Mechanisms of social perception are mechanisms which provide understanding and knowledge of themselves or other person in the course of communication. Also they allow to predict behavior of the partner in communication.
It is possible to refer identification, empathy and attraction to the main mechanisms of social perception. Identification it is accepted to call a method of knowledge of other person by means of attempt to put itself on his place in a certain situation. It turns out that the person has to assimilate to the partner in communication somewhat. In the course of identification to other person there is a knowledge of its norms and values, habits. At the advanced teenage age the identification is important especially. Identification helps to define the nature of the relations of the teenager with adults.
As for empathy, this word is understood as empathy to other person with whom you communicate. Only through an emotional response it is possible to define what condition of other person. Sometimes it is very important to understand how the partner in communication estimates the world around. The empathy is also considered as one of the major qualities inherent in the psychologist, the social worker and the teacher. It turns out that people who are connected with similar activity have to develop ability to empathy.
Attraction or attraction are a special form of knowledge of other person which is based on formation of positive feeling. Understanding of the partner allows to learn the partner in manifestation to it the most positive relation. It is accepted to call the self-knowledge mechanism in modern society a social reflection. In fact, the social reflection is an ability of the person to understand how he is perceived by the society surrounding it. By the way self-knowledge is possible only through communication with other people. One more not less important mechanism of social perception it is considered to be causal attribution. Even in the course of constant communication of people cannot obtain full information on the reasons of behavior of the partner. Because of deficiency information to the individual should make independently the forecast on the basis of only the assumptions. It turns out that the individual attributes to other people some bases and motives for commission of certain actions. Similar process is considered rather individual. But in the course of its research nevertheless it was succeeded to reveal some regularities. Actually the essence of the mechanism of causal attribution which helps to imagine process of formation of the attitude towards the partner consists in it.