Social Constructionism

by Vivien Burr

This accessible, yet scholarly, textbook aims to introduce students to the area of social science theory and research that has come to be known as social constructionism. Using a variety of examples from everyday experience and from existing research in areas such as personality, sexuality and health, the basic theoretical assumptions of social constructionism are clearly explained. Key debates, such as the nature and status of knowledge, truth, reality and the self are given in-depth analysis in an accessible style. The theoretical and practical issues relevant to social constructionist research are illustrated with examples from real empirical studies, and the different approaches to social constructionist research are clearly defined. While the text is broadly sympathetic to social constructionism, the weaknesses of the approach are also addressed through a critical approach to the material, and in the final chapter the theory is subjected to a more extensive critique.
Social Constructionism, Second Edition, extends and updates the material covered in the first edition and will be a useful and informative resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of psychology, as well as students from related areas such as health, social work and education.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Psychology, Academic

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, interesting, well written. The possibility of full on social construction is quite mind blowing but seems rather ‘unrealistic’! A lot of what must have been radical at the time of publication (1995) is now oddly normal, in this post-truth everyone’s opinion is valid world. Yet thankfully he isn’t an extremist. Arguably some opinions do have more validity than others, and some facts more likely, even if there is no certainty in anything. Language is undoubtedly powerful, George Orwell on steroids. It structures all our comprehension, yet isn’t imo the source of everything.

[path · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable introduction to the notion of social construction and various iterations and uptakes of the concept. Good explanation of the key philosophical assumptions behind social construction claims and why the approach is no less committed to studying what is real than other frameworks. It is just not devoted to understanding what is True about the world, acknowledging that our access to the world is always through our experiences and interactions with others.

[violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Social constructionism denies that our knowledge is a direct perception of reality" (6).

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a really good textbook for covering the linguistic turn and what Martyn Hammersley would call "radical constructionism." It does an excellent job of laying out the radical foundations of this type of constructionism and it situates it in psychology, rather than sociology, which is particularly interesting. As such, Burr does an excellent job of emphasizing the ontological and epistemological problems that constructionism raises for psychology as a discipline.

The problem that I have as a sociologist, however, is that while she's correct about the nature of poststructuralists' determinism, I agree with Hammersley. I think that radical constructionism is an overstatement of the case, a misinterpretation of the The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge's arguments about the 'creation' of society in everyday interaction (a misinterpretation shared on the other side by Roy Bhaskar), and I worry that going on nearly 30 years of this textbook's existence, it has fundamentally reshaped the common ontological and epistemological stances of social scientists by treating deterministic conceptions of the power of language as the final word on constructionism, while giving very little space to the sociological tradition. (For example, suggesting that "the self" is undertheorized, while functionally ignoring the fact that "the self" is the key to understanding George Herbert Mead.)

That said, it's a well-written, well-structured, and fascinating read, even for a person with a PhD in sociology. I feel torn about using it because it feels like relinquishing the definition of constructionism to people who overstate the case and relativize the scientific endeavor. On the other hand, the book is very good.

[Zeynep Sertkaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Social Constructionism" by Vivien Burr is an insightful and comprehensive exploration of the field of social constructionism. In this third edition, Burr delves deeply into the theoretical underpinnings of social constructionism, discussing its key concepts and debates.

The book begins by defining social constructionism, emphasising its critical stance towards taken-for-granted knowledge and the role of language and discourse in shaping our understanding of the world. Burr argues that our understanding of reality is not a direct perception but a construction shaped by historical and cultural contexts. This viewpoint challenges traditional views of knowledge and reality, positioning knowledge as a product of social processes and interactions.

Throughout the book, Burr explores various aspects of social constructionism, including its implications for understanding identity, subjectivity, and research methods in the social sciences. The text is sympathetic to social constructionism but also adopts a critical perspective, highlighting its weaknesses and areas for development.

The book is highly informative, thoroughly analysing social constructionism's role in psychology and social sciences. It's precious for students and researchers interested in alternative approaches to understanding human behaviour and social phenomena. Vivien Burr's engaging style makes complex theoretical concepts accessible, making this book an essential resource for anyone interested in social constructionism and its application in social research.

P.S. I read the book as a part of the Critical Social Psychology module but enjoyed it immensely. A few chapters were required reading. However, I found myself completing all of it.

[Olivia Simmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*. This was the assigned reading to my critical Perspectives in Work and Organisational Psychology module in university. The book gives an overview of social constructionism and the idea of discourse. I found this book very useful in developing my understanding of key ideas in this module. Vivien Burr did a guest lecture during my module and I feel her knowledge of this topic cannot be topped. Great reading for people looking into this topic of what makes society the way it is.

[Reko Wenell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Served as an excellent, short introduction to social constructionism. I was of course in many ways familiar with the subject but having a fairly comprehensive look on the subject that spells out the assumptions and logics underlaying this line of thought as well as explaining viewpoints of many different schools of thought made a huge difference. Definitely the most useful book I read all year.

[Scott Satterwhite · Rating 4 out of 5]

A digestible overview of Social Constructionism. What I found most helpful was the section on constructivism versus social constructionism.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an overview of social constructionism. As Burr presents it, social constructionism is a social science that is extremely self-conscious of its meta-physical and meta-ethical frames. It began as a critique of the idea that traits are "in," or "inherent to," people or groups. Therefore, on the micro (personal) level, it proposes that people are accounting for themselves interactively through language/symbols, and on the macro (group) level, it proposes that people are drawing on socially constructed ideas and norms to explain behavior. It challenges dichotomies such as self/other, individual/society, and agency/structure.

"Positioning" is a central concept, in which people take up positions for their own purposes and draw on pre-existing, socially constructed positions to do so. Interactions between people are the loci of activity and agency.

[Amin Razavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book I've ever read. I was searching for ideas about Relational Sociology or Relational Ontology that I independently reached in my thoughts. This book gave me a fantastic critical history on root ideas and their pros/cons. I did not know about psychology implications of discourse analysis or interaction between feminism and constructivism. Recently I've got interested in books written by women thinkers, They are brave and better critics of the topics and use better real world samples with an understandable language.

[Emiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burr gives a good overview of social constructionism's philosophical ideas, yet still leaves it open to critique despite her case for it. She agrees with Foucault here: "... [social constructionism] does not deny the materiality of events, but says our only way of apprehending reality is through discourse, which determines our perception of reality."

If nothing else, she at leasts challenges our typical way of observing the world and our interactions within it.

[Kyra Clode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly dense but accessible introduction to Social Constructionism. I found the author did repeat themselves quite a lot, however as an introductory text that is to be expected. I started out knowing nothing at all about social constructionism or its impact on psychology research methods, and I now know quite a bit (or enough for the purposes of my university course anyway!).

[Rasim Serdar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very nice, eloquent introduction to social constructionism. It has a rather limited scope but a very informative book in terms of understanding basic principles of the concept.