Beyond First Impressions

first impressionThe very first time we encounter a stranger, we derive an impression based on the person’s physical attributes and body language.  Then rapidly and without conscious or logical control, we form a judgment  – is the person positive, negative, or neutral?

The capacity to make snap judgments is probably essential to our survival.  Yet first impressions are notoriously unreliable and often prejudicial.  The real character of an individual is revealed over time – not in a single encounter, not in a single action, but in a moving pattern and embodied way of being.

To me the genius of Warren’s Lamb’s Movement Pattern Analysis has to do with its emphasis on discerning patterns of movement behavior.  Movement is so slippery, disappearing even as it occurs.  I think this is why most movement perception occurs below the level of conscious attention.  However, although it is ephemeral and slippery, movement occurs in patterns.  And if we take the time to pay conscious attention, we can detect these patterns and begin to make judgments that go much deeper than the first impression.

Want to find out more?  Join the Introduction to Movement Pattern Analysis course beginning in March.