Interpretation: Function, Tasks, Role & Diseases

Interpretation as part of perception is a cognitive performance. Interpretation is closely related to the other cognitive abilities of observation and judgment. People observe a situation, interpret the facts, and then form a judgment.

What is interpretation?

Interpretation is closely related to the other cognitive abilities of observing and judging. The term interpretation goes back to the Latin language and means “translation”, “interpretation”, “explanation”. It is the cognitive ability of understanding, perceiving, and subjective interpretation. Humans depend on constantly observing, interpreting, and judging in order to navigate the environment, communicate with those around them, and respond accordingly. People without mental and cognitive disorders are proficient in all three modes, which are closely related in many life situations. It is quite conceivable that a person who hallucinates does not observe a situation correctly, consequently misinterprets it, and in the final step arrives at an erroneous judgment.

Function and task

An interpretation is always a cognitive performance by which perception is classified. It is thus a mental ability. Only on the basis of observations are people able to interpret facts and reach a judgment. Particularly in the case of socially sensitive topics such as politics or religion, the exchange of opinions can become very lively, because everyone interprets these topics differently. The person who finds interlocutors who share his or her opinion is in a pleasant situation, because communication is less difficult. In the case of different interpretations, a disagreement quickly reaches dissent. In this situation, it becomes clear that each participant in the conversation interprets and evaluates the observations he has made on the subject differently. Since this is a subjective sensory performance, most people assume that they themselves are in the right. They see their view of things as true and assume that others have observed, interpreted, and judged the facts incorrectly. There is no conscious separation of the three modes of observing, interpreting and judging; they merge smoothly. In order to reach a consensus, it is important that all participants have the same information. For example, if a man accuses his wife of no longer loving him but does not tell her why he thinks so, she cannot respond appropriately to his accusation because she does not know the reason for his assumption. The man saw the woman the day before in the company of an unknown man in a restaurant and observed that the two were very familiar with each other. Based on this observation, he has interpreted the situation to mean that his wife is cheating on him with the other man and believes that she no longer loves him. To resolve her husband’s interpretation, the wife needs to ask why her husband thinks this way. If she has the relevant information, she can clarify the situation. Her husband knows that he has misinterpreted the situation he observed and has therefore come to the wrong conclusion. Problem solving can be very simple based on a mind-set reaction. However, it often happens that people get angry at the interpretation and opinion of those around them and get into an argument too quickly. However, there are also things which cannot be the subject of an interpretation because they are fixed facts. 1 + 1 always adds up to 2. According to case law, it is forbidden to steal from one’s fellow man. Those who do not comply are threatened with legal sanctions such as a fine or imprisonment. The dissident cannot claim to have interpreted this law differently and therefore to have acted lawfully. On the other hand, works of art, for example, are to a large extent open to interpretation. Every person interprets the picture of a painter and his statement differently, it is a subjective feeling.

Diseases and ailments

People who suffer from disturbed sensory perception cannot process external sensory impressions properly in the central nervous system.A disorder exists when the connection of the individual sensory systems is restricted or no longer functions. The affected people are no longer able to orient themselves correctly in their environment and to communicate with their fellow human beings. If a person suffers from perceptual disorders, he or she has only a limited ability to observe, interpret and judge facts correctly and to behave appropriately. Perceptual errors can occur due to a physical or mental illness, such as dementia, depression, headaches or fatigue, but also due to the social environment that expects certain patterns of behavior. If a person stands out due to deviant behavior because he or she interprets an issue differently than expected by his or her social environment, he or she usually stands out negatively. The individual interpretation, however, is only one of several possible interpretations that follow an observation. On the other hand, those who always regard their own interpretation as the one true one often cause disputes with their fellow human beings. The realization that perceptions can also be interpreted in other ways puts people in a position to comprehend and accept divergent opinions.