A Summary of ‘An Introduction to Social Constructionism’ by Vivien Burr
Preface
“An Introduction to Social Constructionism” by Vivien Burr is an engaging exploration of a fascinating and influential approach to understanding human beings and their social interactions. Social constructionism is not just an abstract theory; it’s a way of looking at the world that has profound implications for psychology, sociology, and other social sciences. In this book, Burr takes readers on a journey through the core ideas and principles that underpin social constructionism, offering a fresh perspective on how we construct our knowledge, our identities, and our social reality.
This book provides a clear and accessible introduction to the main tenets of social constructionism, helping readers understand its key principles and how it differs from traditional psychological and sociological approaches. Burr skillfully breaks down complex concepts, offering simpler explanations and real-life examples to make the material more approachable.
As we delve into this summary of Vivien Burr’s work, we’ll explore the historical and sociological roots of social constructionism, discovering the influences that shaped this approach over time. By tracing the origins of this perspective, we gain a deeper understanding of how it has become a valuable tool in modern psychology.
The book summary also addresses fundamental questions that underlie social constructionism, such as the nature of knowledge, the role of language, and the dynamic interplay between individuals and society. We’ll explore how these questions have been integral to the evolution of social constructionism and how this approach challenges traditional notions of reality, truth, and objectivity.
Moreover, we will examine the core tenets that set social constructionism apart from traditional psychology. These include anti-essentialism, anti-realism, historical and cultural specificity of knowledge, language as a precondition for thought, language as a form of social action, a focus on social practices, and an emphasis on processes over structures. By understanding these principles, readers can appreciate the fundamental differences between social constructionism and traditional psychological frameworks.
By the end of this summary, you’ll have a clearer picture of what social constructionism is, where it came from, and how it challenges established ideas about human behavior and society. Vivien Burr’s “An Introduction to Social Constructionism” opens the door to a thought-provoking and transformative approach to the social sciences, inviting readers to think differently about the way we understand and interact with the world around us.
What is social constructionism?
Social constructionism is a way of looking at how we understand and study human beings in the social sciences. It’s like a new perspective that has been emerging in psychology and other social science fields in the last few years.
This perspective challenges traditional ways of thinking and studying people and focuses on ideas like “critical psychology,” “discourse analysis,” and “poststructuralism.” all of these share some common elements, which we call social constructionism.
Social constructionism is about seeing how our ideas about people and the world are shaped by the way we talk about them and how we study them. It’s a critical and different approach to understanding humans and human behavior in the social sciences.
In this book, the author explains what social constructionism is, where it comes from, and why it’s important. They also talked about the major questions and issues that social constructionism raises, and they’ll tell you which chapters of the book will explore these ideas.
Is There a Definition of Social Constructionism?
There’s no one-size-fits-all definition of social constructionism because it’s more like a family of ideas that have some common traits but aren’t exactly the same. Think of it like a family with different members who share certain features but not everything.
So, social constructionism is a bit like that family. Different writers and thinkers might have their own unique takes on it, but they generally share a few key ideas that mark them as part of this family. These key ideas include things like:
· Emphasizing the role of language: Social constructionists believe that the way we talk about things is crucial in shaping our understanding of them.
· Questioning what’s considered “normal” or “true”: They challenge common assumptions about what’s considered normal or real in society.
· Recognizing that our understanding of the world is shaped by our social interactions: They believe that how we interact with others affects our beliefs and views.
These are some of the fundamental beliefs that someone would typically hold if they were a social constructionist. But remember, not all social constructionists will agree on every detail; it’s a diverse family of ideas.
Consider the following arguments as “things you would have to believe in order to be a social constructionist”:
1. A critical stance towards taken-for-granted knowledge: social constructionism asks us to be critical of the things we usually take for granted about how we understand the world, including ourselves. It challenges the idea that what we observe in the world is the objective and unbiased truth.
This perspective is against the traditional scientific view that says we can know the true nature of the world just by observing it. Social constructionism reminds us to question our assumptions about how the world seems to be. For example, just because we label some music as “classical” and some as “pop,” it doesn’t mean that music naturally falls into those categories. It also raises more radical questions, like whether the categories of “men” and “women” are just made up by society, rather than being natural distinctions.
