Observation and Interpretation

© 2013 Nicole Eifler

Interpretation vs. Observation

You probably know the old joke about the husband and the flowers:

A husband wants to show his wife that after so many years he still loves

her and brings her a bouquet of flowers. When his wife sees the flowers

she asks: "What did you do?"

What is happening in this scene is a classical example of interpretation. In this case

the wife makes her own interpretation of her husbandʼs behaviour and

misunderstands her husbandʼs intention.

Interpretation

Interpretations are probably the most common sources of misunderstandings. We

human beings have a need to attach meaning to anything around us--thus

interpreting behaviours of others. The meaning we attach comes from our

individualized perspective of looking at things, due to our education, our experience,

our cultural background, etc

When two people look at the same situation they see different things. The reality as

they perceive it is influenced by their individualized perspectives--each of them

constructs their own reality based on their individualized perspective.

Husband and wife are both participating in the same reality: He giving a

bouquet of flowers to her. The meaning that both of them attach to this

reality is based on their individualized perspectives. He sees it as an act

of love; she finds it suspicious. If the wife told her best friend about this

story she might reach a third conclusion: "He wants something from you."

Interpretations are important in our daily life because they make interaction fast. If a

friend asks me if I liked the concert and my answer is: "It was great." Then this will be

enough for him as the important thing for him is that I had a good time. But if it comes

to human relationships interpretations are potential risks. Just as the wife interpreted

her husbandʼs behaviour contrarily to his intention we may interpret a friendʼs / a

colleagueʼs /