Sociology Ch.3
Building Reality: The Social Construction of Knowledge
Understanding the Social Construction of Reality
Social construction of reality – the process through which facts, knowledge, truth, etc are discovered,
made known, reaffirmed, and altered by the members of a society
oThis concept is based on the assumption that knowledge is a human creation
We assume this reality is shared by others and can be taken for granted as reality
Sociologists strive to explain the social construction of reality in terms of both causes and consequences
Laying the Foundation: The Bases of Reality
Underlying reality determines societies basic shape and dimensions
Symbolic interactionism encourages us to see that people’s actions toward one another and interpretations
of situations are based on their definitions of reality, which are learned from interactions with those around
oHallucination and delusion = things experienced by people that others don’t
Culture and Language
oLanguage – gives meaning to the people, objects, events, and ideas of our lives
Reflects and often determines our reality
Reflects prevailing cultural values
Ex. words we use to describe spatial positioning…
oLeft/right (egocentric coordinates) vs. north/south (geographic)
Also reinforces prevailing ideas and suppresses conflicting ideas about the world
In US, ability to distinguish linguistically between “real” work, “house” work, and
“volunteer” work telegraphs our attitudes about a person’s worth to society
In small agricultural societies, where all people typically perform tasks to provide
basic necessities and ensure the survival of their tight-knit community, all is work
Also packs an enormous emotional wallop
Words can make us happy, sad, angry, violent, etc
Contractions, jargon, euphemisms – conceal offensiveness; polite
oCulture – words evolve to reflect the things that have practical significance
The Language of War
In wartime, there is good/evil, us/them, victory/defeat
Also contains euphemisms designed to minimize the public’s discomfort and increase its support
oCollateral damage (civilian deaths during military combat), friendly fire (accidental shooting at
fellow soldiers), pullback (retreat), sectarian violence (civil war), enhanced interrogation (torture)
War rallies people around their collective national identity and a common objective, creating obligatory
expressions of patriotism and a willingness to fight and make sacrifices
War on Terror Global War on Terror A Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
Self-fulfilling prophecy = assumption or prediction that causes the expected event to occur and thus
confirms the prophecy’s own “accuracy”
oEx. predicting which toys will be the top sellers at Christmas hype about unprecedented demand
for the toy and likelihood of shortage parents rush to stores to make sure they’re not left without
supplies of the toy become severely depleted, thereby bringing about the predicted shortage
Powerful when they become an element of social institutions
oTeachers can subtly and unconsciously encourage performance they expect to see in students
Can affect people physically (placebo effect)
Faith and Incorrigible Propositions
Incorrigible proposition – belief that cannot be proved wrong and has become so much a part of common
sense that one continues to believe it even in the face of vast contrary evidence
oEx. magic
By explaining away contradictions with “reasonable” explanations, we strengthen the correctness of the
initial premise
oIn the process, we participate in constructing a particular version of reality
oKeep thinking of exceptions of the rule when you see things not agreeing with your sense of reality
1
, Sociology Ch.3
oBy concluding that she/he is an exception to the rule, the rule is maintained
Hugh Mehan and Houston Wood: The Infallible Oracle
Examined research of anthropologist Evans-Pritchard, who described a ritual practiced by the Azande.
oWhen faced with important decision – where to build a house, whom to marry, etc – the Azande
consulted an oracle, or a powerful spirit
What happens when their ceremony yields disastrous outcomes?
oTo us: there was no spirit, just the strength of the poison and the fitness of the chickens
oFor the Azande, the contradictions were not contradictions at all. They knew the oracle existed.
This was their fundamental premise, their incorrigible proposition
When oracle failed to give proper advice, they say things like “sorcerers must have
intervened” and “the ceremony wasn’t carried out correctly”
Building the Walls: Conflict, Power, and Social Institutions
Karl Marx, “people make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make
it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and
transmitted from the past”
As the conflict perspective says, certain people or groups are more influential in defining reality than others
oThose who emerge successful gain control over information, define values, create myths,
manipulate events, and influence what the rest of us take for granted
oConflict theorists argue that people with more power, prestige, status, wealth, and access to high-
level policymakers can turn their perceptions of the world into the entire culture’s perception
The Economics of Reality
Definitions of reality frequently reflect underlying economic interests
oEx. who gets to define what “good” “art” is?
