Lets use this discussion to pause, reflect and connect some dots. All of us have biases and prejudices because of the way we perceive and process information from our environment. Perception, like the other concepts discussed in Part Two, are cognitive processes. In Psychology, it is the set of processes by which an individual becomes aware of and interprets information about the environment. That awareness begins as with self-awareness as an infant and continues throughout our life but is well developed by the time we are adolescents. Our brains become hard wired to see and understand the world through the teachings of others and our own experiences. Take gender roles as an example. I will bet you have heard; This is what men do; or This is what women do, which of course is categorizing. The intention is simply to help us understand where we fit in the social structure and the boundaries others expect us to recognize. We have each been conditioned to process feedback from our environment in ways that enable us to make sense of the world around us and our place in it. We observe certain core beliefs, values, perceptions, etc. being shared by groups: (men v women), (black v white), (Jew v Christian v Muslim), etc. And, we observe individuals seeking, finding and associating with others like them; others who think, feel, believe, value, perceive the world as we do. This gathering clustering and associating is as old as mankind.

We observe a lot of conflict in our society today and much of it can be summarized as a them versus us struggle, originating from perceptions. To prepare for this discussion, list 3-5 perceptions you have of yourself and 3-5 perceptions held by a group, of which you are a member. This is the inside group. Now consider someone you know who is not part of your group. List 3-5 perceptions that person has of themselves as an individual. Consider a group they belong to and list 3-5 perceptions that group has of their group. This is the outside group.

The table below is intended to help you organize your thoughts.

Your perception of yourself	Outsiders perception of themselves
Your reference groups perception of the group	Outsiders reference group perception of their group

Study your answers in the table. Consider the supplemental reading and your textbook. Summarize your observations and share something you learned about yourself from this exercise. How will you use this new understanding in the future?