Multiple Reality theory is a concept I have created to explain when multiple individuals receive the same stimulus from their environments but each individual perceives the stimulus differently.
We each live in one big reality created by the daily stimuli we experience called Earth's Reality (or Environment Reality). When we are in situations with other individuals we are all experiencing the same stimulus (sensory stimuli, stress, critical events). An overlap of each individual's reality (Person 1 and Person 2) is created when the individuals share a belief, emotional response, or are in agreement with the Earth's Reality. Individuals who do not overlap (Person 3) have perceived the stimulus in a way that causes them to lack the ability to connect and communicate to others experiencing Earth's Reality which could be due to suffering from a mental disorder that contains hallucinations, thought disorders, dissociation, or any other internal disturbance. Due to top-down processing and individual schemas, each individual perceives stimulus in a different way causing a slight miscommunication of Earth's Reality. It is important to remember, however, that overlapping individual realities each have a "truth" about Earth's Reality.
According to Sigmund Freud, the ego warps reality to protect itself using different types of defense mechanisms; the ego of an individual may also cause a disconnection between the overlapping of reality. This image is a simple example of the Multiple Reality theory, the person giving the compliment and the one receiving the compliment are experiencing the same situation in Earth's Reality but with different roles. Let's say the individual giving the compliment is being genuine while saying, "I like your shirt!". The person receiving the compliment has multiple ways to perceive the compliment and act upon them. If they perceive the compliment as sarcastic due to internal disturbances it will cause a miscommunication in Earth's Reality and may cause future conflict. Another example is when a loud noise is heard and is perceived as a gunshot by one person or just a large object dropping from a substantial height by another.
I am currently unaware if anyone has come up with a similar concept, however, I would like to share my theory. I will update this post in the future as I become more educated on Psychology and other concepts.
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