Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons continues to puzzle and anger critics years after her death because of the enigmatic nature of the series of prose poems. Although Stein’s style has been criticized in the century since she wrote Tender Buttons, I argue that the reader’s confusion is not a limitation, but a purpose, as it allows the reader to deconstruct their own schematic processing of information and knowledge. The psychological definition of schemas was developed by scientist Jean Piaget, as a category of information used to connect new information to existing knowledge to create meaning and memory. By deconstructing our schemas, Stein’s work allows the audience to see how our schemas are interpreted and mediated by others. By utilizing William James' ideas regarding sensation perception theory to consider how schemas are products of perception, I argue that schemas are truly indicators of cultural and political values, which are created by those in power.  Tender Buttons, at its core, reveals that our minds are not our own, but a carefully constructed cultural monitor. Although Stein’s work is a literary experiment, it is also a living psychological experiment in which each new reader acts as a new subject. The text tests to see if there is another option than social construction of the mind, or if we have a choice in how we build information networks in our own brains.