Phenomenology and the Social Construction of Reality
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Questions and Answers

What is the process by which individuals engage with their social environment to create reality?

  • Internalization
  • Externalization (correct)
  • Reification
  • Objectivation

    • Which term describes the phase where repeated actions become established within society?

  • Externalization
  • Objectivation
  • Internalization
  • Habitualization (correct)

    • How do individuals perceive the social world according to Berger and Luckmann?

  • As an objective external entity
  • As personally meaningful and real (correct)
  • As a series of isolated events
  • As a collective memory shared by society

    • What aspect of social reality is formed through habitualization and institutionalization?

    <p>Social order as accepted reality</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Berger and Luckmann, what allows people to suspend their doubts and navigate everyday life?

    <p>Common sense knowledge</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What ultimately characterizes the process of reification in social interactions?

    <p>Accepting subjective experiences as objective facts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What defines the dialectic between subjective and objective dimensions in societal contexts?

    <p>The interplay of individual consciousness and social structures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the ultimate outcome of the internalization process regarding societal norms?

    <p>The acceptance of societal norms as given and binding</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What best describes the process of institutionalization?

    <p>A historical process that shapes social roles and norms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do institutions affect individual behavior according to the content?

    <p>They confront individuals as undeniable facts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is reification as defined in the content?

    <p>The perception of human creations as fixed entities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does religion play in the social structure according to the text?

    <p>It reinforces the common sense worldview and provides legitimacy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'nomos' refer to in this context?

    <p>Society's total patterns and assumptions that must remain unquestioned.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what way does internalization affect individuals?

    <p>It makes the social order personally meaningful.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a 'sacred canopy' as described in the content?

    <p>A metaphor for unquestioned societal assumptions providing stability.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes 'historicization' of institutions?

    <p>Institutions undergo a long process of development shaped by historical contexts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does primary socialization primarily involve?

    <p>The initial socialization process during childhood</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Berger and Luckmann, what is a key outcome of secondary socialization?

    <p>The induction of an already socialized individual into new sectors of society</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the social order perceived according to Berger and Luckmann?

    <p>As an objective reality that constrains individuals despite being human-made</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do 'significant others' play in the process of socialization?

    <p>They serve as the primary agents of cultural transmission and validation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does typification refer to in Schutz's framework?

    <p>The classification of social actions based on shared understandings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes the cycle of social construction of reality?

    <p>Human actions create and maintain the existing social order, which in turn influences individuals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what way does the process of internalization affect societal structure?

    <p>It fosters an ongoing collaboration between personally defined realities and social constraints</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What paradox does the social construction of reality present?

    <p>Social constructs are perceived as foreign, despite being created by the community</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term describes the realm of directly experienced social reality characterized by intimate relationships according to Alfred Schutz?

    <p>Umwelt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which concept emphasizes the shared consciousness of individuals experiencing reality similarly?

    <p>Intersubjectivity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of 'typification' in social interactions?

    <p>It creates standardized expectations based on social roles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which philosopher introduced the idea of 'intentionality' as related to phenomenology?

    <p>Edmund Husserl</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does 'They-orientation' refer to in Alfred Schutz's theory?

    <p>Experiencing others purely through their social roles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to phenomenological thought, which of the following is considered a study of personal lived experiences?

    <p>Phenomenology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'lifeworld' (Lebenswelt) signify in the context of phenomenology?

    <p>The individual experience shaped by existing assumptions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which sociological theory emphasizes understanding social phenomena from the perspective of individuals?

    <p>Symbolic Interactionism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of knowledge do 'biographically articulated' stocks provide individuals according to Schutz?

    <p>Rules for interpreting interactions and relationships.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which renewal of the social order ideology was highlighted by Marx's perspectives on alienation?

    <p>Entrenchment through ideology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Foundations of Sociological Thought

    • Phenomenology and the social construction of reality
    • Key figures include Alfred Schutz (1899-1959), Peter Berger (1929-2017), and Thomas Luckmann (1929-2016)

    Readings

    • Alfred Schutz, The Phenomenology of the Social World (1932/1967)
    • Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality (1966)
    • Peter Berger, The Sacred Canopy (1967)

    Phenomenology

    • Focuses on the meaning of experiences, not the inherent nature of the objects themselves.
    • As stated by Alfred Schutz, "On Phenomenology and Social Relations".

