...Social Construction of Reality Your teachers name Your name The date How would you describe my inner mind? Crazy? Genius? They say that both are two sides of the same side. Through my experiences, I shape the world around me, developing a unique perspective from my worldview. When it comes to how I perceive reality you can summarize it in these six concepts: Culture, Meaning, Self, Self-fulfilling prophecy, and scripts, and self-serving bias. My Culture defines me down to my very genetic core it explains why I drive the way I do, how I talk, what is socially acceptable. The culture gives me an already established set of ideas to live by so it’s a major driving force of who I am. My culture gives me meaning it represents how I interpret symbols throughout my life, for example when I see a Christmas tree I think of family, and opening up presents at early in the morning. While others who see could be from a whole different culture and wouldn’t understand the context of why we do what we do. Our culture gives us a script in life based on from our knowledge from the past. My script in life was my parents, they would guide me in the right direction by pushing me to aspire in whatever I did and they were supportive of me of my choices. They also held me accountable for my poor choices and disciplined me for unacceptable behavior. They passed down their guidance to me to pass it on to future generations.This is how our culture thrives and lives on through us. My inner being...
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...Checkpoint: Social Construction of Reality I have been a chef for most of my life and now I live in an area where being a chef is seasonal. I have tried to make a living here as a chef but it is hard when you get paid really well for 5 months and get paid really bad for the rest of the year. I was forced to do other work because I have 3 children and a mortgage and was taught to always be the provider. I was taught this by my father through watching him and listening to his teachings. I have already started teaching my oldest son this same lesson. When I first moved down to Florida from Pennsylvania it was a culture shock for me. Everyone here was nice and pleasant and where I was from was gang central. I grew up with a mix a races and a different set of rules than most people. Even in the gang I was in, family (the gang members) was the most important thing. I still have not educated my children to believe that, they fight like cats and dogs everyday. My upbringing once I left home was a variety of cultures and races. Whites, Hispanics, African Americans and Orientals were the cultures and races I grew up with. For me everyone puts their pants on the same way and we all bleed red. I do not see any difference in anyone based on race or culture. I treat people they way they treat me. When I first met my wife and her family I felt like my social status did not even come close to theirs. I was an ex gang member and they had more money than they knew what...
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...For the purpose of this assignment I am going to discuss the social construct of disability by focusing on eugenics and language. In addition to the medical and social model of disability, segregation and the oppression of disability. Furthermore the Medias influence on social constructs. Within the United Kingdom there are an estimated 9 million disabled adults. (Office for Disability Issues updated Department for Work and Pensions estimates based on Family Resources survey 2009/10). Despite the high number, people with impairments are treated as a separate homogenous group to the rest of society. Firstly, to understand where we are today with disability as a social construction I will provide a historical account of disability in western society. To pinpoint precisely the origins of society’s attitude towards disability and disabled people would be almost impossible (Barton 1996). One theory that has been suggested, is that the view that our perceptions of impairments and disability are influenced by psychological fear of the unknown, the anomalous and the abnormal (Barton 1996 cites Douglas 1966). Historically, disability has been a source of oppression where disabled people have been socially excluded from many areas of social life. The exclusion can be traced back to an era when biblically ideas formed of society. The religious model of disability produced notions of what was acceptable and not acceptable; this included the exclusion of imperfections of the body. Imperfect...
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...example of social constructionism. Social construction is the frame through which society views an idea. It could be the idea of a crime (for example, drug abuse is a socially constructed crime not an inherent crime) or the idea of an event (for example, the beating of Rodney King as police brutality instead of necessary to protect the officers). Nothing is black-and-white, there are many different ways to view a situation. Juries are selected to be a group of peers – this is what our justice system is based off of. If an objective peer would do the same thing in the same situation, perhaps you’ll be acquitted. However, the peer-based system is flawed. The first reason is because it can be hard to find a peer for some groups. The more educated a person is, the less likely it is that their jury will be intellectual equals. On the flip side, with an extremely under-educated person, the same principle applies. The juried system works best with an average person sitting before an average group of peers. However, this same idea – of average juries for average citizens – can skew the trial in an unfair direction. Legal studies professor Hiroshi Fukurai wrote about the peer trial being a detriment to justice, giving the example of Ku Klux Klansman trials shortly after the Civil War. These men were tried for murder and torture of abolitionists and escaped slaves, and many were found not-guilty by a jury of white Republican males (Fukurai 1999). The social construction of the...
