Perception is the process by which we make sense of the world around us.By perceiving something means that we predict or assume something that may or may not bethe truth.
Culture , the context , the society and also the media plays an integral part in our assumptions and the influences our perception of something.Indeed, communication and behavior are very much influenced by how we perceive a certain thing instead of what it truly might be
Humans do live and act based on what they stereotype a certain issue to be. Stereotyping something, perceiving in that way and then acting based on it all even though it merely is an assumption. Humans should however not forget that assumptions are almost always wrong, and that is why the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' exists.
This picture above shows a lady by the name of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno talking to her father .Well, this recent case whereby she was caught drinking alcohol by Islamic Enforcement Officials two years ago. She is sentenced to 6 strokes and a fine just by drinking alcohol.Basically,'religion' plays a huge part in how we perceive something to be. For islamic people, they perceive drinking as a sin that is intolerable and cannot be excused. In contrast, other religions drink alcohol for entertainment sake. Which perception is the truth? It is debatable,however, different people have different perceptions of a particular thing and different assumptions on a certain issue.
Reference: http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre57n0fi-us-malaysia-caning/
What do you perceive this picture to be?
This picture was shown to me during comm 101 class a week ago.It shows the different perceptions by 3 different types of people
Of the 3 perceptions in the picture, which is the right perception?
Different cultures perceive different gestures to be rude or polite.For instance, people in europe of America prefer others to look them in the eye (eye contact) when they communicate.This differs to the culture in Japan, Korea and even Thailand as they perceive that direct eye contact is rather rude and shows disrespect.
The O.K gesture in America and England is given to mean everything is O.K, well or good. In Latin America and France it is considered an insult. Similar to giving someone the middle finger.
Reference :http://www.eruptingmind.com/communication-gestures-vary-different-cultures/
Personal perceptions that may not be absolutely true
What do I perceive a prominent figures such as a "minister" to act like?
As a proud Malaysian , i've always assumed and perceive that my country has extremely flawless leaders.Leaders that would teach good and worthy values into the young generation if not the old generation.I did a survey among my friends and most of them gave me their perceptions of a 'minister' to them.
some perceived them as righteous,
some perceived them as fair and just,
some perceived them as courageous and responsible people,
some even perceived them as perfect role models.
Reference:
(http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/17side/Article/index_html)
Another scandal that has circulated around Malaysia this couple of years also shows another
minister committing an act that is extremely shameful to himself of course and to the entire nation.Sources by the Star Online Malaysia that dates back to 02 January 2008 shows that the minister was associated with a sex scandal.
Reference:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/2/nation/19898249&sec=nation
http://edwardkhoo.com/chua-soi-lek-sex-scandal-and-video-tape/
How I perceived holy figures such as a 'monk' to be?
Personally, we would perceived them as people that can resist greed and the riches of the world.
Indeed i was once proven wrong again after a case last year in Singapore itself whereby a
monk by the name Shi Ming Yi is found guilty to forgery, misappropriation of funds and conspiracy to give false information to the Commissioner of Charities.
Who would have perceived a monk to be associated with this clandestine acts?
This once again proves that a pure perception of all holy figures being honest and righteous could turn out false.
Reference:
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20080715-76833.html
Not too long ago, I watched the movie 'Obsessed'. This movie basically is about a lady that looks extremely normal and many would perceive just based on her looks that she is a normal lady. Well, personally I perceived her as that mentioned earlier, however, she turned out to be a lady different from what I perceived just at the start of the movie. This lady actually is a dangerous and obsessed lady that puts a family's life in jeopardy.Sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBq8clz1nvQ&feature=fvsr
Perception of a job for instance, many perceive air stewards to be a job that is only for glamour sake . However this is not true, we perceive them as glamour grabbing people ,instead they actually in truth humble themselves as human being to serve us and to allow passengers to enjoy their journey to another country. Moreover, jobs like such as models also are wrongly perceive most of the time , we perceive that their job is an easy job and you just have to look good, but in truth, they train for hours to improve on their postures.
Basically, i think this applies to many jobs these days. Be it being a lawyer, clerk, air stewardess, or actiste. Every job has its stereotypes and perceptions. But dont forget that every career path has its little story behind it. Thus, no one should judge and behave towards a person solely based on the perceived assumptions. Because it might end up with major issues that could be avoided.
In a nutshell,I believe and trust that misunderstandings and miscommunication can be avoided if everyone do not act solely based on their perceptions of something that has yet to be proven.
