People's perceptions are their own reality
By secretbear
@secretbear (19448)
Philippines
September 20, 2011 8:50am CST
Today in our class, my classmate reported about risk reporting and that's about creating news that can either create panic, social unrest, or give false hopes. Our professor said that it is a challenge to the journalist how she will change a person's perception about something because for a person, his perception is his reality (no matter how skewed it is as it seem to you). Like for example, if a person perceives Genetically Modified Food as something that will create mutation of genes when eaten by a person, it is his reality and the challenge for the journalist is to counter that or even change that perception.
It just struck me that people create their own reality by how they perceive things and this differ with other people who perceive this thing differently. I mean, for example, I, myself do not believe that genetically modified food will create mutations in our genes. My perception of genetically modified food is that it is just an enhanced version of the original thing.
I perceive cats as gentle creatures but a friend of mine perceive cats as very dangerous animals (she climbs up her chair whenever she hears a cat's meow). 
So what do you think?
So what do you think?4 people like this
11 responses
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
20 Sep 11
Your professor is correct. what we believe to be true is Our truth and no one can take it away from us. we have to Choose to change our perception. And many refuse to! That is why with every report about what is in food makes another group not eat or drink it. to this day there are many Americans who will not drink milk because they perceive milk as fattening. Many do not believe in global warming! we are all different with different views. and it is hard to get a person to change their views.
2 people like this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
25 Sep 11
The easiest example is religion. If we all could agree , there would be just one. But there isn't.
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
28 Sep 11
I so agree. But I guess it could not be helped that we have a lot of different religions since the world is big and people are dispersed in far away places, far from each other.
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
25 Sep 11
Those were very good examples! If Americans believe milk as fattening, I believe that milk is nutritious and good for the body. And I believe in global warming. People are really different from each other. I guess it's also because of our own different context. Our circumstances alone are very different. 
1 person likes this
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
21 Sep 11
Very nice topic for discussion! Most people perceive certain things and to them it is reality. When many others perceive the same thing based on their own experience then it is "real" reality. If anything is proved with conclusive evidence then all rational beings must believe it.
I do not know about this genetically modified vegetables, but if it has some immediate effect on our system we automatically refrain from consuming this. Your friend does not really think it is a tiger or a lion ; it is just that it is a peculiar distaste [I myself would not like a cat springing on me even out of love].There are people made that way.
2 people like this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
28 Sep 11
Do you have a background on philosophy? Because I think what you said is being studied in a philosophy subject. Or logic perhaps?
Or logic perhaps?
@a_year_older (636)
• Malaysia
20 Sep 11
Yup I agree with you. It really is difficult to change a person's perception of something. That is why there are so many phobias that some people consider weird. The phobia of long words for example. To this day, I don't quite understand how anyone can be afraid of a long word.
Another example I suppose is how pessimistic people are always telling you that something bad will happen. Obviously they're going to only see the bad things cos you're always on the lookout for it. They completely miss all the other good things that they come across.
2 people like this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
25 Sep 11
You know someone who has a phobia for long words? That's really weird! I have heard of phobia of animals and all but not words. 
It's really difficult to change a person. Especially if what they are saying always happen to them, like being pessimistic because always bad things happen to them. You can't blame them if they think like that because of what they have gone through. I guess they can only change if the opposite of what happened to them would happen to them, like a streak of good luck.
It's really difficult to change a person. Especially if what they are saying always happen to them, like being pessimistic because always bad things happen to them. You can't blame them if they think like that because of what they have gone through. I guess they can only change if the opposite of what happened to them would happen to them, like a streak of good luck. @a_year_older (636)
• Malaysia
7 Oct 11
Hmm I think you misunderstood me. The pessimistic people... it's not that good things never happen to them. It does. But they're so keen on looking out for the bad stuff that they don't stop to think and realize that something good has just happened.
