what do you call the branch of psychology that explains how people perceive the world?

Question

What I'm trying to find is the scientific explanation for how people view the world based on their own personal experiences. For example. The glass with the water...is it half-full or half-empty? those who see it as half-full have a tendency of being positive and those who see it as half-empty have a tendency of having a negative outlook on life. Can this be scientifically/ psychologically backed up?

Answer 1

You're talking about temperament, and much recent research indicates it is inherited. Google "temperament" or "sanguine, choleric, melancholy, phlegmatic" and you'll find all kinds of interesting data.
Also, neuroscience in part examines this in a variety of ways, too much to go into on yahoo answers. Google "neuroscience cognition perception" and you'll find a wealth of studies.
Good luck.

Answer 2

What I think you're getting at is more philisophical - I think existentialist/experiential (or something like it) - where everyone views the same physical world as being different. The more psychological term for what you're looking at is personality theory. I use the word theory since everyone has a vague concept of what we're all looking at (thus the philisohpical part of it all).

Personality is defined as stable traits and tendencies of a person, such as being an optimist or being short-tempered. These traits obviously will have an effect on how a person views his or her world (which is physically same for everyone). Someone who views the half-full glass tends to have better outlook on life, and have been proven (pending on what research you look at) to have better and happier lives than those half-empty folks.

Personality is one of those things that are hard to simply prove or disprove, thus why it's often called theory. We can work with it.

Answer 3

I would have to say one single person perceiving the whole world based on their personal experience will be diagnosed as "schyzophrenic" at some point.

Scientifically/Psychologically its already proven that intolerance of others views is a clear sign of "bi-polar" disorder. Ultimately leading to a breakdown.

The person is entitled to his/her opinion, until it becomes an obsession. The result is destuctive and negative. The balance of chemicals within the body is what determines whether the glass is half full or half empty.

Answer 4

It sounds a lot like Aaron Beck's cognitive theory, which is used in therapy.
Here's a description from the Beck Institute:

Cognitive therapy is based on the cognitive model, which is, simply that the way we perceive situations influences how we feel emotionally. For example, one person reading this pamphlet might think, "Wow! This sounds good, it's just what I've always been looking for!" and feels happy. Another person reading this information might think, "Well, this sounds good but I don't think I can do it." This person feels sad and discouraged. So it is not a situation which directly affects how a person feels emotionally, but rather, his or her thoughts in that situation. When people are in distress, they often do not think clearly and their thoughts are distorted in some way. Cognitive therapy helps people to identify their distressing thoughts and to evaluate how realistic the thoughts are. Then they learn to change their distorted thinking. When they think more realistically, they feel better. The emphasis is also consistently on solving problems and initiating behavioral change.

Answer 5

Reason of percieving ! Regardless of adding to the fact of half, it is still half! The branch of psychology that will explain how people percieve this world can be nothing more or nothing less than the facts that are prevailant to the world !
"A Scholar of all the Scriptures" Scriptology

Answer 6

Personality psychologists, social psychologists, and to some extent clinical psychologists study this and related issues. People certainly do differ in their level of "dispositional optimism," and there is considerable research on this. There is also research on the concepts of "pessimism" and "learned helplessness." These would be places to start. Maybe look up the work of Martin Seligman.

Answer 7

Existential/phenomenological psychology. Also this includes Humanistic psychology which attempts to achieve empathy and another persons perception.

Answer 8

Sociology?

Answer 9

this question has sociological components in it, if you refer to people who analyses others perception, it has very little to do with science of mind, but more of how they use it society.

Answer 10

Qualia (google it)