Perception of Self and Others

Chapter 2

The Perception ProcessThe process of selectively attending to

sensory information and assigning meaning to it. You brain selects information, organizes the information, and interprets and evaluates it.

Attention and Selection depend upon:NeedsInterestsExpectation

The Perception ProcessOrganization of Stimuli takes place within

the brain and may follow these principles:Simplicity: we simplify verbal messages and

nonverbal behaviors.Pattern: a set of characteristics used to

differentiate things.Interpretation of Stimuli:

Assigning meaning to information gathered.

Perception of SelfSelf Concept and Self Esteem.

Self Concept is your identitySelf Esteem is your overall evaluation of your

competence and personal worthiness.Forming and Maintaining Self Concept

Self- Perception: unique interpretations about ourselves that we have based on experience.

Reactions and responses to others: our self-concept is formed and maintained by how others react to and respond to us.

Perception of SelfDeveloping and Maintaining Self Esteem

Self Esteem is not just how well or poorly we think we do things, but also the importance or value we place on the things we do well or poorly.

When we use our skills, abilities, and knowledge to ward worthy endeavors – we build Self Esteem.

Perception of SelfSocial Construction of Self:

Role: a pattern of learned behaviors that people use to meet the perceived demands of a particular context.

We all enact numerous roles in different contexts. Our sense of self is the total of all the selves we play and how others react to those selves.

Perception of SelfSelf-Monitoring

Self-Monitoring is the internal process of observing and regulating your own behavior based on our analysis of the situation and others responses to you.

We are more likely to self monitor when we are in new situations.

Perception of SelfAccuracy of Self-Concept and Self-Esteem

is based on the accuracy of our perceptions and how we process others perceptions of us.

Incongruence: gap between our inaccurate self-perception and reality.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: events that happen as the result of being foretold, expected, or talked about.

Perception of SelfFiltering Message: we are prone to pay

attention to messages that reinforce our current self image and ignore messages that contradict this image.

Changing Self-Concepts and Self Esteem: self-concept and self esteem can change over time. A change in the social environment can expedite this process.

Increasing our self esteem has a positive effect on our ability to communicate.

Perceptions of SelfSelf Talk: the internal conversations we

have with ourselves.Self Perception: influences how we talk

about ourselves with others.Background and gender will affect your

view of self, expectations, roles, and self-esteem.

Individualist cultures focus more on the individual, where collectivist cultures focus more on the group.

Perceptions of SelfMale versus Female Norms: gender roles

affect behavioral expectations.

Perception of OthersUncertainty Reduction Theory

The process of monitoring the social environment to learn more about self and others.

Observing the physical characteristics and social behaviors of others is often the basis of first impressions and social impressions.

Implicit Personality Theories: assumptions people have developed about which physical characteristics and personality traits are associated with another

Perception of OthersHalo Effects: to generalize that a person

has a whole set of characteristics when you have only observed one characteristic, trait of behavior.

Stereotypes are attributes that cover up individual differences and ascribe certain characteristics to an entire group of people.

Prejudice: a rigid attitude that is based on group membership and predisposes an individual to think, feel, or act in a negative way towards another person or group.

Perceptions of OthersDiscrimination: a negative action toward

another person or group on account of group membership.

Our emotions affect how accurately we perceive others and the time of interaction.

Attributions: reasons we give for others’ behavior.

Perceptions of MessagesContext is the most important factor in

determining how a message will be understood.

Shared Language: both the actual language and the shared meaning of a particular word or phrase.

Skillfulness in encoding and decoding messages: the ability to choose specific, concrete, and precise words as we form our messages.

Perception CheckingIs a message that reflects your

understanding of the meaning of another person’s nonverbal behavior.1. Watch the behavior of the other person.2. Ask yourself “What does this behavior

mean to me?”3. describe the behavior and put your

interpretation into words to verify your perception.

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