Social Constructionism and Social Psychology - Essay Example

? Social Constructionism and Social Psychology To What Extent Has Social Constructionism Offered New Insight Into Our Understanding Of Social Psychology? No man is an island. This brief phrase that formed the title of John Donne’s famed poem is of undeniable importance to human life. Humans are social creatures who depend on each other for development and survival. Therefore, it is no surprise that people react to their surroundings, and they cannot avoid certain social constructs even if they wanted. Human behaviour towards certain people, actions or events can be subconscious and as a result of their upbringing, religion or socially enhanced perceptions. The media and in particular the social media and the internet have a big influence especially on the young. Mass media shapes people’s thinking and teaches them how they should behave towards certain people or actions. While literature formed the basis of social constructions in the olden days, the media is the main driver today. This is an alarming truth as the mass media has a wide reach and its use is on the increase with many youth preferring to spend time interacting with social media rather than between themselves. Because of this, there is a greater responsibility for the custodians of mass media. However, the acceptance of universally accepted rights such as free speech and freedom of association is leading to new social constructs that are more destructive than beneficial to mankind (Rogers, 1995). One of the main aspects of the phrase above is that people should be aware of their behaviour and its influence on others and society as a whole. This aspect is being ignored by emerging social constructs that emphasise individualism. It is a common shared belief among social psychologists that the social contexts that people live in and the social groups that they belong to influence not only their behaviour but also their sense of identity within society (Duck, 2007). Social constructs are created as a result of human choices rather than laws or judgement. It is shaped by reality, knowledge and learning over time. It is important to note that social refers to interaction between people and so social constructs deal with interaction and human behaviour within society. Social psychology is the science of social behaviour. It looks at personality, perception, interaction and in general the behaviour of individuals, how they influence social groups and in turn how they are influenced by social groups (Hogg and Vaughan, 2011). This create a circular influence relationship, in that, an individual helps shape society while society helps shape an individual. The science of social psychology seeks to understand the nature of an individual and what shapes his behaviour. In this way, social construction and social psychology go hand in hand as they impact each other. To better understand this relationship and how social constructionism undermines social psychology consider what is love and how prejudices are formed. Prejudice There is a natural desire of having a feeling of belonging that resides inside everyone. This helps individuals to identify with certain groups of people and this can have adverse effects. Martin Luther King (1967) recognised that people must seek a well adjusted life so as to not have neurotic and schizophrenic personalities. However, he believed that there are certain things in society that we should never become adjusted to such as prejudice. Prejudice can take many forms and is a big problem in society today. Prejudice can be against gender, sex, race, age or even mental and physical impairment. The dynamics of social groups and inter group relationships are what lead to the formation of prejudices. This is contrary to past research that explained prejudice as ‘individual distortions’ (Rogers, 1995). The study of the influence of groups on individual behaviour is as a result of pre judgement followed by a resultant behaviour. Alport (1954) felt that pre judgement was based on; •Cognitivee: set of beliefs •Affectivee; strong feeling •Conativee: intention to behave The advent of Christianity and its impact on homo sexuality shows how prejudice is socially constructed. Homo sexuality was deemed immoral and against God’s law. It made it legitimate to persecute homosexuals and this impacted social constructs at the time. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association conceded that homo sexuality was not a disease and within several years homophobia was considered a mental sickness. This helped develop social constructs on sexual prejudice further. Today, the rise of free speech and freedom of association has further developed social constructs on homosexuality. Many nations have made same sex marriages legal and persecute those who do not respect same sex couples. This evolution of social constructs of sexuality shows how social psychology and social constructs are inter twinned as well as how people shape the society as it shapes them. Love What is love? It seems that almost everyone has a different meaning for the word. Media tries to shape how people view love, but one thing is for certain, everyone desire to be loved and to love. It helps create a feeling of belonging and being wanted. America has a great influence on world views. Many nations try to follow the US in all aspects. In America in the olden days, polygamy was shunned and love was seen as between one woman and man for the sole purpose of pro creation. This was based on Christian beliefs. However, nowadays it is not uncommon to have more than one partner at the same time and the importance of marriage has diminished. This has influenced other world cultures especially because of mass media. The meaning of love has been distorted so that there is no one generally accepted definition. Research has accepted that love is a complex idea that cannot be captured in one definition. It is based on personal experience, perceptions, and different cultures (Burr, 1995). Conclusion Individuals should understand the role they play in the development of social constructs and the development of society. Mass media has a tremendous part to play in this due to its immense influence. The media, just like literature did in the past, helps shape social constructs. It impacts how people think and feel and many feel that those in power use it for their own personal gains. Those who control it should be ethical and moral, and it is society’s responsibility to ensure that they are since it is individuals who shape social constructs as much as they influence members of the society. Therefore, people should be conscious and desire positive constructs that emphasise individuality but still appreciate the inter connectivity of humanity. Unlike in the past, social psychology should strive to be a reflexive science. It advancement should be shaped by human interaction rather than trying to define it. References Allport, G. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Addison-Wesley Publishing: Boston Burr, V. (1995). An introduction to social constructionism. London: Routledge. Hogg, M. and Vaughan, G. (2011) Social Psychology. Hemel Hempstead: Pearsons Publishers, 6th edition. Duck, S (2007). Human relationships. London: Sage 4th edition Martin Luther King. (1967). Extract from an address he gave to the American Psychological Association. Rogers, S. (1995). Rethinking methods of Psychology. Sage Publishing: London Read More