Perception in communication is the assessment of people based on feelings, emotions, their actions and predicting the behavior of the interaction partner. The latter contributes to the creation of one’s own strategy in communication: intimacy, affection, which can be expressed in friendship, sympathy, love or alternative perception (confrontation, rivalry, hostility).
Communication as a tool for knowing people
The perceptual side of communication is the emotional perception and cognition of individuals and social groups. According to the statements of S. L. Rubinstein (2000), human perception occurs through the assessment of external data, their relationship to personal characteristics, and prediction of actions. The impressions arising during the communication process determine further coordination of actions.
Perceptual side of communication
What is the perceptual side of communication?
Perception is a person’s reflection at the cognitive level of the objects and phenomena that he encounters.
The perceptual side of communication, from a psychological point of view, refers to the perception of another person, awareness of the characteristics of another person.
Perception of an opponent can occur through understanding his attitudes, goals, motives and views. In this case, an objective assessment of another person is formed, the properties of which do not overlap with the properties of the cognizing subject himself.
On the other hand, in the process of perceiving the interlocutor, not only his understanding, but also acceptance . In this case, all values and attitudes are shared and agreed upon by people.
When such acceptance occurs, close interpersonal relationships of various levels arise: affection, friendship, love, etc.
Using the perceptual side of communication, we “read” the other person .
The success of communication with an individual depends on the degree of accuracy of the conclusions we come to. Incorrect identification of the interlocutor's identity can provoke misunderstanding and conflict.
Functions of social perception
Social perception is a complex process during which people understand and evaluate the social objects around them (people, groups, communities).
As a result of such a process, certain stable images .
Briefly about the main functions of perception:
- Knowing yourself . Awareness of oneself through other objects. It is during social interaction that a person receives information about himself and food for thought. Often, the perception of the personality of the interlocutor helps to determine those inherent aspects of him that resonate in his own mind. As a result, a person reveals his hidden needs, desires, and doubts.
- Knowing your partner. You can get to know a person, understand his views and beliefs only through communication at the perceptual level. This is the only way to get reliable information about someone.
Gaining trust, establishing and effectively developing contact is possible only as a result of perceiving the opponent’s personality.Human activity is impossible without communication. Comradely, friendly, friendly, love relationships are impossible without communication.
- Organization of joint activities . Understanding or acceptance by subjects of each other’s social relations is the basis for the further construction of joint activities. A clear understanding of the motives, attitudes and values of a partner allows you to develop a model of effective interaction with him. If we are talking not about the interaction of individuals with each other, but about relationships in a group, then the role of social perception only increases. The joint activities of group members become effective only when they are all able to accept or understand each other’s attitudes.
- Building mutual understanding. In the process of communication, people achieve mutual understanding, which is the cementing factor of any social relationship (family, romantic, business, etc.).
Finding common points of interests, identifying common views and beliefs allows you to find a compromise and enjoy joint activities. - Establishing emotional relationships. Man is an emotional being, so any social interaction evokes certain emotions in him. When people come into contact, they form certain emotional relationships: sympathy, hostility, rejection, joy, etc.
Effects of Interpersonal Perception
There are 9 of them:
- The effect of primacy or order. This component of perception manifests itself when communicating with a stranger. Its essence is as follows: if the first impression left conflicting feelings, the image will be formed on the basis of previously received information.
- Edge effect. Objects of perception that are located at the edges are perceived better than those located in the center.
- The effect of novelty. In the case of a previously familiar person, new information about him plays a more important role in his perception.
- Halo effect. A brief explanation looks like this: new information about a person is superimposed on an already familiar image. The latter is the “halo”. It prevents you from perceiving your personality correctly. If you have a positive opinion about your interlocutor, then any information will lead to the same positive assessment. The same thing happens with negativity. Most often, this effect occurs when we are talking about moral principles.
- The effect of the first impression. Leads to the emergence of a stable opinion about a person. All subsequent estimates will not be consistent with reality.
- Projection effect. This is a state in which you attribute your advantages or disadvantages to your opponent. It all depends on your opinion of him.
- Average error effect. Deliberately downplaying the interlocutor's strong character traits.
- Barnum effect. A person perceives his characteristics as the most correct when they are confirmed by scientific, magical or ritual arguments.
- Boomerang effect. Its essence is that the information transmitted to the interlocutor causes an effect opposite to the expected one. This happens if you arouse hostility in your opponent or present false information. Another reason for the development of the effect is distrust of you.
Perceptual component
This component allows you to correctly interpret the appearance and behavior of your interlocutor .
Based on the information received, a conclusion is drawn about the personality characteristics and reasons for actions.
Without perception, communications would be quite superficial and ineffective. A person would perceive only the “external picture” - the image of the opponent and his words.
Real thoughts, motives of behavior, hidden experiences and much more would escape attention. It is thanks to social perception that it becomes possible to accurately perceive surrounding objects and build effective interaction with them .
This component is fully manifested when a person is free from stereotypes, predetermined attitudes and beliefs. They interfere with an objective assessment of a partner and in advance form a certain image in the mind, which is often far from reality.
It is also important not to rush to a conclusion and give yourself time to form a reliable assessment . Often people make erroneous conclusions about an interlocutor with whom they have communicated for a fairly short time.
A person’s personality can be correctly assessed only by obtaining comprehensive information about him and observing him in different life situations.
The perceptual component allows you to change an already established opinion about an individual .
