Abstract
Social constructionism proposes that how we understand and perceive the world is a product of how the world is represented or produced through language, and depends upon the culture and times that we live in. Our knowledge and understanding are therefore not absolute or final, but instead are framed by ‘discourses’ which often reflect the ideas of powerful groups in society, acting to disadvantage less powerful groups and individuals. Nonetheless, because discourse is time and culture specific, it can change over time, often producing social transformations. This chapter critiques mainstream psychology from a social constructionism perspective, using research examples to illustrate how some of the ideas that inform mainstream approaches can be interrogated and challenged. It also outlines key features of social constructionist research, using two specific research studies to illustrate these features. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of recent theoretical trends and issues in social constructionism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Allport, F. H. (1924). Social psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Armistead, N. (1974). Reconstructing social psychology. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Burkitt, I. (2014). Emotions and social relations. London: Sage.
Burr, V. (2015). Social constructionism (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
Burr, V., & Butt, T. (1999). Psychological distress and post-modern thought. In D. Fee (Ed.), Pathology and the postmodern: Mental illness as discourse and experience (pp. 186–206). London: Sage.
Cherry, F. (1995). The stubborn particulars of social psychology: Essays on the research process. London: Routledge.
Clair, R. P. (1998). Organizing silence: A world of possibilities. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Cromby, J. (2012). Narrative, discourse, psychotherapy—neuroscience? In A. Lock & T. Strong (Eds.), Discursive perspectives in therapeutic practice (pp. 288–307). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dick, P. (2013). The politics of experience: A discursive psychology approach to understanding different accounts of workplace sexism. Human Relations, 66(5), 645–669.
Dick, P. (2015). To see ourselves as others see us? Incorporating the constraining role of socio-cultural practices in the theorisation of micropolitical resistance. Gender, Work and Organization, 22(1), 16–35.
Edley, N. (2006). Never the twain shall meet: A critical appraisal of the combination of discourse and psychoanalytic theory in studies of men and masculinity. Sex Roles, 55(9–10), 601–608.
Edwards, D. (1997). Discourse and cognition. London: Sage.
Farr, R. M. (1996). The roots of modern social psychology, 1872–1954. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish. London: Allen Lane.
Foucault, M. (1979). The history of sexuality, Vol. 1: An introduction. London: Allen Lane.
Frank, D. J., & Meyer, J. W. (2002). The profusion of individual roles and identities in the postwar period. Sociological Theory, 20(1), 86–105.
Frosh, S. (2003). Psychosocial studies and psychology: Is a critical approach emerging? Human Relations, 56(12), 1545–1567.
Guthe, Carl E., & Mead, M. (1943, October). The problem of changing food habits (Bulletin of the National Research Council, No. 108). Washington, DC: National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences.
Haynes, K. (2012). Body beautiful? Gender, identity and the body in professional services firms. Gender, Work & Organization, 19(5), 489–507.
Hovland, C. I., Lumsdane, A. A., & Sheffield, F. D. (1949). Experiments on mass communication. Studies in social psychology in World War II. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Klonoff, E. A., & Landrine, E. H. (1995). The schedule of sexist events: A measure of lifetime and recent sexist discrimination in women’s lives. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19(4), 439–470.
Knights, D., & Morgan, G. (1991). Corporate strategy, organizations and subjectivity: A critique. Organization Studies, 12(2), 251–273.
Maccoby, E., & Jacklin, C. N. (1974). The psychology of sex differences. London: Oxford University Press.
Mama, A. (1995). Beyond the masks: Gender, race and subjectivity. London: Routledge.
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253.
Mills, A. J. (1992). Organisation, gender and culture. In A. J. Mills & P. Tancred (Eds.), Gendering organisational analysis. London: Sage.
Perrin, S., & Spencer, C. (1981). Independence or conformity in the Asch experiment as a reflection of cultural and situational factors. British Journal of Social Psychology, 20, 205–209.
Pollner, M. (1987). Mundane reason: Reality in everyday and sociological discourse. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Potter, J., & Wetherell, M. (1987). Discourse and social psychology: Beyond attitudes and behaviour. London: Sage.
Reiner, R. (2007). Political economy, crime, and criminal justice. In M. Maguire, R. Morgan, & R. Reiner (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of criminology (pp. 341–380). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rose, N. (1990). Governing the soul: The shaping of the private self. London: Routledge.
Rose, N. (1996). Inventing ourselves: Psychology, power and personhood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Scarduzio, J. A., & Geist-Martin, P. (2008). Making sense of fractured identities: Male professors’ narratives of sexual harassment. Communication Monographs, 75(4), 369–395.
Somvadee, C., & Morash, M. (2008). Dynamics of sexual harassment for policewomen working alongside men. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 31(3), 485–498.
Speer, S. (2005). Gender talk: Feminism, discourse and conversation analysis. Sussex: Routledge.
Stallybrass, P., & White, A. (1986). The politics and poetics of transgression. New York: Cornell University Press.
Wetherell, M. (2012). Affect and emotion: A new social science understanding. London: Sage.
Wooffitt, R. (1992). Telling tales of the unexpected: The organization of factual accounts. Hemel Hempstead, UK: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Burr, V., Dick, P. (2017). Social Constructionism. In: Gough, B. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Social Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51018-1_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51018-1_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51017-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-51018-1
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)