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Social Constructionism
Sources and Stirrings in Theory and Practice

$60.99 (P)

  • Date Published: April 2010
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9780521708357

$ 60.99 (P)
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About the Authors
  • Social Constructionism: Sources and Stirrings in Theory and Practice offers an introduction to the different theorists and schools of thought that have contributed to the development of contemporary social constructionist ideas, charting a course through the ideas that underpin the discipline. From the New Science of Vico in the 18th century, through to Marxist writers, ethnomethodologists and Wittgenstein, ideas as to how socio-cultural processes provide the resources that make us human are traced to the present day. Despite constructionists often being criticised as 'relativists', 'activists' and 'anti-establishment' and for making no concrete contributions, their ideas are now being adopted by practically-oriented disciplines such as management consultancy, advertising, therapy, education and nursing. Andy Lock and Tom Strong aim to provoke a wider grasp of an alternative history and tradition that has developed alongside the one emphasised in traditional histories of the social sciences.

    • Converges the phenomenological, hermeneutic, linguistic philosophy and socio-behavioural ideas that underpin contemporary social constructionist theory
    • Uses key historical figures, and the problems and challenges they faced, to place important developments in social constructionist thinking
    • Links the sources of constructionist thinking to practical implications for professionals to develop into further practices for their clients
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    Reviews & endorsements

    "An amazing accomplishment. Andy Lock and Tom Strong succeed in drawing together an enormous range of scholarship to shape current dialogues on social construction. With their articulate, well-balanced, and personalized accounts of these wide-ranging contributions, this impressive work will be an invaluable resource for scholars and students alike."
    --Kenneth J. Gergen, Senior Research Professor of Psychology, Swarthmore College, and author of Relational Being

    "Andy Lock and Tom Strong skilfully situate current approaches to social constructionism within an unbroken flow of work stretching back into the history of western thought as well as into places where it should develop further. Their work opens up whole new realms for possible empirical inquiries in the future. This is an exceptionally comprehensive survey that any psychologist interested in social constructionism should own. The authors are to be commended."
    --John Shotter, Emeritus Professor of Communication, University of New Hampshire

    "....sweeping historical and theoretical survey.... This is not a book to sit down with and read in a short time. Almost like an extraordinarily rich dessert, it can be assimilated only slowly and with deliberation. Graduate students will probably need steady encouragement and guidance, with plenty of opportunity to discuss the myriad notions raised by the thinkers encountered here.... practitioner or social scientist in this new century will gain important insights into the ways human beings construct their world and themselves so intricately and pervasively.... applying many of the ideas found in this volume, analysts at some future point may grasp more perceptively how debates like the one regarding DADT in today’s national conversation continued to evolve and may have even found some measure of provisional settlement."
    --Dr. Vincent W. Hevern, Le Moyne College, PsycCRITIQUES

    "....a high-quality history of ideas.... Recommended...."
    --P. Kivisto, Augustana College, CHOICE

    "....Social Constructionism: Sources and Stirrings in Theory and Practice presents such a wealth of diverse material that any reader will find something new and challenging. One of the book’s strengths is its comprehensiveness."
    --George Lazaroiu, PhD, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences

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    Product details

    • Date Published: April 2010
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9780521708357
    • length: 402 pages
    • dimensions: 247 x 172 x 19 mm
    • weight: 0.8kg
    • contains: 4 b/w illus.
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    1. Introduction
    2. Giambattista Vico
    3. Phenomenology
    4. Hermeneutics
    5. Marxism and language
    6. Lev Vygotsky
    7. Meanings and perspectives: George Herbert Mead and Jakob von Uexküll
    8. Ludwig Wittgenstein: 'shewing the fly out of the bottle'
    9. Gregory Bateson: a cybernetic view of communication and human interaction
    10. Sociologies - micro and macro: Garfinkel, Goffman and Giddens
    11. Sources of the self
    12. Michel Foucault and his challenges
    13. Discourse analysis
    14. Ken and Mary Gergen
    15. Rom Harre
    16. John Shotter
    17. Concluding remarks.

  • Instructors have used or reviewed this title for the following courses

    • Couple & Family Counseling
    • Family Therapy in Urban Setting
    • Social Inequality
    • Theory I
  • Authors

    Andy Lock, Massey University, Auckland
    Andy Lock is Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand.

    Tom Strong, University of Calgary
    Tom Strong is a Professor in the Division of Applied Psychology at the University of Calgary, Canada.

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