our people assessments

we do it all the time, whether we are conscious of it or not... we study people, we look at them intently, we re-look at the interaction we have had, we keep on revisiting the experience and on the basis of all these, we draw an image of the person in question; we also tailor our expectations of people -- how they will behave with us, how they will react in a particular situation, how they will deal with life in general... based on the assessment that we have made...
and many a times, we are correct in the way we have formed our opinion of the world around us. so we feel, life really rocks.
but what we forget to factor in all of these is: the person(s) we have assessed is not a static entity, s/he has a mind that is also working over-time, moulded by all the experiences that s/he is having on a continuous basis. so what we assessed on day x, may not hold true on day y
so some other time, we feel that we have goofed up on our assessments and are shocked by the way people (whom we have formed opinions about) act, react or behave.
the shock, however, comes only in the first instance of the new behaviour pattern... and as we lick the wounds of the shock, mind you, the bugger inside, already starts work in re-sketching the opinion and re-setting the parameters so that we have an easier time dealing with the person in question, the next time on.in the midst of all this, we also need to factor in another variable: while we assess, we are also being continually opined on... and the person's reaction to us, whether pleasing or shocking to us, has also been coloured by the way s/he has assessed us...
so next time you face a jab (silent or vocal), remember to count in all these in your mind...
well, have i told myself all this????????????