    Phenomenology - Root Meaning

    • Derived from the Greek "phainomenon" – appearance.
    • Study of what appears to the mind or in lived experience, rather than objective reality
    • Has philosophical roots in thinkers like Plato and maybe Immanuel Kant.
    • Became a prominent approach in 20th-century philosophy and sociology.

    20th Century Phenomenology in Philosophy

    • Phenomenology is a "science of the essence of consciousness" from the first person perspective (Husserl 1913)
    • Our existence is defined by being-in-the-world (Heidegger 1927)
    • Lived experience and perceptions are central to understanding.

    Key Ideas

    • People perceive the social world as their own lifeworld (Lebenswelt).
    • Intersubjectivity—the idea that others share similar understandings of reality —is important
    • Key example is the "woodcutter" as people know them and their role in society.
    • "Biographically articulated" stocks of knowledge (Erfahrung) form the basis for understanding interactions.
    • Everyday activities are rooted in pre-existing assumptions.
    • Typification: Standardizing ideas about social situations.

    Influences

    • Symbolic interactionism emphasizes interactions with significant others.
    • Verstehen (interpretive understanding) is an important element of Weber's thought
    • Concepts like collective consciousness and social facts are influential from Durkheim.
    • Alienation and the role of ideology are central to Marx's theory.
    • Ritualization of social interaction is important from the work of Goffman and Durkheim.

    Social Interactions – Alfred Schutz

    • Thou-orientation: Direct, intimate experience of another person, based on "we-relationships."
    • They-orientation: Indirect experience of another person, based on typified understandings their social role.

    The Social World According to Schutz

    • Umwelt: The world around us (directly experienced, intimate relationships)
    • Mitwelt: The world shared with others (indirectly experienced, typified social roles and relationships)

    Alfred Schutz's Theoretical Orientation

    This section is best summarized with the graphic.

    The Social Construction of Reality

    • The social world is not inherently objective but socially constructed, meaning individuals shape and understand it through interacting with others.
    • This contrasts with other theories which argue that it exists independently of the human individual.
    • The concept is that reality is a shared meaning created through interactions, not something pre-existing.

    The "Reality" of the Social World

    • Common sense knowledge is essential for everyday experiences and activities.
    • The social world is taken for granted and, therefore, it is easy to act accordingly.

    How Is Social Order Created?

    • Externalization: Individuals project their experiences into society, creating a body of shared knowledge.
    • Objectivation: Shared knowledge becomes institutionalized (e.g., laws, norms, traditions).
    • Reification: An object is treated as something other than the product of humans, typically something greater like a divine or natural force; the objectified reality of the social world.
    • Internalization: Individuals learn and accept the social order, making it real through experiences and education.

    Objectivation

    • The process by which shared meanings become independent of their originary creators, becoming objective, self-sustaining entities

    Habitualization

    • The process by which the flexibility of human behavior is curtailed through repetition, and which is a critical component of objectification.

    Institutionalization

    • The process by which established routines and shared understandings are integrated into a society's structures, laws, and rules to govern behavior

    Historicity and Control

    • Social institutions are historical products, pre-existing individuals, and continuing to influence individuals after their creations

    Reification

    • Seeing social phenomena as objective processes rather than products originating in human interaction. (Thinking of "God").

    Legitimation of the Social World

    • Social order depends on shared understandings and beliefs (nomos).
    • Social institutions are often legitimized through religious or other cultural interpretations.

    Internalization

    • The process by which individuals accept and integrate social norms into their worldview.
    • The acceptance is typically a function of primary and secondary social experiences

    Internalization (cont)

    • Primary socialization is the initial process through which individuals learn fundamental societal norms.
    • Secondary processes provide additional norms

    Berger and Luckmann's Theoretical Orientation

    Diagram.

    The Social Construction of Reality Cycle

    • Externalization, objectivation, reification, and internalization are part of an ongoing process.

    Discussion Questions

    • Phenomenology contrasted with other approaches
    • Social institutions and the cycle of social construction
    • Typification and reciprocal typification
    • Connections between theorists like Schutz, Berger, Luckmann, Durkheim, and Goffman

    Conclusion

    • Social reality is experienced as subjective phenomena within contexts of lifeworlds.
    • Society is a dialectic of subjective meanings and objectified and internalized social order.
    • The social construction of reality is paradoxical; society is both human creation and an external force.

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    Week 9 Phenomenology PDF

    Description

    Explore key principles of social reality as defined by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. This quiz examines concepts such as habitualization, institutionalization, reification, and the dialectic between subjective and objective dimensions in society. Test your understanding of how individuals and institutions shape social interactions and norms.

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