Social perception and emotion relate to the concept of social cognition and have been important focal points in the psychology course. People and the social interaction concept are arguably the most meaningful stimuli in the environment, considering that individuals see each other with great regularity as the perceptual systems interpret the existing presented cues. The focus of the course topic of social perception and emotion has been useful in explaining the mechanisms that underlie the perception of existing cues and how this is evident in daily social life (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999). Learning about social perception and emotion has been resourceful in understanding how individuals think about why other people do what they do in terms of how they act in the social domain.
Social perception refers to the ability to perceive, understand, and react to people as opposed to objects which require the integration of dynamic cues of emotion. In particular, it relates to the way individuals respond to situations that generate multiple interpretations and different readings. Within the tenets of the topic, research have been conducted to investigate automatic behavior exhibited by individuals in the social interaction domain and non-conscious mimicry. A general assumption that emerges from the research is that there is a link between social perception and emotion which explains the concept of non-conscious mimicry (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999). It is this link that orients individuals to exhibit behaviors and mannerisms of those around them and this explains why individuals will change their behavior in respect to the stimuli and the function of the behavior of other people with whom they interact. An assumption presented in a study investigating the aspect of true self in relation to internet interactions between individuals revealed that emotional arousal is constrained in the interaction of culture and social structure as self-concept comes with assumptions and expectations of others (Bargh, Mckenna, & Fitzmons, 2002). In my interpretation, this means that an individual will perceive and react to another individual based on preset notions or understandings or social constructs and attitudes that relate to what was taught. This means that it may not be straightforward to understand the other person because the focus is on self.
An important assumption in the topic is that the construction of self will often seek to conform to certain underlying reinforced behavioral/emotion aspects and focus on the concept of self when dealing with others (Barresi, 2002). From the topic and this assumption, I believe social perceptions and emotion have obvious analogs considering that individuals will often react and understand others based on what they are taught and experience. In the practical world, individuals perceive others based on what their social environment teaches or the information they have cultivated about the other person. It is on the basis of their background factors that they perceive themselves based on what they experience or they are taught. It is also based on this background that the individuals perceive, understand, and react to others. For example, if a woman grows up in a social environment in which women are taught and expected to respect men, the woman will tend to probably be quiet when around a man. The woman will also consider other women from different backgrounds disrespectful when they encounter a situation in which the other woman is probably exchanging words with a man.
Studying the topic is enjoyable because it relates to the everyday life of individuals and perhaps explains some of the social conflicts that come up in daily life. Perceiving others and reacting based on cemented and predefined set of beliefs and attitudes can be seen as prejudicial. The reading articles and resources provided valuable points that help in understanding social perception and emotion.
References
Bargh, J. A., McKenna, K. Y., & Fitzsimons, G. M. (2002). Can you see the real me? Activation and expression of the “true self” on the Internet. Journal of social issues, 58(1), 33-48.
Barresi, J. (2002). From ‘the Thought is the Thinker' to ‘the Voice is the Speaker': William James and the Dialogical Self. Theory & Psychology, 12(2), 237-250.
Chartrand, T. L., & Bargh, J. A. (1999). The chameleon effect: The perception–behavior link and social interaction. Journal of personality and social psychology, 76(6), 893-910.
