Social Constructionist vs Constructionist. Before we go any further, I wanted to clarify the difference between a Constructionist and a Social Constructionist. Firstly, a Constructionist is someone who believes that reality is created only within individuals’ minds and as such there are as many different realities as there are people to create them (Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxx and Xxxxx, 2005; Xxxxxx and Xxxxxx, 2007; Galbin, 2014). Their focus is on the different realities created within individuals’ minds. Similarly Social Constructionists believe that reality is also created within individuals’ minds, but how as groups we create this intersubjective reality between us (Xxxxxxxxx and Xxxx, 1998; Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxx and Xxxxx, 2005; Xxxxxxxx, 2008; Xxxxxxxx and Xxxxxxxxx, 2017). For example, for a Constructionist, individuals might perceive a tree to be pretty, or a tree house, or a hindrance. However, from a Social Constructionist perspective these individuals might have a shared or collective view of a tree, where it might be pretty, but it is also a useful resource for fruit, or view it is sacred, due to their religious beliefs. And it is this collective view that this research is interested in, rather than at the individual level. There are three reasons why I chose Social Constructionism over Constructionism as my theoretical position. Firstly, is something that Xxxxxx, 2004 describes as Solipsism whereby if reality is constructed within minds and there is no external reality, and you can only know yourself, how can you ever know anyone or anything else, as instead you would only know your own interpretation of them? Additionally, this perception of reality makes for a rather selfish lens through which to view the world. i.e., if the only thing you can know is yourself, then it is the only thing that you should focus on (Xxxxxx, 2004). However, as described earlier, my assumptions are based upon a material external reality, as well as a constructed social world, this can ground us and provide alternative perspectives through which to view reality. A good example of my position comes from (Xxxxxxx, 1996, Pg. 73): My assumptions, and those of this research are that there is a socially constructed reality, alongside there being some material dimensions to it, that is outside of the labels and language of humans (Galbin, 2014). Using the above quote as an example, I consider a fish first and foremost as a real physical being, outside of human construction. However, I also believe that a fish could be socially ...
