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“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” 

This popular quote from Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ highlights the idea that we all experience the world differently and therefore the ability to really understand someone or their perspective requires us to consider what life is like from their point of view.

In Psychology we refer to this as person perception. Person perception refers to how we perceive, interpret, analyse and make judgements of other people. This experience is different for everyone and can be influenced by numerous factors. In Unit 2 Psychology, students study the different factors that influence person perception from environmental factors such as the culture we are raised in as well as the ‘short cuts’ that our brains make to effectively deal with the enormous amount of stimulus we are confronted with each day. These ‘short cuts’ are referred to as our cognitive bias. Cognitive bias can often be responsible for making errors in our judgements and can lead to the forming of harmful stereotypes and stigma.

A learning thread which is embedded into the teaching practice at MECS is to encourage students to live out of the biblical story by being community builders. One of our deep hopes is that students will contribute to building communities that foster healthy relationships, a sense of belonging and where all can benefit and thrive. Being aware of the elements that impact person perception and being able to reflect on our own bias, increases our ability to ‘climb into someone’s skin’ and faithfully reflect God’s desire for loving communities. 

Shannon Jenkins

Secondary Teacher