Apperception
 

Henry I have a very bright and capable lady who supports me in my office practice, book keeping and generally keeps me out of trouble. Bonnie today asked me what "apperception" means. I thought I knew but the more I thought the less I was certain. I suggeted that I felt it referred to the conclusions that flow from the life style based on a particular perception of an experience(s). I think it is a technical term from Adler and no dictionary I had at the office contained this word. If I do not know perhaps there are others like me who have not had a "Bonnie" ask such a good question.
Thanks and I look forward to restarting training with you as my first golf season winds down in the fall. Hard game to start as I approach 70.
Thanks,

Re: Apperception
 

George,

An online dictionary definition of apperception is: "The process whereby perceived qualities of an object are related to past experience."

The Thematic Apperception Test is: "A projective test in which the subject interprets a series of drawings of relatively ambiguous life situations."

Adler's use of the "antithetical scheme of apperception" reflects the individual's repetitive way of thinking and feeling about signficiant people and events that supports the limited perspective of his goal and private logic. An example whould be a client who sharply divides experiences with women into intense emotional pain or massive sexual pleasure, avoiding the range of simple, positive feeling connections.

Antithetical apperception reduces reality to a simplified, "either--or" choice, permitting quick, emotion-laden choices that keep an individual moving toward an unconscious, fictional final goal and away from an imagined, dreaded feeling of inferiority.

I too am looking forward to resuming our weekly telephone discussions. If you think golf is hard to start at 70, its no easier keeping up with Chen Style Tai Chi at 74.

Henry

Re: Apperception
 

That now is clear. Adler was such a good thinker and so precise. Many thanks.

Re: Apperception
 

Henry how about clarifying "tendentious" for us also. Your last reply was very helpful. This one I think means that all interpretation of a perception is biased by prior experience and interpreted through it???

Re: Apperception
 

George, you are on the right track. A small refinement would be the recognition that the individual's biased perspective is rooted in a picture of the world that he arrived at very early in life. Anthony Bruck refered to tendentious apperception as "the tendency of people to see themselves, others, or events and situations--not as they really are but as they imagine them to be."

Re: Apperception
 

I really like Bruck's definition. Again very helpful. Thank you.