Our Perceived World versus The Real World

Why is it that many of us can have the same experience yet take away very different information, opinions, points of view or understanding? In other words, our perception of the experience is not necessarily consistent with that of others.  This is very evident when you listen to someone telling their story of the same experience and you find the explanation to be inconsistent with your version, which is where arguments often begin.  Our view of the real-world experience is based on our perception of that experience. This point of view is evident in families, workplaces, communities and especially in the current political space.

To help us understand how this happens Dr William Glasser’s Choice Theory teaches us that the only way we experience the real world is through our “perceptual system”.  We gather information about the real world initially through our sensory system, through our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin. 

The sensations of the experience then pass through our perceptual system, beginning with what Dr Glasser calls our “total knowledge filter”, which is based on everything that we know and/or have experienced.

When we use our knowledge filter to process the information we gained from the experience, one of three things happens, we:

1. Decide that the information has no meaning and our perception ceases.
2. Do not immediately recognise the information but believe it may be useful and we choose to gain more information.
3. We decide that the information is meaningful to us and it moves on to the next filter, the “valuing filter”.

The valuing filter is based on our values, which Dr Glasser defines as things that are very important to us and are not just limited to ethical or moral values.

Therefore, when we put the information gathered from the experience through our valuing filter, we place one of three values on it. 

1. If the information is something that we have learned and meets our needs, we place a positive value on it. 
2. If the information is something that we have learned but prevents our ability to meet our needs, we place a negative value on it.
3. If the information does not help or prevent our ability to meet our needs, we are likely to place a neutral value on it as it has little or no value.

The reality is we all have different knowledge and experience, which means that our values are quite different, therefore our perceptions of the “real world” are also different. Hence, we do not all live in the same “real world”.

In fact, we live our lives in our “Perceived Worlds”.  This explains why there are so many conflicting points of view about the same sets of circumstances and situations.

Our Perceived Worlds are our reality, and Dr Glasser explains that they are:

• Highly subjective, based on our culture, education, life experience, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, social status etc.
• Unique.
• Subject to constant change as we gather new information and experience our perceptions change.
• Frequently not accurate.

Therefore, family breakdowns, or workplace conflict, or racism that excludes instead of including are often the result of our perception of what is going on in the world around us.

Information in this blog has been taken from: http://brucedavenport.com/perceived-world.html