Social Constructionist Theory

‘Reality’ is constructed
Social constructionist theory suggests that there is no single ‘reality’ or way of experiencing the world. Instead, there are many different ways in which children and young people develop and experience the world. Various aspects of who we are affect how we see, experience and act in the world – a woman will experience the world differently to a man; an adult to a child; a black person to a white person, etc. It is not that one person’s view of the world is right or true and the others wrong or false – but different.

The role of language
A social constructionist argument suggests that language helps produce the social world that we live in and reflects the dominant power structures in society. Social contructionist theory suggests that ideas about the world, the objects within it and everything about ourselves are constructed through discourse. By discourse, we mean not just the words that we use and the interactions we have, but also the broad social practices that construct the world around us.
These concepts can feel very abstract, so some examples are given here to illustrate the argument being made.
What words do we use to address people formally – what are their titles? The words used formally for men in English, such as Mr, or Master (which is used for boys) do not denote their marital status. The words used for women, on the other hand, such as Mrs and Miss, do refer to their marital status – although Ms is used by many women as a way of countering this.
A social constructionist argument here is that the language we use actively constructs and produces the social world in which we live. In the UK today it is still the case that women are treated differently to men and often viewed as sexual objects, thus the language we use constructs a way of understanding women’s heterosexual relationships to men.
Another example – what colour does ‘natural’ or ‘skin tone’ refer to when applied to objects such as sticking plasters or hosiery? The question that can be asked is, ‘Whose skin tone is represented here as natural?’. This illustrates that the words we use are part of the way in which we construct the world in terms of social categories such as skin colour or, in the example above, gender. It is not just the words that we speak that create a particular view of the world – the words themselves are part of social practices that position people in society based in categories such as gender, skin colour/ethnicity, etc.

Meanings and understandings are constructed
A key aspect of social constructionist theory is the suggestion that language and other aspects of our social world are not produced, or created, by individuals but are constructed through people’s interaction with each other and, at a broader level within society, through the media and institutions such as government, schools, etc. Therefore ideas are not the product of individuals – they are constructed through the social world.
For example, it would not be possible to make up a new word on your own and to begin using it in conversation and expect people to understand it (or take you seriously). However, new words do come into being as a result of social interaction and people co-constructing new meanings. A good example is the word ‘tweenager’ which is a relatively new word to common usage in English. It comes from the words ‘between’ and ‘teen’ to denote young people usually aged 10 and 12. It has become a key focus for marketing, for example of cosmetics and clothing, and a focus for concern about children growing up too fast.
A social constructionist theory suggests that ideas about childhood – when it begins, when it ends, what is a good childhood, the role and responsibilities of parents and carers, etc. – change through time and through cultural context. All are influenced by values, morality and political orientation, e.g. ‘panic’ about the premature end of childhood and teenage sexuality.
Social constructionist theory argues that there is no one ‘correct’ way of being a child, young person, parent, family or carer. Practitioners need to be aware of different ways of growing up and that often what we see as being ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ childhood is part of a system of values that we hold – for example, we may have a view that young people should stay as ‘children’ until they are 18. This can impact upon the ways in which we view young people who are not acting in ways we would consider to be appropriate for a child (such as having sexual partners, making life-changing decisions, etc).

How is social constructionism described and how it is used as a theory to understand the lives of children, young people and families?

The introduction to Working with Children and Young People draws on two theories: social constructionism and social ecological theory. It is argued that these theories allow us to see the world as a complex interaction between many layers of the environment and individual children and young people. Social constructionist theory argues that ideas about children, young people and families are not universal and the same for all people. The dominant ideas about children and young people are seen not to be ‘real’ but constructed, and thus subject to change. These ideas are experienced differently by different groups of children, young people and families.