Unit 2: Perception

Overview

^{This content contains text from Chapter 2: Self and Perception in Professional Communication in Health Studies by Chute, A., Johnston, S., & Pawliuk, B. (2023). (CC BY-NC-SA). Minor changes for readability and context, and to add illustration as cited from other source.}

Just as our perception of others affects how we communicate, so does our perception or view of ourselves. But what influences how we see ourselves? How much of ourselves is a product of our own making and how much of it is constructed based on how others react to us? How do we present ourselves to others in ways that maintain our sense of self or challenge how others see us? We will begin to answer these questions in this section as we explore self-concept, self-esteem, and self-presentation. Self-presentation is also referred to as impression management.

Think about going out — maybe to a concert, out to dinner, on a vacation, or simply to meet friends for a coffee. Do you plan what you are going to wear? Do you look up the set list or check out the menu ahead of time? Do you look at your map apps to figure out how long it will take you to get somewhere? Do you look at reviews of restaurants, hotels, or venues? Based on your answers to these questions, other people around you could form an impression of who you are. However, would that perception be accurate? Would it match up with how you see yourself?

Moreover, perception, of course, is a two-way street. You also form impressions about other people based on their appearance, dress, organization, intelligence, and approachability. The host, server, concierge, or venue staff help set the tone for your night out. As we go through our daily lives, we perceive all sorts of people and objects, and we often make sense of these perceptions by using previous experiences to help filter and organize the information we take in (Broadbent, 2013). Sometimes we encounter new or contradictory information that changes how we think about a person, group, or object. The perceptions that we make of others and that others make of us affect how we communicate and act. In this unit, we will learn about the perception process, how we perceive others, how we perceive and present ourselves, and how we can improve our perceptions.

Topics

Unit 2 contains the following topics

• Topic 1: All About Self
• Topic 2: Perception Process
• Topic 3: Perceiving Others
• Topic 4: Improving Perception

There are four topics in Unit 2. Together, these sections will help you to complete the quiz and assignment for this unit.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Unit, you should be able to:

1. Explain self-awareness, self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.
2. Understand the theories of social penetration, social comparison, and standpoint.
3. Understand the process of impression management.
4. Describe influences on perception.
5. Explain how one can improve self-perception and perception of others.

Activities and Graded Assessments

Activities

Graded Quizzes and Assignments

At the end of the unit, please open your Moodle course and complete the following assessment(s):

• Quiz 2 (3%)
• Assignment 1: Media Influences on Perception (11%)

Media Attributions

Shutter Speed. (2024, November 10). A man is holding his hand out to take a picture of himself [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-is-holding-his-hand-out-to-take-a-picture-of-himself-tT9Pw0Jqgls

References

Broadbent, D. E. (2013). Perception and communication. Elsevier.

Chute, A., Johnston, S., & Pawliuk, B. (n.d.). Chapter 2: Self and perception. In Professional communication skills for health studies. MacEwan University. https://openbooks.macewan.ca/professionalcommunication/part/chapter-2-self-and-perception/