Social Constructionism
Social Constructionism School of social theory that argues that individuals’ power to oppose or reconstruct important social institutions is limited
Social Construction of reality Theory that assumes an ongoing correspondence of meaning because people share a common sense about its reality
Phenomenology Theory developed by European philosophers focusing on individual experience of the physical and social world
Typifications “Mental images” that enable people to quickly classify objects and actions and then structure their own actions in response
| Strengths | Weakness |
| 1. Rejects simple stimulus-response conceptualizations of human behavior2. Considers the social environment in which learning takes place 3. Recognizes the complexity of human existence 4. Foregrounds social institutions’ role in agency 5. Provides basis for many methodologies and approaches to inquiry | 1. Gives too little recognition to power of individuals and communities2. In some contemporary articulations, grants too much power to media content |
