Social Construction of Reality Essay

Summary:
Authors Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann identify and explore the dynamics of how reality is socially constructed.   We are made aware of how the patterns of our actions become “habitualized” (pg, 42) and subsequently, these habitualizations in time then become institutions within our society, or the society in question.   As these actions become institutionalized; which is impart done through the use language, they are perceived as “reality” (pg, 47).   Furthermore, through the process of “institutionalization” (pg, 42), “knowledge” (pg. 49) is developed and must be both conveyed and preserved by future society to ensure that the institutions in place remain “real”.

Key Points:
(i) “The institutions, as historical and objective facticities, confront the individual as undeniable facts” (p.46).

(ii) “Knowledge is socially objectivated as knowledge, that is, a body of generally valid truths about reality, any radical deviance from the institutional order appears as a departure from reality” (pg.49).

Reflections:
(i) As we begin to explore and understand what “institutionalization” (pg, 42) actually means, it becomes evident that our own views on this topic have been formed through “institutionalization” (pg. 42) itself.   For instance, in school we are taught why laws exist and how they came to be.   In short, education is a form of “institutionalization” (pg. 42).   In time, as we grow collectively, although our environment changes, the basic laws and collective values of society remain factual and intact.   For example, although two hundred years ago, the implementation of electricity and major industrialization were not yet a part of society, or possibly “reality”(pg. 47), basic laws and values still governed society.   Ultimately, punishment of an individual for theft or any act reprehensible by law occurred in the past much the same way an individual is punished today.   Hence, if we commit a crime, it’s a fact that some form of punishment will...