Social Construction of Reality
• Peter Berger and Thomas Luckman
• Theory that assumes that understanding, significance
and meaning are created not within the individual, but in
coordination with other human beings.
– Human beings rationalize their experiences by
creating a model of the social world and how it works.
– Language is the essential system to help us establish
that reality.
• What we believe is real is shaped by our social
interactions and our life experiences with other people.
Social Construction of Reality
According to Berger and Luckman Berger and Luckman, society is
constructed through three stages:
• Externalization- we create cultural products (values, beliefs, material
products) through social interaction. These products become external to
those who have produced them.
• Objectivation- is when products created in the first stage appear to take
on a reality of their own, becoming independent of those who created
them.
• Internalization- we learn the supposedly "objective facts" about the
cultural products that have been created. This occurs primarily through
socialization, the process of social interaction in which one learns the ways
of society.
Social Construction of Situations
• Thomas Theorem ( W. I. Thomas)
– “If a person perceives a situation as real, it is real
in its consequences”
– Our behavior depends on our subjective
interpretation of reality.
• Definition of a Situation
– The idea that people create of what is expected of
them and others in a given situation.
Social Construction of Reality
• Definition of a Situation (3 parts to it)
– Framing: understanding the context of the situation.
– Roles: understanding the appropriate identities for the
situation
– Leeway: understanding how much leeway there is to
enact each role. There are limits to the identity a
person can claim
• If parties disagree about the definition of the
situation, conflict arises.
Social Construction of Heroes
• Hero – someone admired by his/her
achievement, courage, skill, dedication or
integrity.
• Ancient Greeks definition of hero
– “person descended from goals on one side of the
family, and from a mortal on the other side”
Hero’s Journey (a.k.a. Monomyth)
• A Hero's Journey
• Joseph Campbell’s theory that many
narratives from around the world share a
similar pattern revolving around the life of a
hero.
• His book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”
was published in 1949
Functions of Heroes
• Reflect cultural ideals and values.
• Become representatives or symbols of a culture
• Maintain a society’s cultural beliefs, such as hard
work or achievement
• Serve as agents of social control and influence
people
Functions of Heroes
• Help provide social integration by bringing disparate
groups of society together
• Serve as source of identity and role models for youth
• Heroes of community association are heroes at a
regional level with following in their community
Categories of Heroes
• The Winner
– Emphasis on outcome and not on the process or
necessarily how skillful they are. (Ex. Eli Manning,
Robert Horry)
• Skilled Performers
– Give off an aura of invincibility and their pressence
scares opponents.
Categories of Heroes
• Hero of Social Acceptability
– Upholds values of society; transcends the sport;
become role models.
• Group Servant
– Does what’s best for the team; sacrifices individual
wants or stats.
• Risk Taker
– Inclined to place themselves in danger. (Ex. Wide
receiver who crosses through the middle of the
field)
Categories of Heroes
• Reluctant Hero
– Leads by example or other indirect methods of
leadership.
• Charismatic Hero
– Possesses unique personality qualities. Might not be
the most talented but leads team.
• Anti-Hero
– Doesn’t demonstrate desired values yet still has a
following.