Reality is a subjective interpretation of events, people, the environment and an individual's position within it. An event in itself is objective, but those who experience it may have radically different viewpoints on what transpired. The same applies to objects and symbols. The stars and stripes of the United States or the Union Jack of the United Kingdom will be interpreted differently depending on the country of the individual. Viewed objectively, they are merely the collective symbols and colors which compose a national flag. Perception bestows significance on sensory stimuli and dictates individual responses.
Perception begins with selection. Mind and body combine to control what stimuli are selected. The process is controlled by internal and external factors. Research proves that the first stimulus is the strangeness of a person or event. Repeat exposure to a person, situation or object will also establish its selection for perception. The degree of intensity in an individual or event dictates the appeal for selection. Perception can be engaged by a positive or negative trait in another person. Perception of a person often concentrates on an isolated and exaggerated aspect selected by the viewer in an attempt to stereotype the perceived.
Once the raw material is selected, it must be categorized. This is called organization. The process is designed to order the received stimuli into recognizable patterns which are easily understandable to the self. Without difference, there is no meaning. The human brain excels at comparing and contrasting fresh information to what it has received in the past. Raw perception material is filed into categories. The viewer's past experiences and patterns of belief all have a bearing on how to interpret what has been selected and organized.
Except in very rare, inquiring and highly scientific minds, interpretation is subjective. Interpretation evaluates and bestows meaning upon people and events. It is not a fixed process, but interchangeable and in a constant state of flux. New experiences, events and freshly acquired knowledge, alongside psychological and personality factors can radically change past interpretations of perception. Without this ability, all human development and growth would remain stunted.