or parents, colleagues, family, or even supervisors influence their self-concept. It is because it will change the way we communicate. In doing so, one will be able to develop a positive self-concept that will shape his or her communication exchange and enrich their relationship with others.