Social Constructivism

Have you ever wondered why so many people wear dressy clothes to church? Certainly many make the argument that it is to show respect for God, but is that really why? In a sense, if Christians wanted to really follow and worship Christ, would it not make more sense to show humbleness and servitude by wearing jeans and perhaps work gloves? That way, Christians could stand ready to take faith into action. Still, this is not how it is; most dress up for church largely because not doing so would offend and disturb other worshipers. People dress up for services because of a social construction that says that is what one does to show respect for God.

If you are ever in a good philosophical mood and are up for a mind trip, get in an argument with a social constructivist. To someone who really follows that vantage point well, everything we think and believe is taught to us by our culture. This idea is often most easily understood in grand things, but is quite applicable to the most minor activities in life. To begin with something more understandable, think about your religion; if you were not born into the family you were, how would your religion be different? What if you were born in China, India, France or Iran; how would that change your religion? Most would agree that it would have a tremendous difference, that perhaps rather than being, for example, Christian, they might be Hindu, Muslim, or Jewish.

Now, what if we take that very same idea to a much lower and less noticeable level; why do you like your favorite restaurant? Why do so many people in your class wear blue jeans? Does it matter that the English language only has one word for love, while Greek had four? Think through these questions and ask yourself how the answers would change if you were not American; would we even ask these, or would the questions be different? The ultimate idea of course is that so many of the things we take for granted and just accept as our daily life are actually unique to our culture, and if we did not grow up where we did, we would probably be a lot different.

Thus far, the focus has been on individual characteristics, which is because social constructivism is basically a sociological theory; therefore, we approach it from the individual level. Still, it is important to ask ontological questions about society. Is society an external reality to us, or is it a part of us? What role does the individual play in society? These questions become particularly relevant when we take social constructivism to the political scene. The ways that people see and understand their world are reflected in the politics they pursue. In the United States we have Democrats and Republicans, but can you imagine any of them saying that a monarchy would be a better form of government? Of course the answer is no, this is because while we differ in some opinions, Americans are basically all liberals in the classical sense; we like freedom, democracy and self-rule.

Where social constructivism really comes to play in politics is with the consideration of how our social experiences collectively have shaped our political experience. Consider the American idea on Israel. On account of the substantial evangelical Christian population (who feel that Israel must be held by the Jews), combined with sympathy for the Zionist movement, which has grown in this country particularly following World War II, the United States is very pro-Israel. In many ways, it is political suicide for a politician to speak against the Israeli government in an all-to-strong manner. This one of a countless number of cases where our social experiences, ones that we often cannot particularly place or identify, have developed our political system.

Social constructions play a major part in our life but are almost never considered or identified. In the political world, these social norms and values are often more powerful than any other force. Still, it is important to remember that while social values have caused wars and genocide, they have also caused peace. Furthermore, most constructions are never recognized or considered, they are things like raising your hand in class and not talking in Church; how these types of influences affect us is difficult to imagine, but certainly, social constructions play a tremendous role in the political world. -Mike Ryckman