The Perception Principle

Many cognitive psychologists believe that, as we experience things in this wonderful world of ours, we create a mental picture of how the world works.

In other words, while we may sense the objective world, our sensations map to percepts, and these percepts are largely provisional, in the same sense that scientific hypotheses are provisional.

In layman's terms, perception is reality folks. We may not have a shred of proof to back up our beliefs. But if we perceive something to be true...well, then it is.

For example, I didn't see O.J. Simpson kill Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. But I know he did it. How do I know? Based on the evidence that was presented at the trial, I perceive O.J. to be the murderer.

But the jury found him innocent, right?

Wrong. That's the perception. The reality is, the jury found him NOT GUILTY.

There's a world of difference.

Let me explain: The jury never said O.J. was innocent. They said, based on the evidence presented, there was reasonable doubt about his guilt. Whatever...

I also didn't see Scott Peterson kill Laci Peterson. But I know he did it. How do I know? Besides the overwhelming evidence that clearly pointed to his guilt, the guy's a pathological liar. That's my perception of him. I didn't believe a word he said.

The media's perception is, if Tiger Woods has at least a one shot lead heading into the final round of a golf tournament, all of the other players might as well pack up and go home. They don't stand a chance. Tiger never loses when he has the lead.

That's the perception, right? And the numbers seem to back up that perception. The reality is, every time Tiger piles up another win, the law of averages are getting closer and closer to going against him.
And I'd be willing to bet, it's going to happen sooner rather than later.

Why do I feel that way? Because despite his perfect 21-0 record when leading a tournament, no one can win all the time. Not even Tiger Woods. That's just common sense.

The perception is, Google's GBuy is going to give PayPal a serious run for its money.

The reality is, comparing GBuy to PayPal is like comparing apples to oranges. PayPal was created as a standalone company to make it easier to exchange money between individuals online.

Google, on the other hand, has a totally different agenda. The company's primary focus is to maximize advertising revenue generated by its incredibly popular search engine.

The perception is, reality tv shows are real. The reality is, they're about as real as wrestling.

Can you say scripted?

The perception is, high gas prices are the fault of the government, the oil industry and the war in Iraq.

The reality is, high gas prices are the fault of the American public.

Our gas consumption has risen by 45 percent over the last half-century. We consume 20 million barrels of oil a day.

But yet, despite the many various alternatives we have at our disposal, we simply will not stop driving our cars.

In closing, the next time you perceive something to be true, take a step back and examine the reality.

Dale King is the owner of the new Internet Marketing website,

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