Perception of Others

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Perception of Others

There is no second chance for a first impression. Perception has never been random, since the beginning of time it has been human nature to judge others before really getting a chance to know them. People immediately cast others into stereotypes in every situation: they form a schema, or an organized set of thoughts about something containing properties and uses. These schemas effect the way people carry themselves around others. Schemas are usually formed with in eight seconds of getting the initial impression of a person. This by psychologists is know as the ?eight-second rule,? where people have been proven to form hypothesizes about others with in eight seconds of meeting or seeing an individual for the first time. Human nature has never been stated more accurately than in one little phrase, yet I have never fully understood the cliché until just recently.

As I sat here in the computer lab last week I noticed how I judge those around me. Although she speaks nothing, I have already put together an assumption about ?the girl sitting to my left:? her personality, work habits and attitude through a semantic analogy, or forming a link between physical appearance and personality. Wearing gray pajama pants and a comfortable fleece sweatshirt while holding a dark cloth blanket, I have understood in my mind that she likes to be cozy and secure. She seems to be a girl with a very soft nice voice, even though I have never heard her talk. As ?the girl sitting to my left? uses earphones while at the computer, I put together that she probably is very considerate of others. These assumptions could, for all I know is false and inaccurate, but as a human being I realize my judgments on others. I came t...

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...of him as clumsy and stupid. Stupidity is a common label people tend to place others.

Stephen, a recent friend of mine, appeared by his diction, attitude, and demeanor to be a person not of high intelligence or extensive vocabulary at all. As I came to find out, Stephen was very smart, earning a high school GPA of 3.8, and having intentions of a political science pre-law major.

Furthermore, you justly cannot judge a book by its cover. Throughout not only my experiments, but also my experiences I have grasped a great comprehension of how people form quick assumptions about others. Through my first-hand experiments and acquaintances I have seen human nature, and in the course of my observations I learned that we all, even myself, are victims of this judgmental view of others. Impressions, formed by all people, truly affect your interactions in everyday life.

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