Public Relations: Insights from the Psychology of Perception

Summary

Debates about the definition and scope of public relations are still, at this stage in the development of public relations practice, unresolved. One view of public relations is that it is concerned with the presentation of images of organisations to important publics, and with the management of reputation, which involves close control of images presented to the world and checks that Performance supports them. One major UK consultancy, Countrywide Communications Limited, for example, goes as far as to put the definition -“the management of reputation” -on its Company stationery, as a reminder to themselves and to clients that this is their view of public relations.

Concern for images presented in the course of public relations practice raises questions about how these images are perceived by the audiences and publics to whom they are presented. How do individuals perceive and make sense of information presented to them by organisations and other social entities? Can a consideration of the psychology of social perception add to our understanding of public relations?

This presentation looks to the psychology of perception for insights relevant to the practice and management of public relations. It considers how individuals perceive, and make use of information from, the social world of which they are part. It argues that individuals actively develop their perception of the world, and that any Organisation seeking to present images of itself must take into account what individuals will do with such information, in the act of perception.

Active rather than passive perception means that organisations have to be prepared to enter into a relationship and dialogue with recipients of information from organisations. It also means that a two-way Symmetric approach to communication between organisations and their publics is required, because of the way individuals perceive information from organisations.

The second part of the presentation considers an analogy between the way individuals perceive information about the social world, and the way organisations perceive the same information. In organisations, the task of perception is divided among some or many individuals. Just as individuals use information in the act of perception, so too do organisations. The ways in which organisations use, or fail to use information, in the act of pereeiving the external world have implications for the practice and management of public relations, which are explored in the final part of the presentation.

In summary, the presentation draws insights from a consideration of the psychology of perception relevant to public relations. Perception is an active rather than passive process, and public relations practice needs to take account of this. Because perception is active, public relations practice should seek to involve publics in a relationship with the Organisation presenting information, rather than present information in the expectation that it will be absorbed passively. The nature of perception argues for two way symmetrical approaches to practice and against approaches which assume uncritical absorption of information from organisations.

The final part of the presentation looks at perception by organisations to draw out implications for public relations management.