Originally Posted by
Bluebird
How I personally see it is that, when first meeting a stranger, many things can be pulled together to get a picture of how a person is. I can see this picture from a distance, but I don't know why that certain picture was formed. I'll make note of what they are wearing, even if I won't likely remember it later, not really focusing on the details of what they are wearing, rather what kind of persona they are trying to exude through that (like bohemian, conservative, business attire). I'll make note of how they treat others (are they friendly and nice, insecure, rude, arrogant? etc), I'll make note of where I'm seeing them (the grocery store, coffee shop, library), what they are doing(shopping, reading, instructing, working), what kind of people they are with, or if they are alone. I'll try to guess at what they might like or what they want to be thought of as like, by their persona or what they are doing...anyway I could go on. Even if people do not think they are giving clues to how they are, they always are. Even if what they are trying to exude is a facade, the reason for putting on a facade is important, and even that says something about a person.
I think capturing someone's essence at first is easy, but learning more about a person gives more understanding of that essence. The essence of a person doesn't change, imo, but experiences can draw out bad or good potential from that essence, which previously could have been lingering at the depths, rearing it's ugly head in due time, or surprising others by goodness (think Bruce Wayne's public personal, lol)
Also, when someone shifts, or starts doing something out of the ordinary than what they usually do, or I feel someone starts distancing themselves away from me, I think something probably caused that. And then I start thinking back and imagining scenarios, when the behavioral change started, what I could have possibly done, did I say something wrong?...etc.