1 person likes this
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
21 Sep 11
it is true that what we hear and go through day by day affects us greatly whether we realize it or not...regardless of whether we take cognizance of this for a fact or not.
your friend who is so afraid of cats must have had gone through a traumatic experience with cat/s so she has become like that. cats always readily strike anyone with their claws which truly hurt and they bite readily, too. i for one, is a cat victim on these counts.
this is the thing that makes it imperative for newscasters to adopt the code of responsible reporting. they must make sure that what they are saying have been well studied to be what is genuinely true. newscasts really do affect the train of mind of the listeners.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
28 Sep 11
Actually, there's a Journalist's code of ethics. Any reporters, news writers, or anyone in the media should follow this set of ethics.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
28 Sep 11
That's another good example, Jill! A lot of people like crabs, but me, I hate the smell and the taste! 
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
20 Sep 11
Your right! We do create our own realities. We also create our own truth. That is how you can get two stories or even disagreements between people about certain events. For instance, if I were describing a robber. My truth might be that he was tall. Someone taller than me might describe him as short. If he had tattoos I might say he had a lot of tattoos if I weren't used to seeing tattoos but someone that had tattoos might say he only had a couple. See...they are all truthful answers..just different perspectives.
Very interesting discussion.
2 people like this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
28 Sep 11
That's very true, Jen. I remember a detective drama I watched before and the detective was interviewing the witnesses. They all saw the criminal but they gave different descriptions because of their different perspectives. Your example of height was one of their disparity in their description of the criminal.
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
22 Sep 11
Yes, our preception of things is actually fear or love. We can create our own reality out of fear to protect ourselves, or simple put fear into our reality to harm others. Everybody has their own perceptions to things, including u and me. So long we don't let it get in the way of our daily life, it should be all right 
Vegetables are my own perceptions because i find them bitter, while many says it's actually tasteless.. lol =D
Vegetables are my own perceptions because i find them bitter, while many says it's actually tasteless.. lol =D 1 person likes this
@CTHanum (8234)
• Malaysia
20 Sep 11
HI sis!
Yes, different people got different thoughts..Me too not too friendly with cats or other animals because of the its fur.. I am sensitive with them around..(^^) Agree with you that we can't change that. All of us see things in different angles. You might get half of it while others might get the other half. So it is really essential to give and report things correctly so everyone will have the same thought of one another.(^^)
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
25 Sep 11
Yeah, we can't say people are wrong the first time we hear them. It's just probably that that's what they believe in and we believe differently.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
21 Sep 11
This topic ties into a lot of discussions I've been in lately. Someone wanted to know how people can see the same facts and come to such different conclusions about what they mean. Someone else was concerned about any kind of extremism. But extremeism itself is perceived differently by different people. What is extreme to one person might be moderate to another. To one person extremism is is wrong, and to another moderation is no virtue. It depends on what one have been taught or has experienced. That's why there is so much difference in political opinion. One person can look at our President and see a hero. Another sees a villain. One person thinks all he needs is more time to fix the country, while another thinks he is destroying the country. Each is looking at him through a unique set of preconceived notions formed by education, experiences, and the opinons of others. Each has his own perception of reality.
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
28 Sep 11
Exactly, Barb. Our perceptions are affected by different factors - education, experiences, other people's opinions, even our own needs and wants, our historical background, even our location and environment. There's just so many things that shape up our perception of things. This is why people should be more understanding to each other.
@emjay86 (640)
• Philippines
20 Sep 11
Yes. This is what make us humans really interesting. I am very glad about it. Christ is the genius. He really knows how to spice up people. Our way of thinking, if set in one way, then everything would be dull. Having someone think other than you do, is quite annoying but somehow it sharpens the mind, opening it to other possibilities you only know how. People's perceptions are their own reality and your own acceptance to other's perception.
2 people like this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
25 Sep 11
Yeah. I sometimes I wonder how we are really created because how the human body and mind work is really complicated. So complicated!
