Perspective

A perspective is an individual’s way of interpreting experiences and mentally organizing them shaping her/his perception of self, other individuals, and the world. Within the individual’s mind, it is an integral part of the higher mental activities of reasoning, decision making, and the control of emotions. A perspective is the result of interplay of experiences, culture, and personality. These factors determine the individual’s cognitive schema and the mental hierarchy of meaning. For instance, failure and an opportunity for growth are contextualized differently in a similar setback. While therapy offers cognitive reframing to help individuals shift perspectives that block healthy emotional responses, the interplay of emotional control, reasoning, and decision making can help an individual reframe situations in a way that is congruent to the goals of the individual. Furthermore, perspective-taking are the cognitive component of empathy and the other component of social interaction. A flexible perspective is the psychological component of enriched problem solving, psychological conflict, and well-being.