Sociocultural Factors that Influence Perception
Sociocultural factors have been studied, especially with teenagers and adolescents in most countries. These factors often have a significant influence on how we perceive many things in our daily lives. With the current technology, we learn different cultural and intercultural practices and adapt from them. This research seeks to find out how these sociocultural practices may influence our perception today.
Body image constitutes personal constructions and public view of our body and parts of the body, often in attempted similarities with parameters of ‘beauty’ established in sociocultural or non-personal contexts. These things bring out our personality and influence our perception, emotions, and physical sensations of our bodies concerning values that are not necessarily innate but learned or expected culturally (Baroso et al., 2010).
Even with globalization, society still maintains varied concepts on the notion of body image. These notions have health consequences for teenagers and adolescents. However, the teenage girls have a different understanding of these ideas and their demand today. Every community has distinct cultural differences that need to be widely conversed with for a better and more in-depth understanding of the concept of body image (Ritchie et al., 2005:74).
Interaction between people of different ethnic groups also plays a big part in influencing and shaping our perception in the world today. Through interaction, we learn different lifestyles, habits like eating. For instance, reduced levels of body exercise and bad eating habits can predispose one to diseases related to the lifestyle we choose like diabetes or even cancer (Boyington and Josephine, 2008:294). What people say also influences our perception; our friends’ opinions can change our feelings, sometimes for better or worse. The community’s view of us also affects shaping our conceptions and consequently, our perception.
In conclusion, our perception is widely influenced by various life experiences we get when interacting and exchanging ideas with different cultural groups. Through this, we learn new ideas and get a further understanding of life itself.
References
Barroso, C.S., R.J. Peters, R.J. Johnson, S.H. Kelder, and T. Jefferson (2010). Beliefs and perceived norms concerning body image among African American and Latino teenagers. Journal of Health Psychology, 15(6): 858-870.
Boyington, Y. and Josephine, E. A., 2008. Cultural Attitudes toward Weight, Diet, and Physical Activity among Overweight African American Girls. Preventing Chronic Disease, 2:1-9.
Ritchie, L.D., G. Welk, and D. Styne, 2005.Family Environment and Pediatric Overweight: What is a Parent to do? American Diet Association, 105(1):570-579.