Читать книгу Becoming an Invitational Leader - William W Purkey - Страница 10

The perceptual tradition is a way of understanding human behavior that takes into consideration all the ways in which we as humans are viewed, as well as how we view ourselves. The term perceptual refers not only to the senses but also to meanings — the personal significance of an event for the person experiencing it. These meanings extend far beyond sensory receptors to include such experiences as feelings, desires, aspirations, and hopes, as well as opinions about ourselves, others, and the world.

The starting point of the perceptual tradition is the assumption that we are conscious agents in the process of our own development. We experience, interpret, construct, decide, act, and are ultimately responsible for our actions. Behavior is understood as a product of the way we see ourselves and the situations in which we find ourselves. Each individual is seen as an architect in the construction of his or her own development.

There are many scholars from numerous disciplines who have contributed to the perceptual tradition, and we would be remiss not to at least give them a mention here. In the late nineteenth century, William James, who pioneered this tradition, as well as the use of “stream of consciousness” as an introspective tool, described consciousness as the “function of knowing.” Building his work, George Herbert Mead’s perspective on the social nature of perception employed the concepts of “I” (self as subject) and “me” (self as object). Together they were classed, among a handful of others, as premier American pragmatists of the time.

In their 1959 book, Art Combs and Donald Snygg asserted in their theory of motivation that “the basic need of everyone is to preserve and enhance the phenomenal self,” or one’s view of him- or herself. Expanding on their theory, Carl Rogers’ work in the ‘70s emphasized the human condition as being in a constant process of becoming. And more recently, Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory postulates that social behavior can be learned by observing others. The contributions of these and other scholars and researchers continue to enrich our understanding of the power of perception in human affairs.

The perceptual tradition stands in contrast to other approaches that seek to understand human behavior by depicting it as basically a complex bundle of stimuli and responses, the product of a host of unconscious urges, or the result of genetic predispositions. In the perceptual tradition, primary importance is given to how people see themselves, others, and the world. Because of this emphasis on understanding people as they normally see things, the perceptual tradition seems well-suited as a cornerstone for Invitational Leadership.

Three assumptions of the perceptual tradition have particular meaning for Invitational Leadership: behavior is determined by perceptions, perceptions are learned, and perceptions can be reflected upon and modified.