As we get older, our judgments of people form more of the basis for our interactions with them. This allows us to more comprehensively cooperate and organize in society, but it comes at profound cost. By the time we reach middle age, even a momentary unmediated perception of another is a rare and remarkable experience. 

We generally bring to our interface with others combination of a long-term aura, an unrelated to do list, a verbal decoder, and a probing of the subtext behind the language of words, gestures, tone, and other appearance. We choose who we interact with and how based on our conception of their identity and tendencies in relation to our objectives. This conception we iterate and add to, as though adding stones to a collective wall.

Children seem less burdened. They are still absorbing their surroundings directly. Since I have an infant, I have come to realize that this unmediated co-perception is available at will. It is an unfamiliar process lacking any specific objective, but I may theoretically see my daughter in the moment as she experiences the moment. Put another way, we can experience moments together without distraction.

The irony of the judgments is that, as projections, they most often perform self-limiting functions. Except for the social areas where we exercise authority over others, negative judgments have negligible effect on their subjects. The supposedly rude coworker continues to interrupt you at meetings. Donald Trump continues unperturbed. 

But judgments are at the same time weighty realities. The balance of that effect pulls inward. You will not dress in the manner of the 'sleezebag.' You refrain from interrupting others whenever possible, perhaps more than you would if you were allowed to speak. You feel pangs whenever you are 'lazy'. 

Another consequence of this theory is that prejudice is fundamental to interaction in most social situations.