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...Aspects of Interactivity, Hypertext and Hypermedia, and Social Media: Facebook, Friendster, Blogs and Second Orality, Construction of Reality and Multimedia and Ideology Synopsis Paper by: 2000-54307 ARADA, Blancaflor P. The Media Construction of Reality As I read this article, I remembered the Manila hostage crisis last August 23, 2010. Because Philippine media wanted to report factual details and information, the news network became too involved with the hostage crisis. Based on Wikipedia entry, “TV5 news anchor Erwin Tulfo remained in permanent contact with Mendoza, while superintendent Orlando Yebra and chief inspector Romeo Salvador led the negotiations. By this time, several major television channels in Manila and Hong Kong had replaced their programmes with non-stop live coverage of the hostage situation, and live footage became available worldwide. The news networks were allowed to film police activity, and as the bus was equipped with a television, the gunman was able to watch and find out what the police were doing, and was even able to find the locations of snipers” (Wikipedia, 2013). What made Mendoza snapped out was when his brother and son were taken away by the police in the live television coverage. This resulted to a failed hostage rescue attempt because eight (8) hostages were killed. It may be the Philippine National Police’s fault, or Mayor Alfredo Lim’s or Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno’s, or even President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s, but there is no doubt that...
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...Title: Stories of Narratives: On Social Scientific Uses of Narrative in Multiple Disciplines Author: John Bryce Merrill Date: 02/09/2015 Name: Angela Uchechukwu Nwude A Critical Response Paper to Stories of Narratives: On Social Scientific Uses of Narrative in Multiple Disciplines In his article titled, Stories of Narratives: On Social Scientific Uses of Narratives in Multiple Disciplines, John Bryce Merrill, sought to explore how narrative is understood and used by scholars in multiple disciplines to address social scientific issues. To arrive at this objective, the he applied a systematic method of data collection using a grounded theory approach. The data constituted mainly of literature written by scholars of various discipline on the social scientific uses of narrative. An Inductive analysis of the data revealed substantial similarities in the way narrative is applied to social scientific issues across various disciplines, hence what narrative does and can do across disciplines. The writer examined these similarities, under three emergent themes, which shall form the fulcrum of this critical discourse. Narrative as a tool for the construction of self and social reality According to the writer, narrative play a privileged role in the process of self-construction. Individuals tend to construct stories and accounts of their lives through interactions, telling and other communicational skills called narrative. In telling these stories they create, restructure and represent...
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...Dr Mariusz Czepczyński Katedra Geografii Ekonomicznej Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego Economic Geography Department Human Geography Research methodologies in human geography Discursive studies Discursive approaches – a social framework of intelligibility within which all practices are communicated, negotiated or challenged (Michel Foucault, 1926-1984) In social sciences - an institutionalised way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic Power relations are immanent to discourses, the discourse is conceived as the ideological superstructure. ‘Polymorphic tactics’ of discourses: specific discourses are not tied to the subject, rather the subject is a social construction of the discourse. Search for objectivity/ legitimating Plato’s and Socrates debates: what is real and how do we know what we infer about the real is true? Empirical evidence based upon observations and experimentation in the physical world is conducive to the verification of scientific judgments, and adherence to the rules of deduction and the process of inductive reasoning implements the determination of the validity and soundness of scientific arguments and conclusions. Whether independent propositions exist as do the objects of objectivism, or as the timeless truths concerning an object once it has become the intended object of a mental act, their reason for being would appear to be essential only to the process of discovery. Taking an objective...
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...A Constructivist Pedagogy For Career And Technology Education In this article, I explored tenets of constructivism that could be directly applied to the Career and Technology Education Standards for Career and Technology Education Teachers. This article provides a proposed constructivist pedagogy for the Vocational Technology studies. Though I do not consider myself to be a strict- constructivist teacher, when I compared my educational philosophy to this proposed pedagogy, I realized how much the study of constructivist theory and practice had influenced my beliefs and methods of instruction. As a future Technology Education educator, I applied these constructivist principles to my own teaching style and methods. A Constructivist Pedagogy for Career and Technology Education The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium states: “career studies should be taught in manners that are consistent with a constructivist view of learning” (NASDCTEC, 1999, p. 7). While this may sound good in theory, one underlying problem exists: the lack of a clearly defined, agreed-upon constructivist pedagogy. This article will (1) explore the definition and variations of constructivist theory, (2) present a pedagogy for constructivist teachers of career and technology studies, and (3) compare and relate those pedagogies to the existing standards for powerful career and technology studies as defined by the NASDCTEC. “Constructivism is a topic...
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...product of social rather than biological factors. Relative to race, it is unlikely that anyone is “racially pure.” But we have to recognize the social factors, because these are the bases for social interaction in our daily lives. These social factors make them culturally significant in our daily interactions. Question: Just because we are culturally different, does that make difference itself into a negative? No, it is not differences that are necessarily negative. In fact, cultural differences make us more interesting to one another. So differences in and of themselves, do not make us unequal. **It is the meanings and values applied to these differences that make them harmful. So when we apply meanings and values to these differences, we are essentially creating structures of social stratification – a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy, and how social stratification results in systems of inequality. In this hierarchy, those at the top of it, are deemed to have positive attributes, and are the keepers of the culture and society. Therefore, they are viewed as being more moral, and intelligent, and have the rights to more rewards and opportunities that society can provide, relative to others beneath them. [Use the South African system of apartheid for an example.) **So, we will examine how these various categories of difference are constructed and how they impact all members of our society. I. The Construction of Difference...
