Social Construction

Many of our beliefs about the world are based on evidence gathered from the natural world.

Others are based on shared social understandings by people.

Definitions

  • Narratives: Stories that serve to aid our understanding of the world
  • Ideology: Ideas about how the world should be
  • Social Context: The social factors at a certain place and time
  • Social Construct: Anything made real by a social agreement

Examples

Business Attire

There is a widely held social convention that men’s business attire is often in layers and completely covers the legs and arms. These layers of clothing require more air conditioning for the wearer to feel comfortable.

Comfort and Thermostat Settings

In some social contexts, comfortable temperatures are agreed to be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In other contexts, people may be happy at temperatures far outside of this range.

Desirable Suburbs

In some social contexts, suburbs are considered far preferable to urban living. This preference requires far greater resources and land than urban areas.

Renewable Energy and Virtue

Some social context view renewable energy as necessary and virtuous while others view it as frivolous and wasteful. If these views affect the amount of renewable energy deployed, then we should be certain those views reflect reality, not social agreements.

Questions for Social Constructs

If social constructs are contrary to natural or physical evidence, it is important to think about their effects.

In Environmental and Society the authors pose these questions about social constructs

  1. Is this claim or concept natural, inevitable, timeless, and universal?
  2. If not, at what point was it invented? Under what conditions?
  3. What are the social, political, or environmental effects of believing that this claim or concept is true, natural, or inevitable?
  4. Would we be better off doing away with the concept altogether, or rethinking it in a fundamental way?