Nothing is real, true, normal — everything is perception, which means each thing appears differently for each person.
What is perception?
It is perhaps the most interesting psychic process, the most subjective, the best argument for the fact that we are all very different.
Perception is a psychic process superior to sensation, which is considered the base of our psychic processes. But although they are based on sensations, perceptions represent more than a sum of sensations, because they also include other information — for example, memories, conscious or not, related to that object or situation.
Perceptions perform the conscious and unconscious organization and interpretation of the information received through the senses and prior personal experiences.
The formation of perception
Perception about something is formed using, most often at the unconscious level, prior experiences, the knowledge we have, education, or personal traumas and wounds.
So, becoming aware that "reality" is an empty box in which each person places their own experiences — therefore perceptions — we can stop making moral judgments at every step, we can become more flexible when relating to others' opinions.
The impact of perception
Perception makes us unique, but it can also lead us to conflicts, with each person "dying" for their own truth.
Also thanks to perceptions — or rather because of them — we can sabotage our own lives.
Practical examples
If we understand and pay attention to the people we interact with, the way they perceive certain situations gives us a lot of information about them. If you are at the beginning of a relationship or simply want to learn more about a person, ask questions and listen to them. You'll see that the answer to any question is the mirror of their prior experiences.
To the question "What do you think about marriage?", a person who had positive examples will probably answer that they have a good opinion, that it means union, support, love, or family. Conversely, someone with prior negative experiences will answer differently. These very different answers come filtered through perception.
Becoming aware of perception
Once we understand how perception works, we can become more aware of what's happening with ourselves and with those we interact with.
Ask yourself: "Do I really believe what I'm impulsively feeling the urge to answer? Or is it a perception formed unconsciously by what I've seen, lived, felt?"
Classification of psychic processes
Psychic processes can be:
- Sensory: sensations, perceptions, representations
- Cognitive: thinking, memory, imagination
- Regulatory: affection, will, motivation, attention
- Psychic activity: language
Next time, we continue with sensations.
