Briefly, social construction (SC) assumes that people construct
(i.e., create, make, invent) their understandings of the world and the meanings they give to encounters with others, or various products they or others create
; SC also assumes that they do this jointly, in coordination with others, rather than individually …
Social constructionism is a general term sometimes
applied to theories that emphasize the socially created nature of social life
. … For Berger and Luckmann, the basic features of social order are captured in the principle that ‘Society is a human product. Society is an objective reality.
Social constructionism is a
theory of knowledge that holds that characteristics typically thought to be immutable and solely biological
—such as gender, race, class, ability, and sexuality—are products of human definition and interpretation shaped by cultural and historical contexts (Subramaniam 2010).
Simply put, social constructs do not have inherent meaning. The only meaning they have is the meaning given to them by people. For example, the idea that
pink is for girls and blue is for boys
is an example of a social construct related to gender and the color of items.
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.
A major focus of social constructionism is
to uncover the ways in which individuals and groups participate in the construction of their perceived social reality
. It involves looking at the ways social phenomena are developed, institutionalized, known, and made into tradition by humans.
Social structure
guides people’s behaviors
. A person’s location in the social structure (his or her social class, social status, the roles he or she plays, and the culture, groups, and social institutions to which he or she belongs) underlies his or her perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors.
- Government.
- Race. “Race is not biological…
- Gender.
- Femininity/Masculinity.
- Illness.
- Marriage.
- Family.
- Organized Religions.
Happiness is a social construct:
an abstract state of satisfaction made by modern society for
us to buy things and services (as brilliantly illustrated in this short by Steve Cutts).
| gender role cultural norm | femininity gender norm | masculinity tradition |
|---|
3 stages of construction.
Externalization, Objectification, & Internalization
. Through interaction, people create a meaning.
(Berger and Luckmann 1966) Three principles underpin social constructionism: (1) our beliefs about reality are created through social interactions;
(2) social institutions and persons are created through social interactions
; and, (3) our beliefs about reality, which are constructed through social interaction, play an …
Social reality is distinct from biological reality or individual cognitive reality, representing as it does a phenomenological level created through
social interaction
and thereby transcending individual motives and actions.
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).
While cultural definitions of family may be based on blood, marriage, or legal ties, “
families” are socially constructed
and can include cohabitation and other culturally recognized social bonds such as fostering, nurturing, or economic ties. … Sociology also studies how family relationships affect members and society.
Social constructionism is
the notion that people’s understanding of reality is partially, if not entirely, socially situated
. Gender is a social identity that needs to be contextualized. Individuals internalize social expectations for gender norms and behave accordingly.
