Constructivist Theory
Constructivism is a theory based on the reality that each individual has their own perceptions of the world based on what he or she perceives or experiences. The one example this concept relates to is the tale of the blind men encountering an elephant. They each touched different parts of the elephant and came up with their own understanding of what they were touching (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014, p.231). Constructivism views people in positive and optimistic terms, and is the most background focused therapy in the humanist section.
Goals
Goals
- Help clients develop possibilities and to recognize that experiences have alternate meanings and interpretations
- Assess the client's knowledge and either validate it or change it to allow a more satisfying way of living
Concepts
Five Basic Themes
Three Distinctions
- Active Agency - People are active participants in shaping their lives
- Order- People seek order and meaning to their experiences
- Self and Identity - Having a relationship with the self is crucial to life quality
- Social-symbolic processes - Order, meaning, and identity step from social interactions and symbolic processes
- Dynamic dialectical development - People experience constant cycles of experience and are constantly seeking balance,
Three Distinctions
- Radical - This type of constructivist believes that it is impossible to know if reality exists outside of our mind because each person has a different reality.
- Social - This type of constructivist believes that a person has multiple realities through language, culture, and society and other variables. Therefore it is impossible to really find a cohesive sense of self.
- Critical - This type of constructivist is similar to the social but they also believe "both individual and social processes contribute to the creation of reality" (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014, p. 232).
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"Construct refers to any complex psychological concept. Examples would be a person's motivation, anger, personality, intelligence, love, attachment, or fear. A Construct's height, weight or depth cannot be measured because constructs are not concrete materials in the visible world. We know how anger or love look, but we cannot describe in inches or pounds how much there is or where it starts and ends." (Allydog.com).
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Information provided by:
Alleydog.com. (2014 ). Construct. Retrieved from http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Construct
Seligman, L. & Reichenberg, L. (2014). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems, strategies, and skills. (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Alleydog.com. (2014 ). Construct. Retrieved from http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Construct
Seligman, L. & Reichenberg, L. (2014). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems, strategies, and skills. (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.