At least, two persons participate in communication. Each of them is active, everyone seeks to inform of the purposes, intentions, moods another, at the same time trying to understand also him. This process of perception and assessment by interlocutors of each other is called perception or a perceptual component of communication, and it is extremely important for successful contact of people.
Characteristic of the perceptual party of communication
Perception, or perception of the interlocutor, happens as observation and the analysis of external features of the person, his behavior and gestures, intonations and manners to speak. Monitoring these manifestations, each partner in communication gets general impression about another, penetrates into its motives, changes and arranges under it the behavior. It turns out that thanks to the perceptual party of communication the people can understand each other, reach consent and an opportunity to make any joint actions.
Perceptual aspect of communication – another in my eyes and I eyes of others
This mutual perception is not limited only to observation of the interlocutor. Important characteristic of the perceptual party of communication can be considered also the fact that estimating the partner, the person at the same time traces as that concerns him: how pleasantly to it their communication whether values and installations are divided by it, whether he agrees with conclusions.
Therefore at each conversation or interaction the people not only estimate each other, but analyze reaction of the interlocutor to the behavior and a situation in general – by means of methods of identification and a reflection.
Identification is quite widespread way of perception of others. Everything when try to understand someone use it and put itself on its place, transfer own states and features on people around.
And the reflection helps to learn how others concern us. Whether they perceive us as worthy people, kind, clever and interesting interlocutors or estimate negatively?
The opinion which developed at interlocutors about each other significantly affects efficiency of their interaction and the further relations. And it can be incorrect.
What disturbs objective assessment?
There are several factors which can distort impressions about other people; they are called phenomena (or effects) interpersonal perception.
The effect of an aura is a prevalence of some one strong impression about the person which is transferred to all his personality. For example, all shortcomings at the same time can come true or, on the contrary, the general adverse opinion will force to perceive the dignity of the person as pretense and hypocrisy.
The effect of primacy – is similar to effect of an aura. Only in this case the first information on the person becomes the most memorable and important, it defines the relation to all its acts and in the future is practically not modified.
The effect of the last information – yields the same result, the latest information about the person is taken only as a basis. They can cross out the former attitude towards him, change it to opposite.
The effect of projection – is shown in tendency of people to attribute others own installations, emotions, opinions or habits, in other words, to judge them on itself. And if someone considers that all around avaricious, stubborn or dishonest, it is worth thinking – why he so thinks?
Considering these phenomena and the importance of perceptual aspect of communication, it is necessary to be attentive both to itself, and to people around. For successful establishment of contact with other people it is important not to be mistaken in the estimates. To change them if the behavior of the partner changes, and to change most if mutual understanding is lost.