Sometimes people meet a person they knew well in the past and are surprised to discover significant changes in his character.
Such an opportunity to abandon the primary assessment that was formed earlier appears as a result of understanding and accepting those characteristics of the interlocutor that are observed in him at the current moment in time.
Aspects
Initially, the perceptual aspect manifests itself in the visual perception of the interlocutor . From the point of view of physiognomy, there is a certain connection between a person’s facial features and his psychological characteristics and behavioral characteristics.
When communicating with an opponent, we subconsciously or consciously analyze his appearance and make the first assumptions about his personality.
Next, a certain emotional interaction . If the conversation is negative, then, as a rule, a negative perception of the opponent’s personality is formed.
If the conversation is colored in positive tones, then affection for the person is more likely to appear.
This is where the main problem of the perceptual aspect lies - during initial acquaintance, we can draw incorrect conclusions about the personality of our partner only on the basis of the current fleeting impression.
Reliable perception of another subject is possible only as a result of careful observation of him.
During communication, the words, gestures, manners, and facial expressions of the opponent are observed .
The received verbal and non-verbal information allows us to draw conclusions and come to an understanding of a person’s personality.
First impression mistakes
Types of communication in psychology - what they include, its functions
Information enters the human consciousness from three sources:
- Visual perception, which forms a complex of visual images.
- An auditory source formed by a combination of sounds.
- The kinesthetic channel of management perception, built on sensations.
Important! Individual subjects of society are able to perceive and process data, focusing on three data sources. However, one channel is a priority; on its basis, the main perception, formation of thoughts and memories occur. Modality (qualitative characteristics of sensations) in people (visual, auditory and kinesthetic, respectively) is formed individually.
Inequality
It arises against the background of a superior parameter that is subject to a positive assessment, or, conversely, if the subject is superior to the object of communication, the second is underestimated.
Attractiveness factor
An important factor is whether you like the appearance of the interlocutor. Under the influence of one factor, there is an overestimation or underestimation of the partner’s properties. With a positive perception of external parameters, there is a high probability of perceiving a person as an intelligent, interesting person.
Distorted perception of the interlocutor
Attitude factor
Social science says that people who have a kinder attitude seem better than those who have a bad attitude. Positivity generates a strong tendency to attribute positive qualities; as soon as the negative is included, the person will stop noticing the characteristic features of the partner and will begin to highlight the negative ones.
Errors in forming first impressions are called the halo effect, which is triggered by a number of reasons: prospect superiority, attractiveness and attitude.
Mechanisms
The mechanisms of the perceptual side of communication suggest:
- Reflection .
The ability to evaluate one’s actions and actions, draw conclusions from the current situation and understand the desired paths for further developments. During communication, we try to imagine the impression we make on the interlocutor. If the result does not meet expectations, reflection occurs. - Identification . It implies likening oneself to another individual. During a dialogue, we put ourselves in the place of another person and try to look at the situation through his eyes, through the prism of his worldview.
- Empathy . This is the ability to empathize and share emotions. The greatest degree of empathy is characteristic of people with a fine mental organization and a developed system of moral values. They know how to clearly assess the state of other people by observing their actions, words, gestures and facial expressions.
- Anthropological stereotypes . The assessment of the internal, psychological qualities of a person is based on the perception of the anthropological characteristics of a person. For example, a person decides for himself that the deep-set eyes of his interlocutor indicate a secretive and tough character, and pampered hands speak of laziness.
- Social stereotypes. The partner’s personality is assessed on the basis of available information about his social status, financial situation, position, etc.
- Aesthetic stereotypes. Judgment about a person is based on his external attractiveness.
For example, a beautiful and smiling girl is perceived by interlocutors as a kind and open person, although her external attractiveness may in no way reflect the essence of her personality. - Projection . Endowing a communication partner with those qualities that are inherent in the subject himself. This can happen consciously or unconsciously.
- Casual attribution. Interpretation of the words and actions of another person based on one’s own observations and assumptions.
How partners influence each other during communication
When communicating between interlocutors, subconscious dominance of one of the interlocutors occurs. A dominant person is able to convince someone of something or, conversely, dissuade another. He can also give advice or condemn for wrongdoing. Based on all this, we can distinguish 4 scientific ways of influencing one person on another:
- Infection. These are situations in which a person is involuntarily, unconsciously exposed to a certain mental state. That is, these are those cases in which the partner directly infects the other person with certain ideas that fill everything else.
- Suggestion. Suggestion refers to the purposeful and unjustified influence of one person on another. Very often you can find a similar method of communication in stores - some sellers are able to literally stick it in and force you to buy certain goods.
- Belief. This method is based, first of all, on using arguments and arguments to achieve a positive or negative action about the person receiving the information. That is, one person tells another person reasonable information so that the interlocutor draws the necessary conclusions and takes certain actions.
- Imitation. When compared with infection and suggestion, imitation differs from both of these actions not by simply adopting the interlocutor's traits, but by reproducing behavior. That is, a person tries to behave and speak the same way as his interlocutor. Practical benefit – persuasion and liberation of the interlocutor during communication.
Knowing all these techniques, a person can, during communication, if not manipulate the interlocutor, then at least find a common language with him, regardless of the topic.
An important point: regardless of the method of communication, its main goal is to convey the necessary and important information data in such a way that the other person (interlocutor) understands what exactly is being discussed in the dialogue. However, the use of some speech patterns and elements of nonverbal communication will not provide any guarantee that the person has accepted and understood the information.
