Perception of Reality

We all exist in our own worlds of unique perspectives. Our perception of the world and of reality is the only way we can experience our lives, and because each of our perceptions of the world is different, we can’t assume that all of our experiences are the same. We really have no idea what someone else’s mind or life is like because we can never experience the world the way anyone else experiences the world. Recognition of the differences in perception and impressions between people is essential in communication because for effective interpersonal communication to occur, we need to recognize that everybody’s experience of the world is unique to them. When communicating how you feel about something, you can’t assume that someone else knows what you are talking about, or that they can relate to how you think. Two people can be looking at the same situation and have completely different interpretations of its reality, and therefore might react to it in completely different ways. For example, last week I had an argument with my dad regarding finances. Even though we were looking at the same numbers, we felt completely different about what those numbers meant. To him, there will never be enough money, because from his perspective, buying something like food, a house, or a car, is a loss. His perception is that purchasing something means giving his wealth away and never getting it back. To me, however, I see those transactions such as those as simply a trade. When I go shopping, I trade some pieces of paper for a bag of groceries. Sure, I lost the opportunity to use those pieces of paper to buy a new video game or take myself to the movies, but on the other hand, now I can eat for the rest of the week. My dad and I have completely different approaches to the same situation, and to each of us, our perception seems like the only valid interpretation. However, for productive communication to occur, we both have to try to see the situation from the other person’s point of view.