| I have always been fascinated by the ‘why' of | | | | which we take the input we have received from our |
| human behavior. At the heart of the work I do in my | | | | nervous system and assign meaning to it. Perception |
| practice with my colleague Gary Jordan is Perceptual | | | | acts as a filter between the world and our |
| Style Theory (PST). This comprehensive, | | | | understanding of it. Without interpretation perception |
| well-researched behavioral science theory, is the direct | | | | cannot occur. |
| result of our pursuit over the last 30 years to make | | | | Â |
| sense of the everyday differences people experience | | | | Just a Different Slice of Reality |
| between themselves and others. Our objective has | | | | Â |
| always been to provide a tool that people can easily | | | | PST states that each person is limited by their |
| use to understand themselves and their natural gifts, | | | | perception to access only a portion of reality, and they |
| while also gaining an appreciation for the value of the | | | | build their beliefs, values, and conclusions about the |
| differences and gifts of other people. | | | | world based on the portion of reality they perceive. |
| Â | | | | From this perspective people who perceive the world |
| PST is built on seven key principles. This is the first of | | | | differently from you are not wrong, they are just |
| a series of articles that will look at each principle in | | | | seeing a different slice of reality than you are. |
| depth. We present them here as a statement of the | | | | Â |
| theory behind our work and as an invitation for | | | | Think about it for a minute – you've seen many |
| comments and discussion. | | | | examples of this in your life. From cop shows on TV |
| Â | | | | where each witness to the same crime sees |
| Principle #1: People Perceive the World Differently | | | | something different, to sharing memories with |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | someone and wondering why they got it wrong. And |
| Everyone experiences many different attitudes and | | | | then there are the old adages like "seeing is believing" |
| approaches towards life, but all too often these | | | | and "perception is reality," both with the hidden meaning |
| differences are seen as the result of a lack of | | | | of "how I see it is the right way and you need to |
| knowledge, bias, or stubbornness. In other words, | | | | adjust." |
| people often take a stance that they are right about | | | | Â |
| the way they view things and others are wrong. PST | | | | There are great examples of the reality of perceptual |
| offers an alternative to this judgmental stance by | | | | differences in literature, film and art. Some of our |
| stating that the variations are due to biologically based | | | | favorites are the book An Instance of the Finger Post |
| perceptual differences. People literally perceive the | | | | by Ian Piers, the film Rashomon directed by Akira |
| world differently, and this differing perception leads to | | | | Kurosawa, and those fun optical illusion pictures like old |
| different conclusions about what is important, how | | | | woman/young woman shown to the left. |
| things should be done, and what is the "truth" of any | | | | Â |
| situation. | | | | Perceptual Style and Conflict Resolution |
| Â | | | | Â |
| Differences Come Naturally | | | | What are some examples of perceptual differences |
|  | | | | you've experienced in your life? Given your new |
| People tend to assume there is one objective reality | | | | understanding of the impact perceptual styles have on |
| that everyone is more or less aware of. Â Research | | | | our reality, you can use this knowledge to gain a more |
| implies that not only is that untrue, but perception is | | | | neutral perspective during your next disagreement. |
| actually a filter applied to objective reality, resulting in | | | | Hopefully you will be able to stretch your understanding |
| natural differences between people. | | | | of different points of view and improve communication |
| Â | | | | and limit conflict with others. |
| Perception derives from sensation. It is the point at | | | | |