Most of us live as if our perceptions and beliefs about ourselves and others are accurate representations of reality. But this is almost never the case. Reality is the ebb and flow of stimulation and must be apprehended by our senses and organized by our perception to be meaningful.  How this is happens depends on prior learning. Although many of us live in a world where we feel secure, enjoy comforts, have interesting experiences and even meaningful relationships, we are usually  missing more than we can imagine.