Communication perception and interpretation in social contexts

¶ … roles in achieving effective communication is through perception-checking. Perception-checking entails a lot of influential factors that enable an individual to perceive, through his/her own experiences and motivations, the environment and the people around him/her. One important influence is the physiological factor, wherein our senses, age, health and even biological cycles affect our perception of other. Another influence is culture and society which I live in, wherein gender and occupational roles and self-concept are important. My perception of the world is affected because of physiological factors. If I am a young American man, I might perceive old people as unapproachable, and the old people may view me as frivolous and playful, since the age gap between the two of us influences our perception of each other. Gender also is affective, wherein a man may view women as the weaker sex, or vice versa. Even our senses influence our perception; a cake may taste too sweet for me, while my friend thinks otherwise. Biological cycles are essential because this helps determine our perception of an individual, that is, whether that person is a 'night' or 'morning' person. Cultural influence is most important when encountering people from a different nation, society, or culture. I might view a Japanese person as reserved and unapproachable when he is quiet, since I was brought up in a culture where openness is valued. Social roles also influence my perception most especially in our occupational roles. A national issue may be perceived differently by a sociologist, politician, and an economist because of the differences in their occupation and area of specialty. Self-concept is also important in determining my perception of others in the society. I might view some Asian countries to be 'backward' because of the economic differences of my country with that of these Asian nations, therefore, I might perceive Asian nations as poor and submissive to wealthier, more powerful countries. These influences are substantial in perception-checking, and must be practiced with care and accuracy, if possible.