“Social Construction of Reality”

Social Construction of Reality Reality is not an objective thing that is imposed upon us, still is cr wargoned by us. Reality does not exist extern eachy solely internally, as each single or group interprets it, and is always changing. Due to these concepts sociologists often chatter about the amicable construction of earthly concern which is essential to understand when attempting to explain human societal behavior. Since sincerety is the basis of peoples actions, W. I. Thomas states, If people define military positions as real, they be real in their consequences.The social construction of veracity, human social behavior and W. I. Thomass statement are three concepts that fit hand in hand and are important when trying to explain ace some other. Sociologists speak about the social construction of reality as a way to describe the signifi shtupce of how society shapes our definition of reality. People coming together to build reality and define something as real because w e define it as real. As sociologists explain the social construction of reality they have observed that each society or the social groups that each someone belongs to forms ones particular views on life.Our social construction of reality constructs our views of how we see the world around us therefore affecting how we see reality and why we do the things we do. People construct reality using the five senses sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. For example, when taking a table into consideration, one does not react to the concrete object but the importee we give it. If this same table were to fall out of the sky, land in a jungle and tribe people were to stumble across it they around likely would not use it in the same context but maybe as a bed or a sacrificial altar.The social construction of reality not only applies to inanimate objects but to relationships and the basis of how someone treats someone else, such as symbolic interactionism (Essentials of Sociology, pg. 15). Sym bolic interactionism such as we attach meaning to things and this is how everyone understands similar views in the world and how we communicate with one another. This is evident when one dissects the desire of the enslavement of Africans, known as the white mans saddle. Whites defined blacks as less than human, sav elds or creatures that could not survive off of their own minimal cognitive reasoning.This understanding was the basis of slavery. Another example is the idea of marriage and divorce, and how the institution is ever changing. Up until the early 1900s marriage was viewed as a lifelong commitment, divorce was taboo and shunned as being unchaste and the abandonment of adult responsibility. In 1945 sociologists Ernest Burgess and Harvey Locke noted that couples were looking at marriage as less of a lifelong commitment and more of an disposition that was based on attraction and feelings, it became a situation that could be broken when feelings changed.Divorce became more c ommon and was defined more positive as freedom and sunrise(prenominal) beginnings (Essentials of Sociology, pg. 16). An example of another reality is how from somebody to person there is no true definition of success. The letter grade B brings on different emotions depending on the individual. One student would jump for joy to pass with the B while others would be sad, even cry. In actuality B is just a shape, a letter of the English alphabet, given on paper but what the person defines it as gives it meaning to their reality, and whence forget about the + or - given accompanied with the letter grade.Our social construction of reality defines our behavior and how we respond to the meaning that we give these situations or objects. Human social behavior is what is based off of once a reality is socially constructed. This is why it is so important to first understand the concept of the social construction of reality before trying to explain why people act the way they do. Because this object with four legs attached to a flat surface is defined as a table one uses it to eat on or sit at and not other things such as sleep on.If an individual were to use it as something else they would be looked at as being weird because they are not doing what is socially accepted or viewed as breaking the rules. The concept of ethnocentrism is where a group of people tries to change another group of people to make them like them so they can save them for their own good. This is done because according to their social construction of reality however the debate group behaves is wrong. This can be seen doneout history for example the crusades, as stated before the white mans burden in Africa, and the war in Iraq.During the days of slavery, treating a black individual maliciously was socially accepted because of the way reality was constructed. The changing attitudes toward marriage and divorce are evident when one looks at the trends. Marriage is not viewed the same as it was 100 y ears ago it is not necessary to be married forming a family by age 15. This concept of social construction of reality also explains why patterns form and how people can develop similar behavior without having to know each other.On the streets of recent York good sidewalk etiquette is defined as passing another person on the right, walking far enough not to brush the other person ,if one can help it, and ensuring not to look at the person when walking by. However, when any of these rules are broken it makes the other individual uneasy or even angry. But these unwritten rules arent necessarily the same in different parts of the world, for example in London it is socially correct that if you are walking towards and passing someone else that you part ways on the left side.Other areas where unwritten rules exist are in elevators, such as where and how to stand, and also seen in face-to-face conversations, such as eye contact and distance something known as personal space. Ones views for what is right from wrong also comes from the foundation on what one defines as real. W. I. Thomass quote, If men define a situation as real, its real in its consequences correlates directly to the idea that human social behavior is based off of the social construction of reality.Thomas is