So, being a social constructionist means looking at the world with a critical eye and realizing that what we think is true might not be as clear-cut as it seems. It’s about questioning and examining the categories and labels we use to understand the world.
2. Historical and cultural specificity: the way we understand the world and the categories we use to make sense of it depend on where and when we live. What seems normal or natural can change over time and across cultures. For example, the idea of childhood and how children should be treated has evolved a lot. In the past, children were seen more like miniature adults, and the concept of children as innocent beings needing protection is relatively recent.
This means that all our ways of understanding things are connected to specific cultures and time periods. They are products of the culture and history they belong to and are influenced by the social and economic conditions of that time and place. So, we should remember that our way of seeing the world isn’t necessarily better or truer than how others see it; it’s just one of many perspectives.
3. Knowledge is created through social interactions: This means that what we consider to be “true” or our common ways of understanding the world aren’t just facts we discover. Instead, they are shaped by how we interact with others in our everyday lives, especially through language. So, what we believe to be true is more about the way we talk and interact with each other than about an objective reality.
4. Knowledge and actions are linked: Different ways of understanding the world lead to different actions. For example, how we view people who drink alcohol can influence our actions toward them. If we see them as responsible for their behavior, we might punish them, like imprisonment. But if we see alcoholism as an illness, we might offer them medical and psychological help instead. So, the way we describe or construct the world influences how we behave and the choices we make in society.
How Is Social Constructionism Different from Traditional Psychology?
social constructionism is quite different from traditional psychology in several key ways:
· Anti-essentialism: Social constructionism rejects the idea that there are inherent, unchanging qualities or “essences” within people or things. Traditional psychology often assumes that individuals have fixed traits or characteristics.
· Anti-realism: Social constructionism challenges the concept of objective truth and suggests that all knowledge is shaped by cultural and historical perspectives. Traditional psychology seeks to discover objective truths about human nature.
· Historical and Cultural Specificity: Social constructionism acknowledges that knowledge is influenced by historical and cultural factors. Traditional psychology often seeks universal and timeless explanations for human behavior.
· Language as a Pre-condition for Thought: Social constructionism emphasizes that language plays a fundamental role in shaping our thoughts and understanding of the world. Traditional psychology might assume that thought precedes language development.
· Language as Social Action: Social constructionists see language as an active force in constructing our understanding of the world. Traditional psychology may view language as a passive means of expressing thoughts and emotions.
· Focus on Interaction and Social Practices: Social constructionism looks at the interactions and social practices between people as the primary source of understanding human behavior. Traditional psychology often seeks explanations within the individual or societal structures.
· Emphasis on Processes: Social constructionism focuses on the dynamic processes of social interaction, rather than static entities or structures. It considers how people create knowledge and understanding through their interactions, rather than seeking fixed explanations based on traits or structures.
Who Can Be Called a Social Constructionist?
People who can be called social constructionists are those who agree with one or more of the following ideas:
· Language and Narratives: Some social constructionists, like Sarbin (1986), focus on how people construct their self-identities and stories through language.
· Historical and Cultural Specificity: Those who recognize that knowledge and understanding are shaped by historical and cultural contexts. This idea is fundamental to the work of the French philosopher Foucault (e.g. Foucault, 1972, 1976, 1979), as well as some British scholars in the field of discourse analysis.
· Relativity of Truth: Scholars who emphasize that claims of “truth” are constructed and not based on objective reality. This perspective is often adopted by those who aim to give psychology a political edge.
· Performative Language: Some writers, like Potter, Wetherell, Edwards, and Billig (e.g. Potter and Wetherell, 1987; Edwards and Potter, 1992; Billig, 1987; Billig et al., 1988), focus on the performative and action-oriented nature of language. They see language as a tool for achieving social goals rather than merely expressing inner thoughts.
These individuals and groups are considered social constructionists because they explore how language, culture, and historical context shape our understanding of the world and human experiences. They often challenge traditional notions of objective reality and fixed human nature.
Where Did Social Constructionism Come From?
Social constructionism didn’t originate from a single source but was influenced by various writers and disciplines over the years. Here’s a summary of where it came from:
· Sociological Influences: Social constructionism shares some fundamental ideas with symbolic interactionism, introduced by George Herbert Mead in the 1930s. This perspective emphasizes how individuals construct their identities through everyday social interactions.
