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Social constructivist theory

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Social constructivist theory
Social Constructivism is a theory of knowledge and the acquisition process involved (Serving History, 2010). The social constructivist theory was developed mainly to describe the way in which people come to describe and explain the world in which they live, including themselves (Gergen, 1985).The formation of the social constructivist theory is most often attributed to Jean Piaget. Piaget derived this theory by investigating the evolution of knowledge, though mainly scientific knowledge, by observing and interviewing children about different problems that involved problem solving along with logical reasoning (DeVries, 1997). It was through this research process that he gave birth to the theory of social constructivism.
Social constructivism is supported by an irreducible subjectivity dimension of action by the human (Ruggie, 1998). Max Weber stated that "We are cultural beings, endowed with the capacity and the will to take a deliberate attitude towards the world and to lend it significance" (Dean, 1994). Constructivism is all about the consciousness of humans and its role in the society in which they live. Not only are there identities and interests that are socially constructed by an individual, but they must share the “stage” with many different ideational factors that emanate from the above mentioned human capacity (Ruggie, 1998).
Social Constructivism can be explained more effectively in a study done on the interventions of individuals living with AIDS and dealing with alcoholism. There has been much study that focuses on the individual risk factors of HIV transmission, yet there is a lack of information to explain the spread of HIV and AOD addiction or how the American people view those that are living with HIV and AOD addiction (Patterson & Keefe, 2008). Berger and Luckmann (1966) showed that social construction was made up of three main stages: externalization, objectivation, and internalization. Externalization is the way that people construct a outcome
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