Sociologists generally accept that reality is different for each individual. The term social construction of reality refers to the
theory that the way we present ourselves to other people is shaped partly by our interactions with others, as well as by our life experiences
.
Social constructionism observes how
the interactions of individuals with their society and the world around them gives meaning to otherwise worthless things
and creates the reality of the society.
3 stages of construction.
Externalization, Objectification, & Internalization
. Through interaction, people create a meaning.
| Cover of the first edition | Authors Peter L. Berger Thomas Luckmann | LC Class BD175 .B4 1990 |
|---|
For example,
your school exists as a school
and not just as a building because you and others agree that it is a school. If your school is older than you are, it was created by the agreement of others before you. In a sense, it exists by consensus, both prior and current.
Think of
cocktail parties, football games, bar mitzvahs, political rallies, and even nations
. These are all social realities.
What is symbolic reality?
Therefore, symbolic reality (mathematics and physics)
articulates (conserves, and preserves) a circle
. Meaning, pi is the only observer (pi controls reality) (a hidden 50–50 balances nature). Symbolic (physical) reality. Conservation of the circle is the core dynamic in nature.
Why do we construct reality?
In order to tell the story of your life, your brain needs to conjure up a world for you to live inside, with all its colors and movements and objects and sounds. Just
as characters in fiction exist in a reality that’s been actively created
, so do we.
The main criticisms levelled against social constructionism can be summarised by its perceived conceptualisation of realism and relativism. It is
accused of being anti-realist
, in denying that knowledge is a direct perception of reality (Craib 1997).
Social constructionists believe that
things that are generally viewed as natural or normal in society
, such as understandings of gender, race, class, and disability, are socially constructed, and consequently aren’t an accurate reflection of reality.
Reality is not an objective thing that is imposed upon us, but is created by us. Reality does not exist externally but internally, as each individual or group interprets it, and is always changing. The “social construction of reality”, human social behavior and W. I. …
formal. :
an idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society Class distinctions
are a social construct.
Social stratification refers to
a ranking of people or groups of people within a society
. But the term was defined by the earliest sociologists as something more than the almost universal inequalities that exist in all but the least complex of societies.
Social reality does require social acts,
namely interactions of a certain kind among individuals
. But social acts are essentially different from individual intentional acts and personal experiences, in that they always involve more than one subject.
Such social realities can
dictate how we view the world around us
and, in turn, influence our choices and decisions. Given the importance of social realities, John and Ken discuss how is it possible for humans to bring such things into being simply through agreeing that they exist.
