Forms and facets of constructivist psychology.

Abstract

Constructivism is an epistemological perspective based on the assertion that humans actively create the realities to which they respond (Mahoney, 1991;Neimeyer, 1993). Contemporary constructivist thought has its roots in a philosophical and psychological tradition that draws attention to the active role of the human mind in organizing and creating meaning-in literally inventing rather than discovering reality. The philosophical origins of constructivism include Vico's (1 725/1948) New Science and concept of "imaginative universals," Kant's ( 1791/1969) analysis of the limits of derived knowledge, and Vaihinger's (191 1/1924) neo-Kantian philosophy of "as if' (see Mahoney, 1988, for a detailed review), whereas formative contributions to constructivist thinking in psychology include Piaget's ( 1926) genetic epistemology, Bartlett's ( 1932) constructivist analysis of human memory, Hayek's (1952) treatise on the constructive nature of the human nervous system, Kelly's (1955) psychology of personal constructs, and Weimer's (1977) motor metatheory of mind.Building on these early philosophical and psychological foundations, constructivist theories have come to play an increasingly significant 69

A Social Constructivism Model of Ethical Decision Making in Counseling

“…The term social constructivism is used here to represent an intellectual movement in the mental health field that crosses both the psychological and systemic-relational paradigms of mental health services (see the related discussions in Lyddon, 1995, andCottone, 1992). Generally, social constructivism implies that what is real is not objective fact; rather, what is real evolves through interpersonal interaction and agreement as to what is "fact" (Ginter et al, 1996).…”

An analytical framework for career research in the post-modern era

“…Definitional issues have arisen within these approaches over the use of terms such as ''constructivism'', ''constructionism'', and ''social constructionism''. While such terms imply a lack of theoretical consistency, it has been suggested that there are more similarities than differences (Lyddon 1995;Raskin 2002). In this regard, Young and Collin (2004) used the term ''constructivisms'' in career psychology as an inclusive term.…”

The self-confrontation method: Theory, research, and practical utility

“…With a focus on language, internal dialogues, and the personally interpreted meanings that people attribute to the events in their lives, narrative thinking has also become an important feature of constructivist psychology and counseling (Lyddon, 1995;Neimeyer & Stewart, 2000). As Neimeyer (1999) pointed out, constructivist counselors tend to prefer interventions involving exploration of personal narratives and family constructs, promotion of meaning-making and personal development, and attention to core organizing themes and processes of the self.…”