1. Mary “Malia” Fortescue
Speech 104 – Argumentation
Spring 2012

2. Reality is everything that exists
Reality includes everything that is whether or not it
is observable, accessible or understandable by
science, philosophy, theology or any other system
of analysis
We create our own reality
Reality isn’t what is “real,” it’s what we think is real
Reality is your mental interpretation of your
environment
Perception is the process we use to create our
reality from an environment

3. No two people have identical realities
“The belief that one’s own view of
reality is the only reality is the most
dangerous of all delusions. It
becomes still more dangerous if it is
coupled with the missionary zeal to
enlighten the rest of the world,
whether the rest of the world wishes
to be enlightened or not.”
-Paul Watzlawick, Psychologist

4. Perception – Sorting and Interpreting Data
Steps in the Perception Process:
1. Select Data from the Environment
2. Organize Filter and Prioritize the Information
3. Interpret the Data
Environment Data Filters Brain Reality

5. First we select data from the environment
We use all five senses to perceive the world
Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch
Intense, repetitious or changing stimuli
(cognitions) attract our attention and shape
what we notice (select) and what we ignore

6. Selecting and Sorting Filters
Most of the data is filtered out, but some is
selected to pass on to our awareness
Types of Mental Filters:
Psychological Condition
Physiological Condition
Language
Learning and Education
Experiences
Expectations

7. Second we organize and prioritize the information
We organize and prioritize
data so that certain
information stands out
over other information
Each person has a unique
method of organizing
Perception is less about the objective world,
and more about the unique ways in which
individuals perceive the world

8. Third we interpret the data
We manipulate the data to give meaning to the
information that has been selected and sorted
This process gives us an understanding of our
environment, which we call our reality
One goal of the argumentive process is to
narrow the differences in perceptions between
individuals

9. Factors that influence how we interpret data
Closure
We attempt to make sense out of the environment,
even when only a limited amount of data is
available. The mind fills in the blanks.
Selective Perception
We narrow available cognitions to interpret the
environment
Patterning
We attempt to keep new or current perceptions in
line with past ones

10. The Existing State of Things – Comfort Zone
Stasis is the absence of
change in one or more
of our realities for an
extended period of time
We attempt to perceive
the world in a manner
which conforms to our
stasis, because being
knocked off our stasis
makes us uncomfortable

11. Reality and environment are NOT the same
We each create our own reality in our minds as we
perceive the world around us
No two people have identical realities
Sharing and comparing realities can reduce
distortions and differences with other people
Reality is not real, it is an illusion
Reality isn’t what is “real”, it’s what we think is real
We argue realities, not environments
There may be more than one valid reality of the
environment