Deconstructing Reality: An In-Depth Review of Peter Berger’s “The Social Construction of Reality”

“The Social Construction of Reality” is a classic book written by sociologist Peter Berger and sociologist and theologian Thomas Luckmann. It was first published in 1966 and has since become one of the most influential works in the field of sociology.

The book’s central thesis is that reality is socially constructed, meaning that the world around us is not objectively real but rather a product of our social interactions and the meanings we attach to them. Berger and Luckmann argue that social reality is not only constructed but also institutionalised, meaning that social constructions become internalised within individuals and become part of their habitual ways of thinking and behaving.

The authors begin the book by examining how knowledge is constructed through social processes. They argue that knowledge is not simply discovered but rather created through social interaction and interpretation. They describe the process of “socialisation” through which individuals learn the rules, norms, and values of their society and acquire the knowledge necessary to function within it.

Berger and Luckmann then move on to discuss how social reality is institutionalised. They argue that institutions, such as religion, politics, and education…