Your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception--do not confuse them with "facts" or "truth". Wars have been fought and millions have been killed because of the inability of men to understand the idea that EVERYBODY has a different viewpoint.
JOHN MOORE, Quotations for Martial Artists
Very true for your explanation of how different people have different perceptions and how perceptions are influenced by cultures and the comples structure of humans' feelings and circumstances they experience.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree that differences in perception affect the way we understand events,others and ourselves. In turn, preception influences our experience and assessment of others and our communication with them. Thus, the way we sense the world is subjective, uniquely our own.
Therefore, human beings should be more impartial and open-minded in passing their own judgements as well as interpreting others perceptions to make communication more effective.
hey, nice ideas on perception leet! tho they could use better organization.. many perspicacious points on how culture, religion, and gender colour our perception of things-- so in effect, reality does not exist. Only our perception of reality exists, and while we cannot completely discredit all we perceive, we can understand it is not an objective truth.
ReplyDeleteOMG NICE ONE, bravo! SO TRUE! Perception is basically how a person understand, look or think about something is always different from the other. Like if you dont agree with a person's view, its not that you are right and he/she is wrong or vice versa. Its just different people has different perceptions. For example, to you its bad but to the other party its good. Therefore, understanding and having the ability to accept differences plays an important part.
ReplyDeleteindeed jeremy!nice one!every individual's perception is different and i like how u said it.and we should never say one's perception is wrong just cause it is different from ours.=)
ReplyDeleteYeah indeed, your explanation is so true and totally reflected in the real world today. We ought to stop and slow down just so we won't jump into conclusion abt someone. Let's all take time to realise and consider the fact that we all differ in these various aspects to bring more harmony among the people :)
ReplyDeleteVery useful and constructive information you have given. I couldn't agree more how misleading some hand gestures. For instance, the paragraph about the okay sign, I did not know there were another meaning attached to it. How enlightened I have been. The facts about stewardess and models are so true! This post is very concise and well written.
ReplyDeletenice to see , that some people , still fill blogs with substance , instead telling others everything they did on everyday of their lives , which i find it lame and completely unnecessary , thats what facebook and twitter is for , blogs that contain no substance , should be considered , spam. and thats my perception / opinion . cheers Jeremy keep writing .
ReplyDeletethanks alot guys for commenting:)
ReplyDeletethis is an amazing post with different aspects of perception touched on.
ReplyDeleteindeed i agree with you on how perceptions differ in various cultures and also how debatable and subjective it is.
i guess this is where dichotomy declines. the contradiction between right or wrong. as there is a shade of grey between the black and white. its hard to find a perception that is entirely right nor a perception that is definitely wrong.
i think all that you have mentioned was very enlightening and brought much to light. for example, the hand gestures and also the perception of an occupation. no one culture or person should ever be rigid and close-minded into misinterpreting a certain action or career as it might only lead to more miscommunication and problem.
thats my opinion. =)
if you do not assume something. How would you know the truth?
ReplyDeleteand perception of something you cant deny has gone right on many occasions.
sorry bt thats what i think.
to anonymous- i didnt say that we cannot assume or perceive something.i meant that people nowadays perceive and think that it will always turn out right. good feedback though!.thanks!
ReplyDeleteI like how you use the example of the monk where perception comes into play. My aunt knew this monk personally and she was actually a follower of his beliefs. Now that his true colours have been revealed, its kind of disappointing how he changed her perception of the religion, somewhat.
ReplyDeleteAnws, cute pictures/cartoons you included to bring out your topic on perception. But honestly, I couldnt see anything in the third picture till I had to squint and stare for awhile. Does this mean I have no perception? Hahahaha kidding.
Moving on to the issue about the 'OK' sign. I guess thats more towards cultural difference but I guess it will slowly lead to the topic of perception since different parties are bought up differently.
Finally, I couldnt agree more with your final quote by John Moore. We tend to perceive things by the way we're brought up and through the events we have experienced when sometimes, the obvious truth is staring at us right in our faces.
Okay I think I've written tad' too much. Keep up the effort! You're welcome :D
Hi Jeremy! Well done bro! Nice writing. Yeah I do agree with you that misconceptions may occur most of the time and it could be caused by ignorance good intentions, bad outcomes or even arrogance Imposition of one’s culture and values on another like religion and stuff. Therefore one must leant to appreciate that different cultures have different value systems and different people have different perception therefore, we ought to respect them. Therefore If we believe in “different people, different perspectives", I reckon that it would not be reasonable to expect a world without conflict.
