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Improving Your Perception of Others

Explore empathy, world-mindedness, and perception-checking

Malcolm X is most remembered for his fiery rhetoric denouncing white racism and his rejection of nonviolent protest as a means for dealing with oppression. Less well known is the marked change in his perception and communication that occurred following his visit to Saudi Arabia. Malcolm traveled to Mecca for a traditional Muslim hajj, or pilgrimage. During his visit, he worshipped, ate, socialized, and slept in the same room with white Muslims. In doing so, he was shocked to discover that despite their differences in skin color, they all shared similar degrees of religious devotion. The experience was a revelation, and led him to reassess his long-standing belief in an unbridgeable racial divide between whites and blacks. As he explained in a letter home: “. . . on this pilgrimage, what I have seen and experienced has forced me to rearrange my thought-patterns and toss aside some of my previous conclusions” (Malcolm X, 1964).

Malcolm’s transformation suggests important lessons for everyone interested in improving his or her own perception and communication. He came to appreciate others’ perspectives and feel a strong emotional kinship with those he previously disparaged based on skin color. He accepted others’ beliefs as legitimate and deserving of respect. He also freely called into question his own perceptual accuracy by critically assessing his prior judgments and correcting those found to deviate from “the reality of life.” These changes reveal three ways we can improve our perception and interpersonal communication: offering empathy, embracing world-mindedness, and checking our perception.