The Social Constructionist Perspective Suggests That Identities Are Constructed Through Language and Social Relations. Illustrate the Strengths and Weaknesses of This Statement with Examples of Research Studies from This and One Other Perspective.

For over a century now psychologists have been trying to understand how we as humans form our identities in everyday life. In the late nineteenth century William James created is theory on identity. Over the years this area of research has grown and researchers have found that understanding identity is not as easy as it seems and many theories have arisen from this. Two of these theories, of note are the social constructionist theory and the psychosocial theory by Erik Erikson and James Marcia.
The social constructionist theory has evolved into what it is today with no real starting point. This is because the researchers in this area are of the view that our ideas are produced socially therefore how can one person actually create it. It is also because social constructionist views are used in various other disciplines as a result having a range of different perspectives.
The main idea of the social constructionist theory is to see that the way we understand the world around us is not only natural but is also made from our interactions with other people in everyday life. Our identity is made as we just go about living our daily lives. This view leads to the thought that because identity is created through everyday life that because there are so many people in the world that there are so many ways of understanding one idea. Identities are made through the relationships we make and by the discourses that take place between people in everyday life. An example of a social constructionist study is the research carried out by Kenneth Gergen (a prominent social constructionist since the 1970s) in 1999. This study was about how Gergen struggled to let go of writing with a pen even when advances in technology had produced computers so he didn’t need to. Even when his work (professor of psychology) got rid of his secretary that typed his work up he still hand wrote everything. The study ends in Gergen talking about how the computer has changed his life for the better.

References: Pheonix, A. (2007) Identities and Diversities, in Meill. D, Pheonix. A, and Thomas. K. Mapping Psychology, Open university, Milton Keynes.