Each of us creates our own subjective reality based on our own perception of reality thanks to our own filters of perception. Even though the sensory input is the same our reality differs. Although bias may seem like a negative word, a list of cognitive biases will give you some idea of the ways our mind creates its own reality.
In this article, we shall look at the filters of our perception. Some of the questions we look into are as follows:
- Why do we perceive differently?
- How the mind interacts with external reality?
- How do filters of the mind affect our perception?
Filters of Perception and Reality.
In the above illustration, the items in the black background are the components of the external environment and the items in the white background are the part of our own mind which creates our own subjective reality.
How the mind interacts with external reality?
Stimulus and Response
From the external reality point of view, we have the stimulus and response in our observable external environment.
Response to Stimulus
In our waking experience, we receive continuous stimuli from the outside world. Our environment, people around us, electronic gadgets, and our own mind keeps spurring us in different directions. Our mind is a supercomputer that processes information and most of the time we instantly react to the different situations that we face.
Automatic Conditioned Reactions
The automated reactions are adequate for most of our needs. However, in some situations, we may find that our reactions are not serving us well. Uncontrolled anger, fear, or inappropriate behavior can affect our relationships, and peace of mind and set us back in life.
Animals Vs Humans
Reactionary behavior is typical in the animal world. It is the only choice available to the animals. Human beings have a choice to respond rather than react. Humans are the most evolved of all living beings. We have the ability to choose our actions. When we fail to exercise the choice to respond, the behavior is seen as reactionary or animalistic.
Freedom to Choose
The freedom to choose is innate quality for all humans. We may be able to exercise this freedom in some situations and not be able to choose an intentional response in some of the situations. It is also seen that not all individuals behave the same way in similar situations. Why are we then not able to use this gift of life? Why do we feel overpowered by reactionary tendencies? What powers the tendencies in us?
How do filters of the mind affect our perception?
Perception
We often realize that our perception of situations or objects is different. Two persons brought up in a similar environment can have a difference in how they perceive and consequently how they behave. If it is the same object or situation, then we should have the same perception and perspective. However, it does not work that way. We have our own filters of perception which create an altered personalized reality for each one of us.
Filters of Perception
If we examine our experiences, we shall become aware that we do not perceive anything in deep sleep when our mind is switched off. We do perceive in dream states and the waking state. In some situations, we may be physically available in the waking state, but we may not perceive an object if our attention is not on the object. Our 5 senses feed the mind. Hence we can say that we experience external reality using our mind and 5 senses. Hence, the differentiators of perception difference must be in these instruments of perception.
1. Sensory Filters of Perception
We use our 5 Senses to interact with the world around us. Not all of us have the same sensory capability. We are differently abled in our inherent capacity to See, Hear, Feel, Taste & Smell. These sensory ability differences are a source of difference in our perceptions.
We can improve our sensory acuity and thereby gather more information from our external environment.
2. Experience Filters
Experiencing versus Remembered Experience
Experience happens at every moment of our lives. However when we look into our past day, week, month, year, or the entire past we may recall a very small fraction of all the moments that we have experienced.
Emotions impact Long Term Memory
Strong Emotions like Fear, Pain or Pleasure, likes, and dislikes affect what we remember. Even the situations that we face are different. Each one of us carries within our minds different past memories. The more the emotional charge more is the impact of those memories. When we are younger, especially when we are small children, we have lesser coping strategies and some incidents may have an emotional charge that still affects us today.
Past memories affect the present moment’s perception
Our mind has got to deliver in a fraction of a second. The mind has some sort of quick referential index to filter the experiences. Our mind can easily compare our current situation /stimuli with our past experiences to prepare us for the current situation /event. Since these referential experiences from our pasts are unique to us, we perceive the present experience in our own unique way.
3. Storage Filters
Deletions and Distortion
Our hearts beat 100,000 times a day. Scientists have found out that we have 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts during the waking hours of a typical day. Our mind although a supercomputer handles a large amount of work including the millions of bits of information that it receives every moment through the 5 sense organs. It efficiently deletes unwanted information and uses the referential experiences of the past to compact and organize the meaningful part of the present experience for storage.
Role of Language
Despite deletion and distortion of information, our sensory experience still has a lot of information. Discriminating between the nuances of our experiences becomes easy with labels and the use of language. Language lends meaning to the sensory map or data that is made available to us through the sense organs. The language we use internally and what it really means to us alters our experiences.
Filters of Perception and the NLP Communication Model
We explore the filters of perception in more detail in the NLP communication model.
This model looks at resources within ourselves to be able to exercise our freedom to choose more effectively.