Abstract
Thinking is a process done daily. During this process, certain activities go through the mind. For instance, when trying out a new recipe, certain thought processes occur in the mind of an individual (Haslam, 2010). For instance, he or she would be thinking if the proportions of the ingredients are correct, whether the meal would be as tasty as it sounds or even if the family would love the recipe. These are some of the factors that lead to the features, which affect the process of thinking and making decisions.
Introduction
With thinking, the issue of perception comes. This involves the argument outside the normal thought of an individual (Kirby and Goodpaster, 2007). The medium is the representation of the mental state of thought. The medium gives the features of the real thing through a clear, vivid, and real details of the things perceived by the mind. The process of thinking can change instantly, according to an individual’s emotions (Haslam, 2010). Various emotions affect behavior, the recollection of events, and their verbal or writing tone. For instance, when someone is in a peaceful state of mind, he or she enjoys what he or she is doing and feels confident about it. However, in instances where a person has doubts or is stressed up, then whatever he or she is doing will not be done accordingly. This, therefore, means that our emotions influence the way we think.
Nature of Thought
The process of sensing begins with the conversion of environmental stimuli, which then leads to the occurrence of sense. This then transforms into a signal stream and data. Antennas support the mechanisms of sense. After that, the next process is the withdrawal of signals. For instance, in case of danger, the signal could be either to run or to scream. Thereafter, the stimulus is evaluated by coming with the nature of the danger. Human beings use ears, nose, and eyes to aid their sensing process (Kirby and Goodpaster, 2007).
Memory is the capability of remembering the past, which was learned or from the experience of the past (Pugh et al 2002). Memory involves various processes and they include recognizing, recall, learning, and the ability to retain information. These processes are because of changes in chemicals in the areas of the brain that are found between the hippocampus and neurons (Paul and Elder, 2006).
In life, human beings normally go through a lot of misrepresentations and conflicts, because of making decisions and judgments based on their perceptions. One of the instances that I went through was when I had just joined my new school. I quickly made friends because I was always being generous and helpful during class times. Two friends had become close. I was used to the habit of sharing everything that I had with them. I expected the same in return. This is because it was something that I had learned from my family, in that you should return a good deed with a good deed. One day, I found my friends giggling and they suddenly went quiet when I approached them. They did not want to tell me what was going on. Later on, I realized that they were talking about a class assignment that I did not know about, and was due on that day. I did not know the assignment because I had missed school for three days. I also learned that they were making fun of my generosity.
I thought that since we were good friends, they would also do well, just as I have been doing so. When I learned about what they were up to, I did not say a word to anyone for almost an hour. I was still processing the betrayal that I had just discovered from my close friends. Later on, I became very angry and decided to confront them. However, I could not do so, instead, I never spoke to them again. What I was feeling at that time of truth could not be expressed using any word. No word could explain how I felt. After evaluating the situation again, I learned that I had trusted people too much, and was wrong to think that we all had the same thought process, in that a good deed deserves a good reciprocation of the same. There is a relationship between logic and perception, in that the meaning of logic and process converts to the process of thinking (Pugh et al 2002). This assists a person to make sound decisions after thinking about the situation critically. The incident that I experienced showed that perception is not what exists in reality, and that thinking is always influenced by logic.
Perceptual blocks are those aspects in life that interfere with the perception of a situation (Paul and Elder, 2006). Some of the blocks that influence my views include emotions, culture, environment, and expression.
The thought is an action that occurs in the mind, and its main aim is to come up with the truth (Haslam, 2010). In the event of establishing the truth, certain activities need to be performed. In the event of looking for truth, what occurs in the mind is thinking. Thinking is a resolute reflection on the judgment and beliefs of an individual. The process of thinking involves analyzing, evaluating, explaining, and metacognition. Perceptual barriers influence thought when a person restricts himself or herself to unnecessary limits. For instance, a traditional builder may follow the rules of building to the latter, whereas, one who has not limited his thinking, will look for new and better ways to construct.
Conclusion
From the experience that I went through, it is clear that the perceptual process influenced the decisions and choices that I made later on. I decided that I would no longer be generous since it does not pay to do so. This decision occurred after a logical process, which brought about the realization that perception may or may not be a reality.
References
Haslam, J (2010). On the nature of Thought: or the Act of Thinking and Its Connection with a Perspicuous Sentence. New York: Kessinger Publishing.
Kirby, G.R., & Goodpaster, J.R. (2007). Thinking: an interdisciplinary Approach to Critical Thinking. NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of your Learning and Life. NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Pugh, S.L., Hicks, J.W., & Davis, M. (2002). Metaphorical ways of Knowing: the Imaginative Nature of Thought and Expression. Urbana, III: National Council of Teachers of English.