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Social Constructionism
As I considered the importance of language and how
human beings interact with the world, it struck me that in many ways
the development of language was like the discovery of fire - it was
such an incredible primordial force. I had always thought that we used
language to describe the world - now I was seeing that this is not the
case. To the contrary, it is through language that we create the
world, because it's nothing until we describe it. And when we describe
it, we create distinctions that govern our actions. To put it another
way, we do not describe the world we see, but we see the world we
describe.
--Joseph Jaworski
Suppositions of a social constructionist account of knowledge:
The social order, at any given point is viewed as the product of
broad social agreement.
Patterns of social-organizational action are not fixed by nature in
any direct biological or physical way; the vast share of social
conduct is virtually stimulus free, capable of infinite conceptual
variation.
From an observational point of view, all social action is open to
multiple interpretations, no one of which is superior in any
objectified sense. The interpretations favored in one historical
setting may be replaced in the next.
Historical narratives and theories govern what is taken to be true
or valid, and to a large extent determine what we, as scientists and
lay persons, are able to see. All observation, therefore, is filtered
through conventional stories, belief systems, and theoretical lenses.
To the extent that action is predicated on the stories, ideas,
beliefs,,, meanings, and theories embedded in language, people are
free to seek transformations in conventional conduct by changing
patterns of narration.
The most powerful vehicle communities have for making changes in
the social order is through the act of dialogue made possible by
language. Alterations in linguistic practices, therefore, hold
profound implications for changes in social practice.
Social theory can be viewed as a highly refined narrative account with
a specialized grammar all its own. As a powerful linguistic tool,
theory may enter the conceptual meaning system of a culture - and in
this way alter patterns of social action.
Whether intended or not, all theoretical accounts are normative and
have the potential to influence the social order.
Because of this, all narrative accounts (including social theory)
are morally relevant - they have the potential to affect the way
people live their ordinary lives in relation to one another. This
point is a critical one because it implies that there is no such thing
as a detached, technical, scientific mode for judging the ultimate
worth of value claims.
Valid knowledge or social theory is therefore a narrative creation.
Social knowledge is not "out there" in nature to be
discovered through detached, value free, observational methods
(logical empiricism); nor can it be relegated to the subjective minds
of isolated individuals (cognitivism). Social knowledge, from this
perspective, resides in the stories of the collectivity; it is
created, maintained, and put to use by the human group. Dialogue, free
from constraint or distortion, is necessary to determine the
"nature of things" (social constructionism).
Cooperrider, D. L. (1999). Appreciative Inquiry Manual.
Cleveland, Ohio: Unpublished notes. Case Western Reserve University,
Department of Organizational Behavior.
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