Definition: Selective perception theory refers to how a person interprets information and perceives things in way that favors something over another based on your own personal desires, values, and beliefs. Therefore, a person ignores the perspectives of others and acts bias.
Apply: Selective perception theory is important to community development because it’s important to be unbiased while working within a community. Within a community there is often a diverse group of people in regard to race, religious affiliation, culture, sexual orientation, etc. Even if the community members themselves share similar backgrounds and beliefs, they may differ from your own personal backgrounds and beliefs. Therefore, it’s important to understand your own personal biases so you can be open to different perspectives. When you interact with community members with selective perception, you often will have a hard time building personal relationships with people because you hold certain labels or stereotypes that will limit your ability to connect and trust one another.
Adapt: Selective Perception is important to understand when it comes to interpersonal practice where you are working with clients who have been incarcerated. If a social worker had selective perception, they may view the client as less deserving of resources or services based on the crime they committed. However, if the social worker did not have selective perception, they could recognize and understand the ways in which societal forces impacted the client’s life and lead him or her to a life of crime.
Source: Sarah Mae Sincero (Aug 1, 2013). Selective Perception. Retrieved Oct 25, 2015 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/selective-perception
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