Discussion: What is the Perception?

Perception is a process through which individuals organize as well as interpret their sensory information, giving meaning to the different situations or happenings in the environment. People have different perceptions of certain things or circumstances, and these perceptions can be different from the objective reality. The factors that influence my perceptions include attitudes, motives, current psychological state, interests, experience, beliefs, and expectations. When I feel unsatisfied and requiring something, I tend to engage in wishful thoughts in an attempt to satisfy myself at least in an imaginary way. In such situations, I tend to perceive things in a way that suits my wishes. For example, when am in need of money, I imagine many ways that can make me money. My attitude at this point is mostly positive because of my wishes to achieve a certain goal. For example, I take it that if I work hard, the forces of nature will favor me and I will most likely attain my goal. My belief at this point is that hard work pays, and I expect that I will solve my problems. In my experiences, when I work hard, I mostly achieve whatever I pursue. 

My current psychological state; for example when am moody, or angry, also affects my perception. For example, when moody, one can step on my toe, and I assume that they intended to hurt me and I overreact. When I am emotionally stable, however, I can differentiate between an accidental and intentional toe stepping. Similarly, my motives affect my perceptions. For example, when in a queue and looking for a way to get to the front, I tend to imagine everyone else looking restless is intending the same. Expectations also influence my perception. For example, if I buy a product from a trusted supplier and it fails to serve my needs well, I tend to think it is me who did not use it in the right manner. On the other hand, if I had bought it from a random store, I would take it that the store is selling low-quality goods.