Response Assignment 3 The self and our perception of others are thoughts that are constantly flowing through our minds subconsciously. Prior to reading the readings for the week, I did not realize the impact that our self-perception had on our daily lives and interactions. After recalling some of my instances, I realized that the interpretations that I have regarding my self-worth might not have been the most accurate. In this response, the two examples that I have chosen are events that either directly or indirectly relates to my days in high school. Specifically, how I was constantly comparing myself to my peers, how that perception might have been incorrect and how it changed as time progressed, and how a first impression was incorrectly
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At the time, I didn’t think that I was as smart or as hardworking as they were. As stated in the reading, “Beliefs have to do with what is true or not” (page 3). At that point in time, regardless of what others thought or wondering whether by beliefs were true or not, I believed that I wasn’t good enough. This in turn affected the self-labels that I’ve implemented for myself, which “play a role in shaping our self-concept” (page 9). By thinking negatively about myself, it affected some of the actions I did around my friends. For example, after an evaluation, when someone asks me how it was, I would always say “I’m not sure” or “It was okay I guess”. By replying in such ways, regardless of whether I did good or bad, others wouldn’t think that I’m trying to come off as better than how I thought I was, or how I actually am. Although this was a negative representation of me in front of my peers, I would portray myself differently when I was in public with others. It was said that one’s actions in public are different than those in private (page 5). I was …show more content…
When I was in high school, I had a friend who was nice, caring, thoughtful, and social. After starting university, we didn’t talk as much as before and what I know from his “new life” was only from what I saw on social media. The things that I saw gave me a negative impression of who he became. As stated in the reading, “we label people according to our first impressions in order to make some interpretations about them” (page 43). This personally affected me, as when he wanted to meet and catch up, I was reluctant because I didn’t want to interact with who I thought he became. I was also subconsciously stereotyping him with the reputation that his university has. After careful consideration, I still decided to meet with him because we were really close before. After our interaction, I realized that I misinterpreted and over generalized who I thought he was. He might have changed a little, but for the vast majority, he is still the person that I knew and remembered. To prevent situations like this from happening again, I will not be too quick to judge, possibly just keep my observations at the back of my mind while trying to find more evidence, and communicate with the person more to get a clear understanding of who they are. As advised by the reading, “serious problems can arise when people treat interpretations as if they were true” (page
At the time, I didn’t think that I was as smart or as hardworking as they were. As stated in the reading, “Beliefs have to do with what is true or not” (page 3). At that point in time, regardless of what others thought or wondering whether by beliefs were true or not, I believed that I wasn’t good enough. This in turn affected the self-labels that I’ve implemented for myself, which “play a role in shaping our self-concept” (page 9). By thinking negatively about myself, it affected some of the actions I did around my friends. For example, after an evaluation, when someone asks me how it was, I would always say “I’m not sure” or “It was okay I guess”. By replying in such ways, regardless of whether I did good or bad, others wouldn’t think that I’m trying to come off as better than how I thought I was, or how I actually am. Although this was a negative representation of me in front of my peers, I would portray myself differently when I was in public with others. It was said that one’s actions in public are different than those in private (page 5). I was …show more content…
When I was in high school, I had a friend who was nice, caring, thoughtful, and social. After starting university, we didn’t talk as much as before and what I know from his “new life” was only from what I saw on social media. The things that I saw gave me a negative impression of who he became. As stated in the reading, “we label people according to our first impressions in order to make some interpretations about them” (page 43). This personally affected me, as when he wanted to meet and catch up, I was reluctant because I didn’t want to interact with who I thought he became. I was also subconsciously stereotyping him with the reputation that his university has. After careful consideration, I still decided to meet with him because we were really close before. After our interaction, I realized that I misinterpreted and over generalized who I thought he was. He might have changed a little, but for the vast majority, he is still the person that I knew and remembered. To prevent situations like this from happening again, I will not be too quick to judge, possibly just keep my observations at the back of my mind while trying to find more evidence, and communicate with the person more to get a clear understanding of who they are. As advised by the reading, “serious problems can arise when people treat interpretations as if they were true” (page