Interplay: Two Levels Of Reality

The fourth chapter of Interplay includes several interesting concepts, the first of which being the perception process and what constitutes reality for an individual. There are two levels of reality, “first-order” and “second-order”. First-order realities are defined as “physically observable qualities of a thing or situation,” while second-order realities are “our attaching meaning to first-order things or situations.” (Adler, Rosenfeld, Proctor, 2015, pg. 109) Everyone typically shares first-order realities, but a lack in harmony of second-order realities can cause strife between two parties. These second-order realities develop through four steps, including selection, organization, interpretation, and negotiation. Selection is the particular …show more content…
One of the simplest physiological differences are the senses, and “how each of us sees, hears, tastes, touches, and smells stimuli can affect interpersonal relationships” (Adler et. al, 2015, pg. 115). Another of which being age, which is constantly evolving to shape our views of those around us and of ourselves, not to mention the drastic physical changes from youth to adulthood. Health and fatigue are factors in perception, both in how you are perceived and how you communicate with others. Sickness can cause you to behave differently, while fatigue can also cause individuals to perceive time as passing slower or put them in a worse mood (Adler et. al, 2015, pg. 116). Biological cycles, such as the time one prefers to wake up and go to bed, are also a factor in communication. These can cause individuals to act differently during a particular time of day, week or month, creating a new dynamic in relationships. Additionally, hunger can influence you by either overeating or not haven eaten enough. Hunger can cause irritancy, grumpiness, or even tiredness from eating too much. Finally, the way you are neurologically wired can cause differences in perception, including disorders such as ADHD or bipolar disorders. These disorders along with many others can cause people to experience life and certain situations differently. I personally see this in my own life, particularly in the health category, as I used to be a lot thinner and less healthy back in middle school. Part of this may have been age, but also that once I began playing football, working out and developing a healthier lifestyle, I began to feel better not only about my body but just in general. I became more open to meeting new people and initiating conversation. This may have been self-concept as well, but I believe that it began with the