Subjective prerequisites for the construction of an objective world

Starting with the assumption that perception is not merely a reaction to outside stimulation but a process of creation, although mostly brief and inaccessible to conscious retrieval, the present paper attempts to determine the prerequisites of a stable and secure accout of reality. The authors’ leading hypothesis is that a dependable end product of adaptive and constructive processes is contingent on open communication with its subjective/emotional origins. A number of experiments offer empirical support for such an assumption. These experiments also address problems associated with creative functioning, anxiety, and defensive strategies. The general conclusion of this survey is that how we conceive of the outside world is determined, not only by the terminal stages of adaptive and constructive processes but by the entire course of these events, including its subjective/emotional origins.