Perception is YOUR reality…

We all see things differently.  I want you to understand that I mean this metaphorically, but I also mean this literally.  Smillie and Antinori (2017), through their research, found that people who are “open” genuinely see the world differently than the average individual and Burdon (2018) asserts that out of the more than 7.5 billion people on this planet, no two people think completely the same.  What these authors are truly describing is perception and it must be understood that this varies from one human to another.  Bias can actually be a positive thing as Cherry (2019) asserts, but it can also have negative consequences when it impacts our perception in certain ways.  According to Balcetis and Dunning (2006), perception can be altered through various means, including bias, that can unfortunately result in self-deception.

IMAGE A                                                                                    IMAGE B

Do you feel differently about image A vs. image B?  They are both pictures of me, but how you perceive me in each image might be quite different.  Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why?

Bias stems from many different areas. Cherry (2019) asserts that “cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that affects the decisions and judgements that people make.  Many biases are not inherently bad and according to Cherry (2019), serve the purpose of quick decision making to support our adaptive skill-sets.  These types of mental shortcuts are known as heuristics and Cherry (2019) asserts that often times these heuristics can be surprisingly accurate.  However, Cherry also asserts they can lead to critical errors when impacted by social pressures, individual motivations, and emotions.  Some examples of bias presented by Cherry (2019) include:

• Confirmation Bias: The tendency to favor information that you already believe or agree with. As an example think Facebook newsfeed.
• Attentional Bias: The tendency to pay attention to certain things and completely disregard others.
• Anchoring Bias: The tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information that was learned and utilize is as your only reference point.
• False Consensus Bias: The tendency to overestimate how much other share your opinions.

Although there are many forms of bias what needs to be recognized is how you, in some cases, are impacted by it unknowingly through self-deception.  Balcetis et al. (2006) asserts that self-deception can occur without direct knowledge of the individual and they can remain completely unaware of the distortions that are being placed upon themselves and how they perceive the world around them.  Maybe your biases stem from one of the types listed above.  Maybe your biases stem from traumatic events that you experienced as a child.  Maybe your biases stem from your mis-categorization of individuals by assigning a stereotype.  My ask of you, is that no matter where it stems from you identify it and if its creating self-deception within your perception of reality I ask you to get rid of it.  How can you live your life to the fullest if you are deceiving your own view of reality?

 

References

Balcetis, E. & Dunning D. (2006). See what you want to see: Motivational influences on visual perception. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Dunning2/publication/6781404_See_What_You_Want_to_See_Motivational_Influences_on_Visual_Perception/links/55ef043208aedecb68fd8f4f.pdf

Burdon, E. (2018). Why a difference in perspective can help you understand yourself. Medium. Retrieved form https://medium.com/@ericsburdon/why-a-difference-in-perspective-can-help-you-understand-yourself-80622d9f02b7

Cherry, K. (2019). How cognitive biases influence how you think and act.  Verywellmind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-cognitive-bias-2794963

Smillie, L. & Antinori, A. (2017). People with creative personalities really do see the world differently. The Conversation. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/people-with-creative-personalities-really-do-see-the-world-differently-77083

 

Dr. Rick L. Mask, 32, author of Social Capital 2.0, received his Doctorate of Business Administration from the Department of Business Management at Capella University. He holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Bethel University and is currently continuing his educational journey by working toward an MBA in Economics from Southern New Hampshire University. He has held various leadership positions in the banking and retail industries as well as various positions in the education community. Dr. Mask is currently an Associate Dean for SNHU, an adjunct professor, speaker and small business owner. Dr. Mask is also a philanthropist who is actively involved in volunteering and donating to charitable causes. In his spare time, Dr. Mask likes to attend mentoring events, through his partnership with LinkedIn, spend time with his family, and enjoy the outdoors through hunting and fishing.