Perception
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Most of us have been conditioned to size up people on the basis of initial impressions, affecting how we perceive them in conflict situations. Language, assumptions, expectations and personal values often influence our perceptions. The following scenarios are intended to illustrate how we often make up our minds about people at first sight.

1. You are trying to resolve a conflict with someone who was born in another country, a person who speaks with a heavy accent. The person keeps smiling and nodding his head, and even begins to giggle at something you consider to be serious.
   As a disputant in the conflict, you decide:
   1. Your opponent is not very intelligent.
   2. You are not getting through to him.
   3. He's very happy and thinks the whole thing is silly.
   4. There is no way to get a solution.
      
      
2. You are in a conflict situation and somehow you never get to finish a sentence. You are constantly being interrupted and inundated with trivial questions or demands for more detail.
   In this situation, you assume:
   1. The interrupter is rude and thoughtless.
   2. The interrupter isn't listening – he or she just wants to talk.
   3. The interrupter is simply demonstrating commitment and interest.
   4. The interrupter is totally self-centered and not interested in what is going on.
      
      
3. You are in a conflict with a carefully-groomed person dressed in a pin-striped "power suit."
   You expect that:
   1. The person in the suit is trying to set up a power play.
   2. The person in the suit is in a position of power in the everyday world.
   3. The person in the suit is vain and cares more about his appearance than solving the problem.
   4. The person will make everyone else feel ill at ease.
   5. None of the above
   6. All of the above
      
      
4. You are in conflict with a person who is so unhappy and so dissatisfied in what he claims is the poor quality of a contracted service that he refuses to respond to any suggestion you make about talking things out. He switches to verbal attacks on you, gets excited, and raises his voice until it almost reaches the shouting stage.
   You decide to:
   1. Quickly stop the discussion so that more productive communication can occur.
   2. Switch the subject to one that is less volatile.
   3. Encourage him to modify his style.
   4. Stop the process and suggest taking a break of reconvening at a later time to permit clear communication and improved resolution opportunities.
      
      
5. My perceptions:
   1. are neither right nor wrong
   2. are derived from my life experience
   3. help me make sense of the world around me
   4. none of the above
   5. only A, B and C

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This page last reviewed May 21, 2003
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of the Director
Alternative Dispute Resolution and Conflict Prevention