Explanation
The concept of social construction emphasizes that many aspects of social reality are not purely natural or objective but are shaped through cultural meanings, language, institutions, and collective interpretation.
Social constructionist approaches examine how societies define:
- deviance and crime,
- normality and abnormality,
- gender and identity,
- social problems,
- and categories of knowledge.
In criminology, social constructionism is especially important for:
- Labeling Theory,
- moral panic research,
- critical criminology,
- media criminology,
- and discourse-oriented approaches.
From this perspective, crime is not understood solely as an objective act but also as a category shaped through legal definitions, media representation, political power, and social reactions.
Theoretical Reference
Social constructionism is associated with symbolic interactionism, labeling theory, phenomenology, discourse theory, and critical sociology.