Abstract
The belief that ‘Perception is everything,’ forms the basis of social cognitive theory. The cognitive theory focuses on a person’s thoughts as the determinant factor of his or her personality (Bandura, 1986). Many cognitive theorists believe that without these thought processes, we could have no emotions and no behavior and would therefore not function. In other words, thoughts always come before any feeling and before any action. The process of social cognition enables one to understand the pain of another person. The concept of mind-perception influences our responses to others. We treat others according to the perceived qualities and capacities of their minds. The issue of objectification is evident in Margaret Edison play, “Wit”, in the way the lead character describes her treatments at the hospital (Edson, 1999).
In the play, “Wit”, the lead character, Vivian Bearing is diagnosed with stage four metastatic ovarian Cancer leading her to seek treatment. Vivian Bearing faces objectification from her doctor and his student. She views herself as a poem that is being studied. “It is just like a graduate seminar,” she claims in the midst of a humiliating and protracted examination by a group of interns. “Once I did the teaching,” she concludes, “now I am taught.” Vivian’s body has become the text Kelekian and Posner study, prompting her to note that “they read me like a book.” (Edson,1999). At the end of her treatment, Vivian has a different perspective of her treatment as being dehumanizing, she laments, "What we have come to think of me, is, in fact, just the specimen jar . . ." (Edson, 1999).Posner claimed that he needed her to live so he can continue to study her against her wishes (Edson, 1999). He ignored Vivian’s request to die peacefully despite the patient signing a no- resuscitation form. Posner exclaimed, “She is research!” when Susie tried to stop him from resuscitating Vivian (Edson, 1999).People have rights to decide what should be done to them when sick. One may use a theoretical approach to explain the origin of this objectification. Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory can apply to Vivian’s case.
According to Piaget, kids are curious and explore their surrounding keenly to make sense out of it (Piaget, 1959). In his theory, Piaget shows the development process through which a child develops from the time of birth to an age where one can reason and think using hypotheses (Piaget, 1959). The development process occurs in four main stages which are universal. The first stage is the sensorimotor stage that occurs from birth to two years where the child differentiates self from objects. The second stage is the pre-operational stage that occurs between the age of two years and seven years where a child uses language to represent objects. A child can also use images and words to communicate at this stage. Thinking is still egocentric: has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others (Piaget, 1959). The third stage is the concrete operational stage that occurs at the age of seven to eleven. At this stage, a child can apply logic about objects and situations. The last stage is the formal operational stage that involves a child applying logic bout abstract and tests hypotheses to solve problems (Piaget, 1959).
For Piaget, the essential building block for cognition is the scheme. A scheme is an organized pattern of action or thought (Piaget, 1959). Empathy for another person’s happiness and pain depends fundamentally on recognizing that the other person is human with the same capacities for thought, emotion, desire, intention, and self-awareness as one’s self (Bandura, 1986). Without appreciating others’ minds, empathy makes no sense. The process of social cognition enables one to understand the pain of another person. The concept of mind-perception influences our responses to others (Hala, 2013). We treat others according to the perceived qualities and capacities of their minds (Hala, 2013). In the play, “Wit” the aspect of objectification came as a result of lack of empathy towards Vivian. In the end, Posner admitted that he was wrong in treating Vivian in a less humane way which led him to sob portraying his recognition of Vivian as a person with feelings letting her die in peace respecting her wishes (Edson, 1999).
Reference
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Edson, M. (1999). Wit. New York: Faber and Faber.
Piaget, J. (1959). The language and thought of the child. New York: Humanities Press.