ReplyDeleteI'm really fascinated by all the interesting facts that you had stated. After reading this post, i realised that our perceptions which is generally inaccurate can cause the world to be so different from what the world is really like.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the ambiguous image that you had mentioned in your post earlier has drawn my attention to it. We can choose to perceive it as a young lady or an old lady. Lucky me, i get to see both. Like in life, we can choose to see either the beautiful face of evil and the ugly side of the truth. It all depends on our perceptions.
Well, in a more sociological context, there's no right or wrong. It all depends on how we tend to perceive a certain or particular matter. A mere perception may lead to misconception. But a profound perception may not, depending on how wise and well a person may take his or her thought in account to that particular matter. It is however too subjective to different people. In fact, it is the environment that people grew up in that really influences their thoughts, ideas, conceptions and perceptions. Thats why it pretty much explains the cultural perception etc.. To be specific, because we grow up in a way that our parents and the society nurture and influences us well enough to distinguish what's wrong and right, the result is: we perceive the matter to be what majority think it would seem to be.
ReplyDeleteall in all, pretty concrete evidence and examples to show what perception is all about, Jeremy. :)
good job !
I think we should all remain as objective as possible when it comes to perceiving how another person may be like. It is indeed extremely crucial that we must be aware that our impressions or viewpoints do not equate to cold hard facts.
ReplyDeleteI also understand the viewpoint regarding cross cultural differences. My granddad being Japanese, I am aware regarding certain differences in cultures. For example, the Japanese are very particular about mannerisms and maintaining positive appearances in public (even if they are unhappy with say, their superiors or situations). However in other cultures, it may be seen as outright hypocrisy.
I love how you imparted pictures into your post and your post covered a wide field of points :)
Every saint has a past
ReplyDeleteEvery sinner has a future
Although certain famous or type of people have taken upon the social responsibility to uphold their good names, it is inevitable that they make crucial mistakes sometimes. Do we forgive him or not? It's up to him to regain himself.
But nothing he will do can make us forget what he did which changed our perception entirely.
Namka
http://lifestoolong.wordpress.com/
you have such a wonderful post! i like how the whole entry flows and it's not boring with the pictures and cartoons.
ReplyDeleteperception can be biased at times. for example, for the older generation, many of them think that if someone is a left-handed, he/she is considered a freak or maybe even an oddball! this is mainly because the majority of the society are right-handed. that's why when you are of a minority group, you are being viewed as DIFFERENT.
great job jeremy! :)
hey thanks everyone!.
ReplyDeleteYeah every sinner can be redeemed ,but they betrayed their trust and thus even though people may forgive.they may not forget.
and this leads people into saying ' forgive but not forget'.
Everyone here said everything edi! What can i say?
ReplyDeleteSee, thats my perception.
To write or not to write coz everyone has written?
A well written post that portrays the concept of perception in an array of contexts.
ReplyDeleteJeremy has demonstrated critical thinking by explaining the concept of perception in the areas of culture, religion and authority amongst others, of which are arguably the building blocks of society and the world.
It is important to note how perceptions formed in these areas can further affect the guided perceptions of their followers and people through the likes of customary practices, preachings/teachings and laws passed.
Often , wrong perceptions contribute to the occurrence of clashes between communities, religions and authorities/governments.
Can this really be prevented?
Leaving you with a quote:
"Understanding is a three edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth."
— J. Michael Straczynski
On the whole great effort Leet ;)
Looking forward to your next post.
Hmm, I don't think our assumptions are always wrong.. Sometimes first impressions do turn out to be rather accurate in reading one's personality.
ReplyDeleteNice one leet sern :) really agreed on what you wrote, had really got me into thinking. :) Perceptions really influences us in a lot of ways as different people have different thinkings, so its up to you to believe yeah. Anw, keep up the good job! :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it's always important to be aware that people can have different perceptions/views about different things. It's also true that miscommunication can be avoided if people do not judge something or someone based on their own perception as it might be erroneous.
ReplyDeleteProblem is, on some instances, people may be unaware or insensitive towards others' perception/views. Eventually, they may go on and do something stupid, maybe, based on their own perception.
Misunderstandings & miscommunication arising from misperception is kind of unavoidable in reality, so to speak. Cos' sometimes, it's just too hard to 'detect' others' views/thinking.
:DD
Perception, perceptions.
ReplyDeleteWhat can i say?
Different people, different point of view. Miscommunications are created, sensitive issues are brought up even more.
But if everyone is true to themeselves, true to each assumptions they make (not out of jealousy or whatsoever) i guess all these can be avoided :)