As a concept, the self-perception theory was first advanced by Bem (1972). The concept is premised on the belief that people get to perceive their emotions, attitudes, and other internal cognitions and processes by discerning them from their behaviors (Hudson, 2017). In his article, Dico (2018) advances that the self-perception theory allows people to discern their minds like they would through observing how others behave and understand the minds of others. Essentially, for one to know what is on their mind, they have to observe their behavior and the circumstances within which such behaviors manifest (Montgomery & Haemmerlie, 1986). As such, individuals are able to develop particular attitudes and the substitute/complementary emotional responses that they did not have there before.
In the essay herein, two articles are discussed, and an examination made of how the self-perception theory can be applied in real-world situations. As such, this essay examines how the self-perception theory can be applied to the daily lives of individuals, especially those individuals who face different forms of social anxiety. It also makes an application of the self-perception theory in the conduct of academic research within social psychology. In this manner, the essay explores the research methods used by the two chosen articles that detail the concept of self-perception. In addition, the essay explains that for individuals to observe their behavior, it is necessary to skew the circumstances that prompt behavior positively. In the absence of the circumstances, the behavior would not be as influential as it ought to be on the resulting attitudes. The positive bias of behavior would thus be necessary for the formation of positive self-image as relates to persons with social anxiety.
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Dico (2018), in his research article, applies literature review and an analysis of existing sources of data. From the sources cited in his research, Dico (2018) argues that introspection as a method of inquiry in psychology is an independent source of data, thus making it more reliable than other data sources. In essence, Dico (2018) writes that introspection allows for the subjective collection of data from individual sources. Through this, scientific inquiry in psychology can then access private events experienced by the subjects of research. From his research, Dico (2018) thus concludes that introspection is necessary for qualitative data collection and should, therefore, be preferred to other approaches because the subject of research usually has unique access to stimuli from a personal perspective .
Montgomery and Haemmerlie (1986) undertook three studies to test the self-perception theory. In the studies, the biased interaction technique was employed to help shy students combat their heterosocial anxiety. During the research exercise, intrusion form therapist was kept to a minimum, and the interactions, which were biased towards the positive end, were made to appear natural. Resultantly, the observed individuals were noted to have lower inhibitions as they perceived their confidence from their observed behavior. In this way, the experiment, the observations made, and the findings made, were used to help the participants realize their attitudes because they could observe their behavior and the circumstances within which such behaviors manifested. In conclusion, Montgomery and Haemmerlie (1986) indicated that self-perception is effective in the treatment of heterosocial anxiety and that its effects should be last long.
Personally, I had noticed the theory in actual life several times, especially when I took my friend to learn how to swim. Among the fears she had were the feeling that others would look at her. The fear emanated from her self-consciousness, which was mainly caused by feelings that her body was too exposed in her swimsuit. Her anxiety was also caused by the manner in which she flapped her arms awkwardly while doing the backstroke. She also feared that such stares might make her lose her rhythm. To help her overcome such fear, I was able to offer positively biased interactions with a large group. I invited a few close friends we had in common, and we were able to help her reduce her anxiety over time. In the end, she became more open to learning in front of others; in ever increasingly strange groups and numbers. Today, she is not anxious at all even in public beaches where there are hundreds of strangers; and she still flaps her arms awkwardly when she swims.
Self-perception theory, as an approach to treating social anxiety, helps improve the awareness that individuals have of their social environment. The concept also increases the social influence of one's perception, thus making such individuals approach social interactions between them and others more positively, and with greater confidence. Basically, by premising the attitudes of individuals on the observed behaviors that are influenced by positively biased interactions, the concept allows individuals to overcome social anxiety. In this manner, the theory can increase the awareness of individuals with regards to social interactions, and to make such interactions devoid of anxiety. Dico's (2018) findings thus indicate that the observation of self-behavior in specific circumstances by individuals allows such people to influence their own attitude. In this way, such an attitude is able to last more permanently and to be fairly enjoyable to the participants.
Similarly, Montgomery and Haemmerlie (1986) note that self-perception allows individuals to access stimuli from a personal perspective. Resultantly, such individuals are more likely to fashion relevant reactions. Overall, individuals are able to be more socially perceptive and to be less anxious in situations of social interaction.
References
Bem, D. J. (1972). Self-Perception Theory. In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 6, pp. 1-62). Academic Press.
Dico, G. L. (2018). Self-Perception Theory, Radical Behaviourism, and the Publicity/Privacy Issue. Review of Philosophy and Psychology , 9 (2), 429-445.
Hudson, L. (2017). Frames of Mind: Ability, Perception, and Self-Perception in the Arts and Sciences . Routledge.
Montgomery, R. L., & Haemmerlie, F. M. (1986). Self-Perception Theory and the Reduction of Heterosocial Anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , 4 (4), 503-512.
