Social Constructionism Theory

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary idea behind social constructionism?

  • Nations, books, and money have inherent value
  • The self is an objective reality
  • Things exist independently of human society
  • Knowledge and aspects of the world are not real in and of themselves (correct)

What is an example of a brute fact, according to social constructionism?

  • The explanation of quarks
  • The movement of subatomic particles
  • The changing voltages on a computer screen
  • The reality that explains quarks (correct)

What is the concept of the self considered in social constructionism?

  • A universal constant unchanging across cultures
  • An objective reality
  • A biological fact determined by genetics
  • A social construct created by interactions with others (correct)

What is the difference between weak and strong social constructionism?

<p>Weak social constructionism proposes that social constructs are dependent on brute facts, while strong social constructionism does not (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a social construct that doesn't exist in the absence of human society?

<p>Nations (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between brute facts and institutional facts?

<p>Brute facts are separate from social conventions, while institutional facts rely on other facts. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the central idea of strong social constructionism?

<p>All knowledge is a social construct, and there are no brute facts. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main criticism of social constructionism?

<p>It does not consider the effect of natural phenomena on society. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of social constructionism?

<p>How knowledge about a thing is constructed through social interactions. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the limitation of strong social constructionism?

<p>It has difficulty explaining natural phenomena because they don't depend on human speed or action. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a key characteristic of institutional facts?

<p>They rely on social conventions and other facts (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to strong social constructionism, what is the source of all knowledge?

<p>Social habits and language (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of social constructionism?

<p>Examining how knowledge about a thing is constructed through social interactions (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a limitation of strong social constructionism?

<p>It fails to consider the impact of social phenomena on natural events (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between quarks and social constructionism?

<p>Quarks are a social construct created by humans (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary distinction between brute facts and institutional facts according to the discussion?

<p>Brute facts exist independently of social conventions, while institutional facts rely on them. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best summarizes the limitations of strong social constructionism?

<p>It struggles to explain natural phenomena that are independent of human agency. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to the discussion, what is the primary interest of social constructionism?

<p>Examining how knowledge about a thing is constructed through social interactions. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the assumption underlying strong social constructionism's explanation of reality?

<p>Reality is entirely dependent on human thoughts and actions. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a consequence of strong social constructionism's explanation of reality?

<p>It has difficulty explaining natural phenomena that do not depend on human thoughts or actions. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

What Makes Something Real?

  • The concept of reality is constructed through social agreement and experiences.
  • Most things we experience in this world are social constructs, meaning they only exist because we give them reality.

Social Constructionism

  • Social constructionism is a theory that knowledge and many aspects of the world around us are not real in and of themselves.
  • They only exist because we give them reality through social agreement.
  • Examples of social constructs include nations, books, and money.

Characteristics of Social Constructs

  • Social constructs rely on human society to exist.
  • They have no value or meaning without human agreement.
  • Examples: nations are groups of people who share a language or history, books are paper with scribbles, and money is pieces of paper and metal with assigned value.

The Concept of the Self

  • The concept of the self can be considered a social construct, too.
  • Our identity is created by interactions with other people and our reactions to the expectations of society.

Threads of Social Constructionism

Weak Social Constructionism

  • Proposes that social constructs are dependent on brute facts.
  • Brute facts are the most basic and fundamental facts that don't rely on any other facts.
  • Brute facts are difficult to understand because they can't be explained by something else.
  • Examples: quarks, subatomic particles.

Strong Social Constructionism

  • States that the whole of reality is dependent on language and social habits.
  • All knowledge is a social construct, and there are no brute facts.
  • We created the idea of quarks and everything we use to explain it.
  • There are no facts that just exist.

Criticism of Social Constructionism

  • The main criticism is that it doesn't consider the effect of natural phenomena on society.
  • Strong social constructionism has difficulty explaining natural phenomena because they don't depend on human thought or action.
  • It only explains reality through the thoughts of humans, not by using fundamental brute facts.

What Makes Something Real?

  • The concept of reality is constructed through social agreement and experiences.
  • Most things we experience in this world are social constructs, meaning they only exist because we give them reality.

Social Constructionism

  • Social constructionism is a theory that knowledge and many aspects of the world around us are not real in and of themselves.
  • They only exist because we give them reality through social agreement.
  • Examples of social constructs include nations, books, and money.

Characteristics of Social Constructs

  • Social constructs rely on human society to exist.
  • They have no value or meaning without human agreement.
  • Examples: nations are groups of people who share a language or history, books are paper with scribbles, and money is pieces of paper and metal with assigned value.

The Concept of the Self

  • The concept of the self can be considered a social construct, too.
  • Our identity is created by interactions with other people and our reactions to the expectations of society.

Threads of Social Constructionism

Weak Social Constructionism

  • Proposes that social constructs are dependent on brute facts.
  • Brute facts are the most basic and fundamental facts that don't rely on any other facts.
  • Brute facts are difficult to understand because they can't be explained by something else.
  • Examples: quarks, subatomic particles.

Strong Social Constructionism

  • States that the whole of reality is dependent on language and social habits.
  • All knowledge is a social construct, and there are no brute facts.
  • We created the idea of quarks and everything we use to explain it.
  • There are no facts that just exist.

Criticism of Social Constructionism

  • The main criticism is that it doesn't consider the effect of natural phenomena on society.
  • Strong social constructionism has difficulty explaining natural phenomena because they don't depend on human thought or action.
  • It only explains reality through the thoughts of humans, not by using fundamental brute facts.

What Makes Something Real?

  • The concept of reality is constructed through social agreement and experiences.
  • Most things we experience in this world are social constructs, meaning they only exist because we give them reality.

Social Constructionism

  • Social constructionism is a theory that knowledge and many aspects of the world around us are not real in and of themselves.
  • They only exist because we give them reality through social agreement.
  • Examples of social constructs include nations, books, and money.

Characteristics of Social Constructs

  • Social constructs rely on human society to exist.
  • They have no value or meaning without human agreement.
  • Examples: nations are groups of people who share a language or history, books are paper with scribbles, and money is pieces of paper and metal with assigned value.

The Concept of the Self

  • The concept of the self can be considered a social construct, too.
  • Our identity is created by interactions with other people and our reactions to the expectations of society.

Threads of Social Constructionism

Weak Social Constructionism

  • Proposes that social constructs are dependent on brute facts.
  • Brute facts are the most basic and fundamental facts that don't rely on any other facts.
  • Brute facts are difficult to understand because they can't be explained by something else.
  • Examples: quarks, subatomic particles.

Strong Social Constructionism

  • States that the whole of reality is dependent on language and social habits.
  • All knowledge is a social construct, and there are no brute facts.
  • We created the idea of quarks and everything we use to explain it.
  • There are no facts that just exist.

Criticism of Social Constructionism

  • The main criticism is that it doesn't consider the effect of natural phenomena on society.
  • Strong social constructionism has difficulty explaining natural phenomena because they don't depend on human thought or action.
  • It only explains reality through the thoughts of humans, not by using fundamental brute facts.

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