Security is no more just about safety, in the modern world- it is about priority! Security is indeed one of the most essential items today. When you are at office, you are worried about the security of your house.
Contrarily, when you are at home, you are worried about the safety of your workplace. Caught amidst this dilemma, all one desires for is mental peace and relaxation. And it is precisely this peace which comes with the modern day security systems. However, before you go out to purchase and install them, it is of extreme importance to understand the essential concepts associated with security.

The concept of perceived and real security can be better understood with the help of the following examples-
  • When you enter a public place, you are made to pass through a metal detector and a series of security checks. After this is accomplished, you realize that your handbag was not thoroughly checked but was roughly sifted through. So, is the case with everybody who enters the premises. In this instance, the perceived security level is high while the real security level is low!
  • On your computer, when a multiple amount of security systems begin to interfere with one another, you perceive that your PC is secure from any kind of virus attack, while the actual security situation is not so.

This clearly proves that most of the times what people perceive as being secure is not actually so. A few studies have revealed that perceived security primarily leads to actual security! Though the claims made by this study are controversial, nevertheless, an analysis of normal human behavioral patterns supports the study. For instance, if it is believed by people who are visiting a store that they are being monitored by surveillance cameras, they would automatically restrict themselves from any activity which poses a danger of their being caught!

The resultant situation would be almost as good as any actual security system! There is another advantage which perceived security scores over actual security. If a thief breaks the window of your car in order to steal it, he would run away when the alarm sounds. However, the window has already been broken! On the other hand, if you advertise or put up signs which warn thieves of security systems, they would prefer not to enter the area itself. The damage incurred by you is of course much more in case of actual security than perceived security!

Despite what settles in the psychology of man/woman as the security type, what is all the more important is the fact that security- to whichever type it belongs- safeguards not just your worthy valuables but also the way you live life!