Critical Realist Perspective
Critical realism is a philosophical perspective that seeks to explain the
relationship between social reality, human behaviour and the underlying
structures that influence both. Developed by philosopher Roy Bhaskar during the
1970s, critical realism argues that reality exists independently of human
perception, but our understanding of that reality is always incomplete and
influenced by social, cultural and historical contexts. Unlike positivism, which
focuses on observable facts, or social constructionism, which emphasises that
reality is created through social interaction, critical realism proposes that both
observable experiences and underlying social mechanisms are important for
understanding human behaviour and social problems (Bhaskar, 1975).
The central principle of critical realism is that reality consists of three
interconnected domains: the empirical, the actual and the real. The empirical
domain refers to what individuals experience or observe directly. The actual
domain includes events that occur whether or not they are observed. The real
domain consists of the underlying structures and mechanisms that generate
these events and experiences. Critical realists argue that practitioners should
move beyond describing what has happened and instead seek to understand
why it has happened by identifying the social, economic, political and
psychological mechanisms influencing outcomes (Bhaskar, 1975).
Bhaskar developed critical realism as a response to limitations within both
positivist and interpretivist approaches. He argued that positivism often
overlooks the complexity of human behaviour by focusing only on measurable
observations, while interpretivism may place too much emphasis on subjective
experiences without acknowledging that objective social structures also
influence people's lives. Critical realism attempts to bridge these perspectives by
recognising that both individual experiences and structural conditions contribute
to social reality (Danermark et al., 2019).
The perspective has become increasingly influential within health, education and
social work because it provides a framework for understanding complex social
issues. Critical realism acknowledges that problems such as poverty,
homelessness, mental ill health and social exclusion cannot be explained solely
by individual choices or isolated events. Instead, these issues emerge through
the interaction of multiple mechanisms operating at different levels, including
personal circumstances, family relationships, organisational systems, public
Critical realism is a philosophical perspective that seeks to explain the
relationship between social reality, human behaviour and the underlying
structures that influence both. Developed by philosopher Roy Bhaskar during the
1970s, critical realism argues that reality exists independently of human
perception, but our understanding of that reality is always incomplete and
influenced by social, cultural and historical contexts. Unlike positivism, which
focuses on observable facts, or social constructionism, which emphasises that
reality is created through social interaction, critical realism proposes that both
observable experiences and underlying social mechanisms are important for
understanding human behaviour and social problems (Bhaskar, 1975).
The central principle of critical realism is that reality consists of three
interconnected domains: the empirical, the actual and the real. The empirical
domain refers to what individuals experience or observe directly. The actual
domain includes events that occur whether or not they are observed. The real
domain consists of the underlying structures and mechanisms that generate
these events and experiences. Critical realists argue that practitioners should
move beyond describing what has happened and instead seek to understand
why it has happened by identifying the social, economic, political and
psychological mechanisms influencing outcomes (Bhaskar, 1975).
Bhaskar developed critical realism as a response to limitations within both
positivist and interpretivist approaches. He argued that positivism often
overlooks the complexity of human behaviour by focusing only on measurable
observations, while interpretivism may place too much emphasis on subjective
experiences without acknowledging that objective social structures also
influence people's lives. Critical realism attempts to bridge these perspectives by
recognising that both individual experiences and structural conditions contribute
to social reality (Danermark et al., 2019).
The perspective has become increasingly influential within health, education and
social work because it provides a framework for understanding complex social
issues. Critical realism acknowledges that problems such as poverty,
homelessness, mental ill health and social exclusion cannot be explained solely
by individual choices or isolated events. Instead, these issues emerge through
the interaction of multiple mechanisms operating at different levels, including
personal circumstances, family relationships, organisational systems, public
