The document discusses the concept of reality as a mental construct shaped by perception, highlighting that individuals can experience the same situation differently based on their perceptions and beliefs. It outlines a three-step perception process—selecting cognitions, organizing information, and interpreting data—affected by factors like psychological and physical conditions, language, and past experiences. The document emphasizes the importance of recognizing multiple valid realities and effective communication to bridge perception differences between individuals.

1. Discovering Our Reality
By: Vazgen Miridjanian

2. What is Reality?
Reality is created in the mind.
We create our reality using the process of
perception
2 people can be in the same situation but create
different realities
When we see evidence contrary to our beliefs,
we tend to ignore them.

3. Reality is not what is “real”
Reality is not what is “real”, it’s what we think is
real.
Arguments arise when two peoples realities are
different on the same subject or situation
When you are debating with someone over the
subject of abortion, you are arguing over
realities. (Your reality may be that abortion is
acceptable and the other persons reality may be
that abortion is murder)

4. The Perception Process

5. 3 Steps in the Perception
Process
1.Select limited number of cognitions to examine-
Through our senses we select which bits of
information from our environment to be aware of and
which to filter out
2. Organize and prioritize the information and data
that we have become aware of- Certain information
stands out over other information (based on our
experiences not the same for others). Each of us
have a unique method of organizing.
3. Interpret the data- is the process where we give
meaning to the information what we have selected to
perceive. We search our memory and give meaning
to the data based on its similarity to our past
experiences.

6. Selecting and Sorting
Filters
Psychological Condition- affects how we
recognize incoming data- If you are depressed
and go to Disneyland (the happiest place on
earth), the reality we create will be negative.
Physical Condition- can affect the data we
recognize. If we are hungry or tired we view our
environment differently than if we have eaten and
have rested.
Language- creates an organizational system that
allows us to understand messages from our
environment The more limited our vocabulary the
more limited our reality.

7. Selecting and Sorting
Filters Cont.
Formal learning- shapes how we view our
environment
Experiences- are our first-hand informal learning
activities. Each similar experiences is added to a
previous experience.
Expectations- are perceptions that we expect to
conform to what we already believe the actual
event is. Expectations we have of our self are
called self-fulfilling prophecies; our self-
expectations dictate how we will act towards
people, events, and things in our environment.

8. Factors That Influence
How We Interpret Data
Closure- how the mind makes sense out of it’s
environment, even when only a limited amount of
data is available. (Not a conscious activity, more
of a physiological reflex reaction.)
Selective perception- When we narrow available
cognitions to make an interpretation of the
environment. We use as many cognitions as are
necessary to make a judgment about
persons, events, and things in our life.
Patterning- attempt to keep new or current
perceptions in line with past ones because new
perceptions which contradict past ones, knock us
off our STASIS.

9. Testing Your Reality
The skill of perception checking provides the
critical thinker with a better way to handle their
interpretations of people, events, and things in
their environment.
A goal of arguing is to narrow the differences in
perceptions between individuals.
Sharing and comparing our realities with those of
others can help reduce distortions and
differences among the many realities we have
created.

10. Stasis
A comfortable reality becomes our stasis on the
subject
Stasis means “at rest”, and once we have
reached stasis, we use communication to bolster
and maintain it.
We all physically and emotionally want to be in
stasis but we have a tendency to limit our ideas
and observations to just one reality, when the
reality can be a “delusion” (the delusion being
our reality).

11. More Than One Valid
Reality
We are motivated to try psychologically and
physiologically keep our perceptions in our
thought and action consistent.
When individual perceptions about the
environment differ, we have difficulty in reaching
a common understanding of what is happening in
the environment.
Only when we understand that there may be
more than one valid reality of the
environment, can we begin to realize the
importance of communicating with others.