The key concerns from the conflict perspective are who benefits economically and who loses from
dominant versions of reality
oEx. mental illness
In defining what constitutes a mental disorder, the APA unwittingly reflects the economic
organization of US society
PTS included in insurance – veterans now only have to prove they served in a war zone
and in a job consistent with the events they say caused their condition
The Politics of Reality
Politics is about controlling public perceptions so people will do things or think about issues in ways that
political leaders want them to
oMudslinging, “negative campaigning” has become as common an element of the US electoral
process as speeches, debates, etc
The validity of claims becomes irrelevant as accusations are transformed into “fact” and become solidified
in the minds of the voting public
The Medium is the Message
Messages we receive from the media also reflect dominant cultural values
Media are also our primary source of information about local, national, and international events and people
The way we look at the world and define our lives within it is therefore shaped and influenced by what we
see on Internet new sites, watch on TV news shows, hear on the radio, or read in our daily papers
Essential tool in maintaining social order
“Spin”
The challenge we face in our own private lives is to recognize the processes at work in the social
construction of reality and to take them into account as we “consume” the news
Moral Entrepreneurs
Moral entrepreneurs – people who have had moral concerns they passionately want translated into law
oNeed not be wealthy or influential individuals
oInstead, by virtue of their initiative, access to decision makers, skillful use of publicity and public
relations, and success in neutralizing any opposing viewpoints, they are able to turn their interests
into public policy
2
Building Reality: The Social Construction of Knowledge
Understanding the Social Construction of Reality
Social construction of reality – the process through which facts, knowledge, truth, etc are discovered,
made known, reaffirmed, and altered by the members of a society
oThis concept is based on the assumption that knowledge is a human creation
We assume this reality is shared by others and can be taken for granted as reality
Sociologists strive to explain the social construction of reality in terms of both causes and consequences
Laying the Foundation: The Bases of Reality
Underlying reality determines societies basic shape and dimensions
Symbolic interactionism encourages us to see that people’s actions toward one another and interpretations
of situations are based on their definitions of reality, which are learned from interactions with those around
oHallucination and delusion = things experienced by people that others don’t
Culture and Language
oLanguage – gives meaning to the people, objects, events, and ideas of our lives
Reflects and often determines our reality
Reflects prevailing cultural values
Ex. words we use to describe spatial positioning…
oLeft/right (egocentric coordinates) vs. north/south (geographic)
Also reinforces prevailing ideas and suppresses conflicting ideas about the world
In US, ability to distinguish linguistically between “real” work, “house” work, and
“volunteer” work telegraphs our attitudes about a person’s worth to society
In small agricultural societies, where all people typically perform tasks to provide
basic necessities and ensure the survival of their tight-knit community, all is work
Also packs an enormous emotional wallop
Words can make us happy, sad, angry, violent, etc
Contractions, jargon, euphemisms – conceal offensiveness; polite
oCulture – words evolve to reflect the things that have practical significance
The Language of War
In wartime, there is good/evil, us/them, victory/defeat
Also contains euphemisms designed to minimize the public’s discomfort and increase its support
oCollateral damage (civilian deaths during military combat), friendly fire (accidental shooting at
fellow soldiers), pullback (retreat), sectarian violence (civil war), enhanced interrogation (torture)
War rallies people around their collective national identity and a common objective, creating obligatory
expressions of patriotism and a willingness to fight and make sacrifices
War on Terror Global War on Terror A Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
Self-fulfilling prophecy = assumption or prediction that causes the expected event to occur and thus
confirms the prophecy’s own “accuracy”
oEx. predicting which toys will be the top sellers at Christmas hype about unprecedented demand
for the toy and likelihood of shortage parents rush to stores to make sure they’re not left without
supplies of the toy become severely depleted, thereby bringing about the predicted shortage
Powerful when they become an element of social institutions
oTeachers can subtly and unconsciously encourage performance they expect to see in students
Can affect people physically (placebo effect)
Faith and Incorrigible Propositions
Incorrigible proposition – belief that cannot be proved wrong and has become so much a part of common
sense that one continues to believe it even in the face of vast contrary evidence
oEx. magic
By explaining away contradictions with “reasonable” explanations, we strengthen the correctness of the
initial premise
oIn the process, we participate in constructing a particular version of reality
oKeep thinking of exceptions of the rule when you see things not agreeing with your sense of reality
1
, Sociology Ch.3
oBy concluding that she/he is an exception to the rule, the rule is maintained
Hugh Mehan and Houston Wood: The Infallible Oracle
Examined research of anthropologist Evans-Pritchard, who described a ritual practiced by the Azande.
oWhen faced with important decision – where to build a house, whom to marry, etc – the Azande
consulted an oracle, or a powerful spirit
What happens when their ceremony yields disastrous outcomes?
oTo us: there was no spirit, just the strength of the poison and the fitness of the chickens
oFor the Azande, the contradictions were not contradictions at all. They knew the oracle existed.
This was their fundamental premise, their incorrigible proposition
When oracle failed to give proper advice, they say things like “sorcerers must have
intervened” and “the ceremony wasn’t carried out correctly”
Building the Walls: Conflict, Power, and Social Institutions
Karl Marx, “people make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make
it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and
transmitted from the past”
As the conflict perspective says, certain people or groups are more influential in defining reality than others
oThose who emerge successful gain control over information, define values, create myths,
manipulate events, and influence what the rest of us take for granted
oConflict theorists argue that people with more power, prestige, status, wealth, and access to high-
level policymakers can turn their perceptions of the world into the entire culture’s perception
The Economics of Reality
Definitions of reality frequently reflect underlying economic interests
oEx. who gets to define what “good” “art” is?
The key concerns from the conflict perspective are who benefits economically and who loses from
dominant versions of reality
oEx. mental illness
In defining what constitutes a mental disorder, the APA unwittingly reflects the economic
organization of US society
PTS included in insurance – veterans now only have to prove they served in a war zone
and in a job consistent with the events they say caused their condition
The Politics of Reality
Politics is about controlling public perceptions so people will do things or think about issues in ways that
political leaders want them to
oMudslinging, “negative campaigning” has become as common an element of the US electoral
process as speeches, debates, etc
The validity of claims becomes irrelevant as accusations are transformed into “fact” and become solidified
in the minds of the voting public
The Medium is the Message
Messages we receive from the media also reflect dominant cultural values
Media are also our primary source of information about local, national, and international events and people
The way we look at the world and define our lives within it is therefore shaped and influenced by what we
see on Internet new sites, watch on TV news shows, hear on the radio, or read in our daily papers
Essential tool in maintaining social order
“Spin”
The challenge we face in our own private lives is to recognize the processes at work in the social
construction of reality and to take them into account as we “consume” the news
Moral Entrepreneurs
Moral entrepreneurs – people who have had moral concerns they passionately want translated into law
oNeed not be wealthy or influential individuals
oInstead, by virtue of their initiative, access to decision makers, skillful use of publicity and public
relations, and success in neutralizing any opposing viewpoints, they are able to turn their interests
into public policy
2
