Can You Trust Can You Trust Your Your Perceptions?Perceptions?

James J. Messina, Ph.D.James J. Messina, Ph.D.

Could you be on slippery Could you be on slippery slope of faulty slope of faulty perceptions?perceptions?

Faulty perceptions Faulty perceptions can impact the way can impact the way you think, feel & actyou think, feel & act

It can impair It can impair problem solving, problem solving, decision making, & decision making, & conflict resolutionconflict resolution

Takes brain time to Takes brain time to sort out what senses sort out what senses are sending itare sending it

you often may not see the obvious or not so you often may not see the obvious or not so obvious flaws in your perceptions which obvious flaws in your perceptions which negatively impact the way you think, feel, and negatively impact the way you think, feel, and act. act.

When you are involved in solving problems, When you are involved in solving problems, making decisions, or resolving conflicts, it is making decisions, or resolving conflicts, it is important to be a "critical thinker.“important to be a "critical thinker.“

This means that you are willing to fully analyze This means that you are willing to fully analyze the situation. To do so you must use your five the situation. To do so you must use your five senses of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and senses of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. smelling.

Can you trust your own perceptions? Are Can you trust your own perceptions? Are you sure of what you are seeing or you sure of what you are seeing or hearing?hearing?

What follows are some items which test What follows are some items which test your visual perceptions. They can be fully your visual perceptions. They can be fully explained by understanding the explained by understanding the physiological structure of your brain and physiological structure of your brain and how your eyes and brain interface. how your eyes and brain interface. Consider this diagram of the eye and Consider this diagram of the eye and brain connection:brain connection:

Here we have a task which greatly Here we have a task which greatly challenges the left and right side of challenges the left and right side of the brain. Try this task a number of the brain. Try this task a number of times and then try to figure out times and then try to figure out why it is so difficult to do the task why it is so difficult to do the task which is being asked, which is which is being asked, which is simply to say what color you are simply to say what color you are looking at. looking at. 

FINISHED FILES FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE THE EXPERIENCE

OF MANY YEARSOF MANY YEARS

We make internal assumptions We make internal assumptions or small choices on what we or small choices on what we are allowing our brain to see are allowing our brain to see even though our eyes are even though our eyes are seeing the whole picture, our seeing the whole picture, our filtering system limits what we filtering system limits what we actually comprehend or fully actually comprehend or fully understand. understand. 

You can never count on things You can never count on things to be static or literal. There is to be static or literal. There is ambiguity in life and it is ambiguity in life and it is important to be willing to important to be willing to accept this fact of life. Things accept this fact of life. Things are never as clear as they are never as clear as they seem.seem.      

It is sure is important to not let the It is sure is important to not let the surrounding circumstance cloud your surrounding circumstance cloud your perceptions about things. Just perceptions about things. Just because every one else in the group in because every one else in the group in one way, does not mean that the one way, does not mean that the individual with whom you are dealing individual with whom you are dealing is the same. It is important to be sure is the same. It is important to be sure you are not caught up with you are not caught up with stereotypes which cloud your stereotypes which cloud your perceptions and thinkingperceptions and thinking. . 

Sometimes it is important to Sometimes it is important to look at the trees carefully and look at the trees carefully and not just look at the forest. not just look at the forest. There may be some very There may be some very important discoveries to be important discoveries to be made by the narrow focusing made by the narrow focusing at times. at times. 

Do you see the young lady or old Do you see the young lady or old woman?woman?

Going just by your initial impulse Going just by your initial impulse or initial judgment, does not give or initial judgment, does not give that person a chance to fully that person a chance to fully demonstrate to you, who that demonstrate to you, who that person is and what that person is person is and what that person is really about. Remember: looks really about. Remember: looks can be deceiving.can be deceiving.

  

You can have preconceived ideas about You can have preconceived ideas about things but the evidence when it is things but the evidence when it is presented to you can be completely presented to you can be completely contradictory and not support your contradictory and not support your preconception or assumptions. preconception or assumptions. It is It is imperative to test your assumptions, imperative to test your assumptions, expectations, and preconceptions expectations, and preconceptions when dealing with solving problems, when dealing with solving problems, making decisions and handling making decisions and handling conflicts in your life.. conflicts in your life.. 

Do you see 1 or 2 faces or Do you see 1 or 2 faces or all 3?all 3?

