Social constructionism and the theory, practice and research of psychotherapy: A
phenomenological psychology manifesto
by Ian Rory Owen1
Social constructionism may be defined as a perspective which believes that a great deal of
human life exists as it does due to social and interpersonal influences (Gergen 1985). Although
genetically inherited factors and social factors are at work at the same time, social
constructionism does not deny the influence of genetic inheritance, but decides to concentrate on
investigating the social influences on communal and individual life. The subjects that social
constructionism is interested in are those to do with what anthropologists call culture, and
sociologists call society: the shared social aspects of all that is psychological. There are several
versions of social constructionism with different writers making different emphases. Two
distinguishing marks of social constructionism include the rejection of assumptions about the
nature of mind and theories of causality, and placing an emphasis on the complexity and
interrelatedness of the many facets of individuals within their communities. Causality may exist
within specific cultures but much work needs to be done before these connections can be
described with any certainty.