Constructing the social

"Recent years have witnessed a fundamental shift across the social sciences towards a social constructionist perspective. The time-honored notion that social objects are out there to be discovered is being rejected in favor of the view that they are created by people. This influential theoretical paradigm has produced a real need for a clear overview on how to do social constructionist research and analysis - Theodore Sarbin and John Kitsuse have answered this need in Constructing the Social." "This timely book assembles the contributions of many leading psychologists and sociologists who in each case ground theory in practical examples to provide a clear illustration of the view that human beings are principally social agents rather than passive actors or disembodied intellects that process information. Each chapter analyzes the historical and cultural contexts implicit in a wide range of key issues including anxiety, the family, intelligence, ageing, and depression." "Constructing the Social is an interdisciplinary and comprehensive book that will be invaluable for psychologists, sociologists and all those researchers across the social sciences who seek to understand the concrete implications of social constructionist theory."--BOOK JACKET.