Introduction - Perception

Individuals behave in a given manner based not on the way their external environment actually, is but, rather, on what they see or believe it to be. A supervisor may try to help his subordinates to achieve their target by advising and suggesting solutions. An employee may believe the supervisor is controlling and interfering. As a result of that, the employee may continuously try to avoid the boss. The same boss may be perceived as a „father figure‟ to another employee for his helping attitude. As a result of that, the specific employee may acknowledge the supervisor and seeks his guidance. These two employee‟s perception about the supervisor that becomes the basis for their different behavior. Perception can be defined as a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. Since people's behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself?

Individuals differ in their perceptions with regard to people and inanimate objects. An individual makes inferences about the actions of people not the same way as they do for inanimate objects. Non-living objects are subject to the laws of nature. People have beliefs, motives, or intentions. Therefore, an individual‟s perception and judgment of another person‟s actions are influenced by these assumptions.