In my psychology studies lately, I have learned a new term. (Hey, you knew it would happen one of these days, right? I've got all this knowledge that just HAS to pop out somewhere!)
You guessed it!
Per-cep-tu-al sal-i-ence.
Perception is a familiar word meaning the result of observation and the awareness of the surrounding environment, implying a quick, acute, intuitive cognition. Then there's that funny looking word, which after I looked it up, I discovered it is very similar to the word prominence. Salient means standing out conspicuously, protruding from a line, notable, prominent. Put together, it means the "seeming importance of information that is the focus of people's attention." (excerpt from my textbook, Social Psychology).
Simply put, we pay attention to what we see.
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| What do you see? |
Perhaps you have seen crime investigations on TV where the detective will ask an observer to close their eyes and think about what they saw, heard, and smelled. The detective understands that a witness probably noticed more than he realized was really going on. Our eyes can see so much more than the brain can process, so much of what goes on in our surroundings goes "unnoticed." We only process those things that we think have importance to us. So, we pay attention to what we see, and only see what we pay attention to.
Are you following?
About now, something clicked in my mind.
We live in a two dimensional world: the physical, and the spiritual. Yet I often forget and live as if life is all about the material- what I can see, hear, touch, and so forth. I forget that there's another world out there.
Why is it that I find it so hard to witness? Why do I worry when things "go wrong." Why is it that I am often so selfish with my time and finances?
Could it be that I've forgotten about the richer, deeper spiritual world? Maybe I should check my perceptual salience. If I saw people as desperate souls, without hope, headed for hell, I would want to tell them of the Jesus who can redeem them and give them hope. If I remembered that God is always in control, that His Story is what is important, and that He is guiding every aspect of my life, I wouldn't worry when life went differently than planned. If I understood that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, that my ultimate accountability is to Him, and that He will provide my needs, I would be a better steward of my resources.
So, I learned an important psychology term; but also an essential life concept. Look past the obvious. It's not just about what I see, but also what is beyond that I can't see.
It's about Jesus. Working in me. In you. In the world around us; that He might be glorified.
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