Perception and validity in security theories

Security theoreticians are preoccupied with questions about the nature of security and factors which make phenomena to be considered as security issues. To explain the nature of security and factors influential on it, different approaches have been proposed. One is the psychological approach which, emphasizing on the mental character of security and concentrating on the processes of perception in human mind, tries to explain human security behaviors. The endeavors of the proponents of this approach resulted in some theories of security. In this comparative study, using some of these theories, I will try to show how the mental character of security and the processes of human perception can explain security behaviors and the related decision-makings.