Ethnomethodology, which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, examined how ordinary people construct social life and make sense of it within their interactions.
A key sociological influence on social constructionism is the work of Berger and Luckmann in their 1966 book “The Social Construction of Reality.” They introduced the concept that human beings collectively create and sustain social phenomena through social practices.
· The Emergence in Psychology: Social constructionism began to gain ground in psychology with K.J. Gergen’s 1973 paper “Social psychology as history.” In this paper, he argued that all knowledge, including psychological knowledge, is historically and culturally specific.
At this time, there was a “crisis in social psychology,” where the discipline was criticized for focusing on laboratory-based studies, often ignoring the real-world contexts that gave human actions meaning.
Social psychologists were concerned about the discipline’s implicit promotion of dominant groups’ values. They believed the voice of ordinary people was missing from research practices, and they aimed to challenge oppressive and ideological uses of psychology.
· Postmodernism: Social constructionism is shaped by a cultural and intellectual context called “postmodernism.” Postmodernism questions the idea of one ultimate truth and the belief in hidden structures that explain everything. It challenges the notion that there’s a single way of interpreting art, literature, or the world.
Postmodernism also rejects the use of grand theories or overarching systems to understand the world and advocates for diverse ways of life and knowledge. It suggests that we live in a world where many different types of knowledge coexist, and we can choose which ones to follow.
Social constructionism in the social sciences has absorbed some of these postmodern ideas. It draws inspiration from various disciplines and thinkers, including French intellectuals like Foucault and Derrida. It’s a multidisciplinary approach that questions the idea of a single, stable reality and emphasizes that reality is constructed through social interactions and interpretations.
What Are the Issues for Social Constructionism?
social constructionism raises several important questions:
1. Questioning Common Understanding: It challenges traditional ideas about what it means to be a person. In Chapter 1, it delves into the concept of “personality” to open the door to a different way of understanding people.
2. The Role of Language: Chapter 2 explores how language influences our thoughts and our sense of self. Language plays a key role in shaping our perceptions and experiences.
3. Power and Discourse: Chapter 3 looks at “discourses,” which are different ways of talking about and understanding the world. It examines why some discourses are seen as “truth” and how power is connected to this.
4. Power and Oppression: Chapter 4 explores the relationship between discourse and power. It raises the question of how we can claim that some people are genuinely oppressed when social constructionism challenges the idea of a single “truth.”
5. Ideology and Reality: Chapter 5 addresses the concept of “ideology” and how it relates to the gap between reality and our everyday understanding of the world.
6. Social Change and Agency: Chapter 6 focuses on the possibilities for social change within the social constructionist framework and the role of individuals in making a difference.
7. Concept of the Individual: Chapters 7, 8, and 9 examine different concepts of “personhood” that social constructionism offers, which are quite different from traditional psychological views.
8. Practicing Social Science: In Chapter 10, it discusses how social constructionism informs research practice and provides guidance, including examples of how to conduct “discourse analysis.”
The book highlights the challenges and issues in social constructionism and emphasizes the need to address these concerns for social constructionism to be a valuable approach in social science, offering insights into self-understanding and societal change.
References
Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. (1966) The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge, New York: Doubleday and Co.
Billig, M. (1987) Arguing and Thinking: A Rhetorical Approach to Social Psychology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Billig, M., Condor, S., Edwards, D., Gane, M., Middleton, D. and Radley, A. (1988) Ideological Dilemmas: A Social Psychology of Everyday Thinking, London: Sage
Burr, V. (1995). An introduction to social constructionism. Taylor & Frances/Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203299968
Edwards, D. and Potter, J. (1992) Discursive Psychology, London: Sage.
Foucault, M. (1972) The Archaeology of Knowledge, London: Tavistock.
Foucault, M. (1976) The History of Sexuality: An Introduction, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Foucault, M. (1979) Discipline and Punish, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Gergen, K.J. (1973) ‘Social psychology as history’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 26:309–320.
Mead, G.H. (1934) Mind, Self and Society, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Potter, J. and Wetherell, M. (1987) Discourse and Social Psychology: Beyond Attitudes and Behaviour, London: Sage.
Sarbin, T.R. (1986) ‘The narrative as root metaphor for psychology’, in T.R.Sarbin (ed.) Narrative Psychology: The Storied Nature of Human Conduct, New York: Praeger.