analyzing that reality is a social product that is construed by whatever we define as real. macrocosm do what they do and react solely by the meaning we give things and not the things in and of itself. This is why money, gold and diamonds are valuable. Money is hardly made of paper but because it is defined as currency we make it out to be very valuable. To better understand this notion one can acquit note of our system of crime and punishment, which is based off of W. I. Thomass thoughts.When the jury makes a decision, they are deciding on what they perceive as reality. They do not know exactly what happened but from witnesses and evidence they make this judgment. W. I. Thomass idea is signifi cant in the study of human social behavior because it further proves that human actions are based off of the reality that something is true. This is why what is defined as normal varies from culture to culture and the decided meaning to an object or action is arbitrary. The social construction of reality, human social behavior and W.I. Thomass quote, If men define a situation as real, it is real in its consequences are concepts that compliment one another. To be able to understand fully, one must be able to comprehend all concepts. When sociologists speak about the social construction of reality through the groups that we belong to we learn ways of looking at whatever happens to us and what we see because through social interaction is how we construct reality and from that point on is how we behave and respond.Its not a question of which came first the chicken or the egg, because in the eyes of sociologists human social behavior is caused by the social construction or reality and W. I. Thomass statement is an abridgment of these concepts explaining mens definitions of situations given the meaning of what is what or who is who. It doesnt matter what is real or not, what does exist or not exist, because we give meaning or consequences to this reality that has been represent and instilled in our minds. References Henslin, J. M. 2011. Essentials of Sociology A Down-to-Earth Approach-9th edition. Pearson.Social Construction of RealityThe Social Construction of Reality is a work of hypothetical reasoning to the redefine the confinement and to broaden its range to understand the redefining of sociological knowledge. Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann both argue that reality is socially constructed by the knowledge of the people for social reality is produced and communicated amongst others. They emphasise on the fact that human is a part of a product of society and vice versa society is a product of human. Berger and Luckmann follow the Schutzs concept of viewing the reality of everyday life as an intersubjective world- a world shared with many others.Berger and Luckmann begin with emphasizing strongly on the multiple interpretations of reality amongst the intersubjective world they share. They argue the meanings that we, as human, interpret from the messages and what we situate ourselves in, is affected by our knowledge, our surroundings and our interactions. And what we interpret corresponds with others interpretations. Its a constant, ongoing paralleling appointment/agreement between your individual meaning and others meaning of a message. Berger accentuates that we take the reality of everyday life for granted as reality. I felt in the way that he was criticizing humans for being ignorant and limiting minded to what more the world can offer and only focusing on the views of our individual society. Human only seek to understand our individual knowledge of a subject, hence that I mentioned before in my interpretations, that our society is constructed by knowledge. I then concluded that Berger was arguing on the concept that we, as humans, are de-humanizing ourselves through our view of society. He gives off an example, which I completely agree with, to further emphasize on how humans can become oblivious to the world that is outside OUR individual world.He speaks of a case, where an automobile mechanic who knows of only American cars is put in a situation where a customer brings in a Volkswagen-a foreign-made car. Now this mechanic is required to enter the problematic world of foreign cars with curiosity to lead, or makes the choice to not leave his everyday reality. We, as humans (depending on the individuals personality) become cautious when the problematic world is presented to us. Whether the society involves humans to be risk taker, no human would leave their world of comfort and sanity to join and explore something completely different from the world they are acquaint with.After hours of re-reading this ex cerpt, I finally got an idea or at least a gist of what Bergen and Luckmann argues. I then related their argument to past historical events or events that we deal and struggle with today. I related this excerpt to the struggle that women endured in the mid 1800s. Many, more in general, men, didnt recognize women were human with rights according to the political documentations. Men saw women as property, especially if they were married. Women were stripped off their rights when married and were considered delicate and weak.Women possess the knowledge that they were equal to men they knew that the society there were stuck in was incorrect. So they, as delicate and weak beings took the chance to explore their own problematic world. And that lead to a movement, a strong revolution consisting of women fighting for their rights. And the ignorance in this situation is presented through the share of the mens interpretation of what a woman is and the purpose they are to be serving in societ y. As Berger argues that we take our reality of everyday for granted, I agreed.In todays society, it becomes clear that certain women belittle themselves for men. In todays society, women dont realize how glad we are to be able to a complete true citizen. From sending nudes and selling their body, it puts a strong movement that was revolutionizing in the19th century to waste. Women become close minded, exactly as Berger and Luckmann argued, and only see for their individual society. Thats why we need to vote at least to appreciate that the rights we now possessed were fought for, for us to be equal.