Ever wondered why two or more people observing the same event can have sometimes very different perspectives of what happened and often then act in very different ways to the same situation? Dr William Glasser’s Choice Theory Chart of How the Brain Works explains the processes occurring in each person’s brain and provides an opportunity to understand the reasons for these differences.
Our Reality (Real World) is comprised of people, things and situations that exist in the objective world in which we live. To make sense of the Real World, everyone interprets data through their unique perception of sensory information. They then compare this against their own personal ideals.
Our perceptions are based on our previous knowledge (Total Knowledge Filter) and, if no meaning is detected, our perception stops there. If, on the other hand, we recognise or want to find out more, (knowing), it passes through our Valuing Filter where we experience the information as a pleasurable, painful, or neutral perception.
The Ladder of Inference, a concept introduced by Chris Argyris, also illustrates the mental process we go through when making sense of the world around us. With similar processes as the Choice Theory Chart, it also describes how our thoughts and beliefs can shape our actions and influence the outcomes of our interactions. Within the Ladder of Inference, there are reflexive loops that describe how our beliefs and interpretations influence our data selection. This leads to actions that reinforce those initial beliefs. Argyris emphasises that our reasoning process is often unconscious and that we jump to conclusions without fully examining our assumptions.
Understanding the difference between perception and reality is crucial for effective communication, problem-solving and building stronger relationships. So next time you have an experience that you have perceived differently to someone else, I invite you to be curious about whether you are ‘re-acting’ to the situation or consciously ‘responding’. As John Dewey said: ‘we do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience’.
