Background: Cognitive psychology and social construction can be viewed on a continuum with cognitive theory and therapy on one end of the continuum, focused on all aspects of cognition, including states of consciousness, perception, and intelligence. At the other end of this continuum is social construction focused on the constructs (ideas) we invent to understand our experience.
Across all cultures, over thousands of years, we evolved cognitive abilities during a lengthy developmental dependence. And, across all cultures we construct ideas, language, metaphors to explain what we observe and how we experience life and others.
All non-biological aspects of culture and society are constructs, the most obvious are constructs about gender, ethnicity, status, intelligence, what qualifies as competence. Every story, myth, cultural and social norm, distribution of power, and language are shaped by words and images – these are constructs. We rely on constructs to connect with others and ground ourselves in some explanation of reality.
Constructions are essential for a healthy brain, mental health, and healthy human relations. Of course, social constructions can also be damaging, dangerous, unhealthy, socially-culturally demoralizing, and sever healthy relationships. Think about how central to any cult is to brainwash constituents about an invented reality. You want to be accepted you must believe. The constituents benefit by acceptance. Humans starve for connection and power. Hence, constructs – beliefs, are connected to acceptance and inclusion and these are very powerful tools that influence personality.
Theorists: below are a few theorists and practitioners, there are many others.
Cognition
§ Albert Bandura — self-efficacy, reciprocal determinism
George Kelly — Personal Construct Theory, self-construction: the individual ultimately determines which aspects of self are truly important.
Social Construction
(e.g., Gergen & Davis, 1985; McNamee &
Gergen, 1992)
Kenneth Gergen – social construction, psychology
Clifford Geertz – social construction, cultural anthropology
Michael White & David Epston – Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends (psychotherapy)
Internship: Back at your internship, you have been giving personality tests to clients, attending training sessions and you started a weekly group therapy for clients exploring identity.
TASK:
Name three personality tests you gave clients this week. Briefly state why you used each test.
The small group that you facilitate has 4 participants. Each participant is struggling with various aspects of identity – gender identity, sexual identity, ethnic identity, cultural identity, ability/disability identity, age identity, and social status identity.
Use the three terms below to state some aspect of three group members cognitive crisis and the constructions that diminish their experience, their self-concepts. 2-3 sentences for each of the three group members.
For example, “Zoe is conflicted with her bi-cultural/ ethnic identity and working to find her own authentic identity. Personal constructs that have harmed her self-concept include . . .” OR “Sam has long struggled with his sense of power over who he is, what to believe, a wounded self-efficacy. A narrative example Sam shares with group is from his childhood . . . ”
– self-efficacy
– personal constructs
– locus of control
Attach two articles or video, one regarding cognitive-social psychology and one on social construction
