I had this idea of simplifying one of the most important concepts in psychology, perception, and turning it into poetry. I think I managed to bring simplicity to a very complex concept.
Perception is one of the most important concepts in psychology, as it is through perception that we filter reality. Therefore, the reality that each person observes is always subjective, as each person sees what they focus on. As an example, look at this photo:
What many people probably saw was an old, tired-looking tree covered in moss. And that's one way of looking at it. That's right.
Now look at the photo below, of the same tree, because this is what I saw as soon as I passed the tree and that's why I took this photo:
What I saw, and what immediately caught my eye, was the heart-shaped mark on the tree. I, and those who saw only one tree, are both correct, but it completely changed our view of reality. Probably, if we were all very stubborn or proud, we would think that only our view was correct and that would lead to an argument.
Why does this happen?
This “magic” carried out by the brain is no trick nor does it happen by chance. It is part of a set of tools and cognitive skills that enable us to process almost instantly and simultaneously thousands of stimuli from two sources: that which is external and that which is internal or within ourselves.
The integration of the information resulting from this information processing results in what is conventionally called “the human mind”; it is thus built mainly based on our experiences and the lessons we learn from them and that, combined with genetic predisposition, strongly contribute to our sense of individuality and uniqueness. What do we like to feel? That we are unique and special!
The mind is therefore our own belonging, it is unique and cannot be replicated. Our mind leads us to build the notion of the «I», which is a kind of representation of our body in our Brain (including every sensation, emotion and feeling).
The «I» thus works as a data processor, a kind of filter, responsible for the integration of information coming from the inside (physical sensations, emotions, and feelings) and from the outside (stimuli from the senses).
This is how, in any given situation, «I» make a certain assessment, which allows me to build «My» perspective. It is therefore difficult to remain neutral in assessing certain situations; and this is also one of the great challenges posed to Psychotherapists, i.e., to abstract themselves from their personal perspective about their patients’ problems.
All these mechanisms rely on unconscious and conscious processes.
I invite you to become aware of things for 10 seconds…
Certainly, most of you stopped to look around, or to notice the sounds, colours or objects present in your surroundings.
It is curious how when we think of “consciousness” we direct our attention to things which are external to us (becoming aware of colours, sounds, scents, people). This said, consciousness is largely dependent on what goes on inside of us (being aware of feelings and internal stimuli, such as being hungry, afraid, thirsty, or angry, or being aware of the effect that certain sounds have on us, for example).
Consciousness is a waking state responsible for the ability to represent within us and through mental images what surrounds us (our awareness of the world) and is a highly adaptive mechanism, almost like a defence weapon that makes us flexible and capable of having behaviours which favour life and our survival.
It is also on the basis of this process that we build the notion of «You», another concept outside the «I»; more specifically, the conscious representation of our bodily and emotional states leads us to infer about the bodily and emotional states of others; if faced with a certain situation, «I» felt a certain way, I therefore imagine that, or it is likely that faced with the same situation, «You» will have a similar feeling; these are the foundations of empathy, which is also a kind of “magic” that allows us to almost “guess” what others may be thinking or feeling.
This is what we call Perception
But as this is a very complex process, I've tried to simplify it in this poem:
Perception
Every time you look at you,
from a different point of view,
you don't find anything different,
But something old,
Looking like something new.
I know that this is going to sound very weird but I'll say it anyway. I've always thought that I could be aware of my consciousness by closing one eye, let's say the right eye and then look at the left side of my nose with my left eye. It's like seeing myself from inside of myself..
Thank you Rolando. Perspective is a very important topic, you did a great job.