Sometimes you think you really know what it is that Sometimes you think you really know what it is that you are perceiving to be real. That is until you take a you are perceiving to be real. That is until you take a closer look. If you are willing to accept that dialectic closer look. If you are willing to accept that dialectic reasoning-that is being willing to look at two sides reasoning-that is being willing to look at two sides of every situation-is an important skill when solving of every situation-is an important skill when solving problems, making decisions or handling conflicts problems, making decisions or handling conflicts then you will be able to see both the right and left then you will be able to see both the right and left side face as well as the overall face made up from side face as well as the overall face made up from both sides of the picture. Remember you need to see both sides of the picture. Remember you need to see the "whole picture" before you can proceed to take the "whole picture" before you can proceed to take actions on your solutions, decisions, or conflict actions on your solutions, decisions, or conflict resolutionsresolutions

. . 

Do you see the man playing Do you see the man playing the horn or a woman’s the horn or a woman’s silhouette?silhouette?

When people go about "touting their own When people go about "touting their own horn" or acting in ways which are unseemly horn" or acting in ways which are unseemly or impulsive, it is often hard to see the or impulsive, it is often hard to see the beauty within them. Are you always in a beauty within them. Are you always in a rush to make a quick assessment of a rush to make a quick assessment of a person on their brusqueness, person on their brusqueness, impulsiveness, or abrasiveness. Or do you impulsiveness, or abrasiveness. Or do you take time to get to understand where they take time to get to understand where they are coming from so that you can see the are coming from so that you can see the beauty of who they are below the surface beauty of who they are below the surface they present to you?they present to you?

Do you see a rabbit or a duck or Do you see a rabbit or a duck or both?both?

If you only look at the left side of things If you only look at the left side of things you will see the duck. But if you are on you will see the duck. But if you are on the right of things you will see the rabbit. the right of things you will see the rabbit. Right or left, conservative or liberal, Right or left, conservative or liberal, black or white are just perspectives black or white are just perspectives which you bring to the situation. It is which you bring to the situation. It is imperative to make good decisions, solve imperative to make good decisions, solve problems, and settle conflicts that you problems, and settle conflicts that you are able to set aside your strong biases are able to set aside your strong biases so that you can get the whole picture so that you can get the whole picture into perspective.   into perspective.   

Are you so caught up sometimes Are you so caught up sometimes with seeing the issues after the with seeing the issues after the fact, that you are only looking at fact, that you are only looking at them from behind or do you face them from behind or do you face your problems head on? Do you your problems head on? Do you take a proactive stance in take a proactive stance in dealing with life or are you dealing with life or are you merely reactive?  merely reactive?  

Do you just see the skull Do you just see the skull or can you see the or can you see the

woman?woman?

Do you see a crisis or do you see a Do you see a crisis or do you see a challenge? To be a creative challenge? To be a creative problem solver and effective problem solver and effective decision maker it is imperative that decision maker it is imperative that you fully absorb what it is that you you fully absorb what it is that you are dealing with so that you can are dealing with so that you can see both the minuses and pluses see both the minuses and pluses but also the good and the bad in but also the good and the bad in the situation. the situation.

Can You Find 11 Human Can You Find 11 Human Faces?Faces?

We If you are having problems We If you are having problems finding them, then wake up to the finding them, then wake up to the fact that there are many aspects of fact that there are many aspects of problems you are solving which you problems you are solving which you are not picking up. Critical thinking are not picking up. Critical thinking requires you to put a face to the requires you to put a face to the problem and to identify all the problem and to identify all the faces of the problem involvedfaces of the problem involved. .

  

Is this book looking Is this book looking towards you or away from towards you or away from

you?you?

To be effective in your life it is important To be effective in your life it is important to deal with your problems, issues, to deal with your problems, issues, conflicts, and decisions head on. If you conflicts, and decisions head on. If you use all of your senses, are open, look at use all of your senses, are open, look at both sides of the issue, are analytical, both sides of the issue, are analytical, identify and question your assumptions identify and question your assumptions and stereotypes, brainstorm, think out of and stereotypes, brainstorm, think out of the box, and are organized in your the box, and are organized in your approach to dealing with your issues, approach to dealing with your issues,

then you will be successful then you will be successful   

What then do you need to What then do you need to do to be successful in do to be successful in problem solving, decision problem solving, decision making, & conflict making, & conflict Resolution?Resolution? Use all your sensesUse all your senses Be open, look at both sides of issuesBe open, look at both sides of issues Be analytical, identify & question Be analytical, identify & question

assumptions & stereotypesassumptions & stereotypes Brainstorm, think out the box!Brainstorm, think out the box! Be organized in your approach in Be organized in your approach in

dealing with the issuesdealing with the issues

BE OPEN TO BE OPEN TO REALITY – THE REALITY – THE WAY IT IS – WAY IT IS – RATHER THAN RATHER THAN HOW YOU HOW YOU PERCEIVE IT TO BEPERCEIVE IT TO BE