Is it about you or me? A theoretical and heuristic self-searching inquiry into person perception and interpersonal knowing

This exploratory, qualitative inquiry is anchored academically in the social psychological construct of person perception and further contextualized by transformative learning theory. The study considers the influential possibilities of human subjectivity, particularly as resourced by emotion, on the characterizations people develop of each other.;A core contention of this study is that people typically function in interpersonal domains on the automatic and unexamined assumption that what they see and feel about others accurately corresponds with and reflects qualities and traits of those others. The literature review affirms the possibility that factors other than traits of the target of perception have dynamic impact on individuals' perceptions and subsequent representations of each other (factors such as perceiver emotion).;This connection of subjectivity and perception suggests that people's determinations about each other may be subject to variability or inconsistency. In the social/interpersonal realm, communication and action choices are based on the impressions people form of each other. The possibility of subjectively developed impression formation outcomes could have a significant impact on those choices. Seemingly, social functioning might be enhanced if people learned to recognize the existence of their assumptions and maintained a continual curiosity about the credibility of their interpersonal perceptions.;An assertion of this study, then, is that interpersonal interaction is potentially more effective when people reflexively consider their own perceptive and interpretive dynamics, giving particular attention to their emotional reactions. This dissertation offers a conceptual discussion and model of a suggested mechanism to facilitate such reflexive considerations: emotionally-introspective interpersonal awareness.;The research strategy of Heuristic Self-Searching Inquiry (HSSI) is implemented to explore this researcher's relationship with the phenomenon of emotionally reactive interpersonal evaluations. This provides a real application of the process of emotionally-introspective interpersonal awareness and explores the implicit agenda for the study. The self-searching experience is shared through journal entries and self-reflective segments, which are also reviewed and qualitatively analyzed.;The creative culmination of this study manifests in development of a Personal Recovery Program and an educational Learning Experience. Both facilitate development of capacities and skills necessary for practicing emotionally-introspective interpersonal awareness.