PERCEPTION OF SELF AND OTHERS
Jehanzeb Khan
Lecturer
Mohammad Ali Jinnah University,
Karachi.
List 5 positive and 5 negative
traits you have
Share within your group
PERCEPTION
OF
SELF AND OTHERS
Jehanzeb Khan
Lecturer
Mohammad Ali Jinnah
University Karachi.
WHO AM I?
 Concept of Self
 Western culture
 Non – western culture
 Looking Glass Self by Cooley
 Positive and negative labels
 Social Comparison by Leon Festinger
 Self – esteem
 Reference group
 Social Identity Theory
 Similar and unique
 Ideal and Actual
“People only see what they are prepared
to see.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
PERCEPTION
• Process of selectively attending to
information and assigning meaning to it
• Perception becomes reality
• Brain selects some information (sensory
stimuli), organizes it, and interprets it
Perception & Communication
• Perception affects communication and communication affects
perception—it is an ongoing cycle of influence.
 Perception shapes how we interpret others’ communication
and how we ourselves communicate.
 At the same time, communication influences our
perceptions of people and situations. The two processes are
intricately intertwined.
Perceiving Others
• Perception: an active process of creating
meaning by selecting, organizing, and
interpreting people, objects, events,
situations, and activities.
• Narrative: The stories people create and use
to make sense of their personal worlds.
THE PERCEPTION PROCESS
• Attention and
Selection
– Needs
• Biological
• Psychological
– Interests
– Expectations
• Selection
• Organization
• Interpretation
• Evaluation
THE PERCEPTION PROCESS
Our brains arrange these stimuli so that they make sense
according to organizing principles such as simplicity and pattern.
• Principles for Organizing
Stimuli
– Simplicity: The simplification in
some commonly recognized form.
– Pattern: a set of characteristics
used to differentiate sth from
others.
•
Interpretation of Stimuli
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PERCEPTION OF SELF
• Self Concept: a mental image
about abilities, knowledge,
competencies & personality.
– Rich Self-concept
– Weak Self-concept
• Self-perception
• Reactions and responses of
others
– Others’ comments to validate,
reinforce, & alter the
perception
PERCEPTION OF SELF
• Self-Esteem
– Overall evaluation of
• Our competence
• Our personal worthiness
Accuracy of Self-concept and Self-esteem
• Depends on our own perceptions
and how we process others’
perceptions of us
Incongruence:
the gap between our accurate selfperception and reality.
Self-fulfilling prophecies:
a false perception of a situation or
characteristics or skills
Filtering messages
The way we filter what others say
about us
Media Images
A distorted self concept can become a
self- fulfilling prophecy.
Accuracy of Self-concept and Self-esteem
• We present ourselves
through various roles we
enact from
– Our own needs
– Relationships that we form
– Cultural expectations that
are held for us
– The groups we choose to be
part of
– Our own conscious decisions
Self Perceptions
• Moderate competing
internal messages
• Influence how we
talk about ourselves
with others
Cultural and Gender Differences
• Influence perception
• Affect the
participant’s views of
the self
Perception of Others
• Physical
Characteristics
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Race
Gender
Age
Appearance
Facial expressions
Eye contact
Movement
Personal space
Touch
Perception of Others
• Social Behaviors
– Implicit personality
theories
– Halo effect
continued
Perception of Others
• Stereotyping
–
–
–
–
Prejudice
Discrimination
Racism
Ethnocentrism
– Sexism
– Ageism
– Able-ism
continued
Improving Social Perceptions
• Emotional states
– At the time of the
interaction
– To engage in selective
perceptions, ignoring
inconsistent information
Perception of Others
• Question the accuracy
of your perceptions
• Seek more information
to verify perceptions
• Realize that
perceptions of people
may need to be
changed over time
continued
Perception of Others
• Use perception checking
to verify conclusions you
have drawn
(1) Watch the behavior of the
other person
(2) Ask yourself “What does that
behavior mean to me?”
(3) Describe the behavior and put
your interpretation into
words to verify your
perception.
continued
AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR
SELF-CONCEPT
An internal feeling that
influences how you see
yourself.
How you believe other
people see you.
Learned beliefs about how
you see your physical
appearance, personality
and abilities.
Related to beliefs,
attitudes and opinions.
 how you feel about
yourself (emotional) .
Each person has its own
personal views
 characteristics
and
beliefs of ones body and
mind that shapes self
esteem.
 Synonyms
or
nearsynonyms
'selfworth',
'self-