Perceptual Distortion Essay

According to Solomon and Theiss (2012), perception is the process we use to filter and understand information presented to us, in order to create a meaningful view of the world. Our own experiences, education and culture are what shape our perceptions of others (Knapp & Vangelisti, 2009, p. 144-145). This essay will outline three perceptual distortions that transpired based on my reflection of a misjudgement that occurred at school. First, I will breakdown the interaction that occurred where I misjudged someone. I will then go on to discuss the three perceptual distortions that were present in this interaction, which included fundamental attribution error, implicit personality theory and stereotyping. Finally, I will reflect on how my newfound

Lane (2009) expresses that a stereotype is caused by our need to quickly organise stimuli. It is the action of ignoring differences between individuals and generally characterising a few perceived traits, whether or not they are accurate or positive. We assume that people have certain qualities based on which social or socioeconomic group they fall into. This can lead to judgements, behaviours and dysfunctional/ distressing situations (Solomon & Theiss, 2012). With Sarah, I noticed her behaviour was different to most people I knew in similar circumstances (age, gender, race). While most sixteen-year-old girls were very social, active and engaging, she was not. This of course was a stereotype that I concocted based on my own organisation of what behaviours girls similar to my age should be like. When in reality, there are plenty who do not fit this category. I stereotyped Sarah as being lazy and inactive since she was inconsistent with what I considered normal and did not fit my view of what people my age should be like. But I ignored her individual difference, which was having a sleeping disorder, and therefore a different schedule or lifestyle to me. This need to fit her into a category majorly contributed to the perceptual distortion of stereotyping and resulted in my creating an awkward situation and causing her

In hindsight, it is clear to see the communication failures caused by the perceptual distortions during my conversation with Sarah. I fell victim to the fundamental attribution error and made assumptions of her situation based off my own opinions, assuming she behaved that way because of internal causes, rather than external. I compiled a list of traits I associated with laziness – as this was the one I had perceived, and thus was subjected to implicit personality theory. And finally I based my perception around a stereotype of the typical teenage girl and ignored Sarah’s individual differences, which would’ve changed my perception of her entirely. Through an understanding of perceptions role in interpersonal communication, situations of misjudgement/miscommunication can be avoided, by remembering things such as “perception is learned; it isn’t an innate ability”, Lane, (2009). We can also mitigate perceptual distortions through communication competency, which includes “knowledge of the elements involved in communication, how these elements interact, and how each communication situation is both different and similar to other situations,” (DeVito, 2015). He also say communication competency can be increased by