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...QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Quantitative Researchers Assume an objective social reality. Assume that social reality is relatively constant across time and settings. View causal relationships among social phenomena from a mechanical perspective. Take an objective, detached stance toward research participants and their setting. Study populations or sample that represent populations. Study behavior and other observable phenomena. Study human behavior in natural or contrived settings. Analyze social reality into variables. Use preconceived concepts and theories to determine what data will be collected. Generate numerical data to represent the social environment. Use statistical methods to analyze data. Use statistical inference procedures to generalize findings from a sample to a defined population. Prepare impersonal, objective reports of research findings. Qualitative Researchers Assume that the participants in it construct social reality. Assume that social reality is continuously constructed in local situations. Assign human intentions a major role in explaining causal relationships among social phenomena. Become personally involved with research participants, to the point of sharing perspectives and assuming a caring attitude. Study cases. Study the meanings that individuals create and other internal phenomena. Study human actions in natural settings. Make holistic observations of the total context within which social action occurs. Discover concepts and theories after data have been...
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...Social Constructionism and Columbine shooting Social constructivism focuses on the important parts of culture and the context used in understanding what happens in society. This constructionism is built around several assumptions, which are based on knowledge, reality, and learning. Knowledge is socially created to create views of objective reality; moreover, reality is strongly influenced by shifting cultural trends. All these assumptions come together to change perception in society. It is important to know about these ideas in order to understand the construction of social problem in the media when the Columbine shooting occurred. According to media disclosure and the social construction of risk, most of the general population relies on news organization to bring the experts to us. Most people ignore the risk in everyday life. This is when media discourse and public discourse have a great impact on the information that people obtain. The discourse about risk is separated in two process, personal conversation about risk and media discourse about risks. The main point is that most individuals are drawn into the media. Media discourse is nearly unaware of other public statements. For example the news coverage of the interstate highway bridge in upstate New York generated two major story lines by the media. One focused on the bridge collapse, its cause and who was responsible. The second portrayed unsafe bridges and an emerging public problem. Both of the news accounts had cantered...
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...organisational change, this paper will discuss how change is relational and, therefore, the product of mundane conversations. In achieving this, the paper will consider the meaning of organisational change, the meaning of conversations and social construction, and the role of conversations within change. In discussing these definitions and examining the role of conversations within organisational change, we will be able to highlight fictions within the change process and identify methods of negating them. UNDERSTANDING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE The definition of change is one that has been discussed and debated by philosophers throughout the ages. An ancient criterion of change states that an object, x, changes if and only if there are distinct times, t and t’, and property p, such that x has p at t and fails to have p at t’, or vice versa (Lombard, 1978, p. 63). This criterion looks at change in the widest sense. To understand organisational change, we need look deeper into what creates change, how the change affects individuals and an organisation, and how to successfully navigate the issues associated with change within an organisation. To successfully understand organisational change, we use one of two broad modes: the rationalist and social/relational modes. Within the rationalist approach, each element is considered...
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...International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 4, Issue 2, February 2014 1 ISSN 2250-3153 www.ijsrp.org Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Construction of Positivity in Indian Scenario Dr. Jamal Akhtar*, Sarah Kazmi Rizvi** *Professor, Department Of Psychology, Govt. MLB Girls PG College (Autonomous), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India ; email: jamal.akhtar28@gmail.com ** M.B.A., Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, Delhi, India ; email: sarahkazmi90@gmail.com Abstract- Positivity refers to the degree to which something is positive or the quality or state of being positive. Positivity is that which accepts the world as it is, takes inspiration from it and sees the brighter side of it. Positive Psychology, a newly developed branch of Psychology, is an evolving branch of psychology developed by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszenmihalyi in 1998. It was developed in order to get an insight and understanding in to various dimensions of the concept of positivity. The aim of this branch of...
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...influenced our understanding of sociology. Specifically, the social conflict theory will be referenced. Finally, we will talk about whether or not mass media helps the influence of culture and sociological thinking, and how one begins to understand their own social construction. How does sociology help individuals grow as people? It teaches us that we are all individuals and we are all different, and that we need to be respectful of everybody regardless of color, gender, religion, and culture. If you know more about human behavior, you can become good at recognizing lies, hand gestures, and body language that gives away emotions or feelings (Tennessee State University, 2015). Learning about Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and even Charles Darwin teaches a lot about humans and how we have come to understand one another. People hang around in groups, which can evolve into assimilation, believing the group to be one entity. If you happen to not be a part of that group, you are an outcast. Internalization is taking social norms, roles, standards, and values and injecting them into your own mind (Persell, 1990). Society is deemed...
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...Within this essay, one will be exploring how and why sociologists explore the social construction of everyday life and how humans construct the social world despite it seeming independent from them. Goffman's theories and explanations of this will be presented and explored with the usage of contextual examples. Furthermore, reasons for why sociologist advocates qualitative and ethnographic methods will be mentioned, strengthened by examples of Micro sociologist Trotter and Thorne. One can define social construction as “ the process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction”. Human beings negotiate reality by attaching meaning and order to objects and situations along with formulating a range of different “presentations” of self within different contexts. Subsequently, these situations help define the world we...
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