The Social Constructionism View of Race in Psychology

Running head: BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCE PSYCHOLOGY
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCE PSYCHOLOGY
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1BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCE PSYCHOLOGY
Abstract
The notion regarding race and related claims that race was biologically actual had served a
decisive role in scientific debate of race in the nineteenth century, as biological pragmatism was
the fundamental observation. Furthermore, the concept of race had been perceived as
biologically objective categories which have its existence separately of human classifying
activities. On the contrary, nowadays it is an overriding opinion in a range of disciplines such
as psychology, philosophy of science, anthropology that the classification of human races
does not make substantial level of biological sense. Such a perception would not go on to state
that objective biological races do not have any implication or significance. The essay has offered
inclusive insights of the way certain occurrences and categorization of race relate to the social
constructionism view of race.

2BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCE PSYCHOLOGY
Introduction
Race earlier was perceived as a real biological attribute. Universally, when individuals
discuss about race, it primarily indicates to a grouping of people who possess specific physical
distinctiveness. Nevertheless race , wealth, asset, factors related to sexual orientation, nationality,
class, sexual characteristics, ethnicity along with psychological disorder are regarded as certain
examples which have been recognized to be social constructs as they could not have survived
without societies. According to Richeson and Sommers (2016), race is not biological but is a
social construct. There can be found no gene or cluster of genes typical to all blacks or all whites.
Moreover, of race had contained certain forms of realism, racial categorizations for individuals
would remain constant across boundaries. Moya and Henrich (2016) have noted, similar to race,
racial identity tend to be fluid. The way through which an individual perceives his or her racial
identity has the likeness to shift with experiences and time and not specifically for the ones who
exhibit multiracial characteristics. Winegard, Winegard and Boutwell (2017) have claimed in
their studies that whites in interracial black-white marriages or associations often encounter a
shift in ways through which they individualistically comprehend their own racial identity. The
concept of race is used recurrently in current social psychological studies. Several social
psychological theorists have considered ethnicity while exploring phenomena such as
discrimination, prejudice, social comparison, relative association in addition to psychological
health. The following essay will argue on occurrences which shed light to the social
constructionism view of race.
Discussion

3BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCE PSYCHOLOGY
Race explicitly refers to assemblages of people who are perceived as having a physical
foundation. Human beings who have common ancestors are likely to be genetically showing
greater degree of similarities with common physical attributes. According to Richeson and
Sommers (2016), the concept of race viewed as a social construct is partially captured by several
works. Asch (2017) has stated that the notion of race produced by the dominant group in society
to articulate their authority and supremacy. By this means, the social practice of race has in
general been considered as one which is endowed in hierarchy, prejudice as well as
discrimination. Moreover, in other words, the dominant association in society area likely to
impose the limitations of group membership by defining race in relation to biology. Furthermore,
author has explained that Africans in America had been brought to the New World as indentured
servants (Hughes et al., 2015). However, subsequent to the relations of their enslavement they
are freed and comprised the status of free people. Consequently, such an initial biological
comprehension of race helped to indicate the colour line. Thus the limitations linked to group
membership along with major primary race indicator had been signified by skin colour. On the
other side, Winegard, Winegard and Boutwell (2017) have maintained that racial differentiations
are formed as well as tend to be no fewer than any in character. As a consequence, race has been
considered not as a biological reality and is further seen as a myth. Additionally, recent scholars
see no biological linkage to human race. Furthermore, as per the view of Joyce and Harwood
(2018), to fight racism, it is imperative for society to abandon the concept of race. By this mean,
Richeson and Sommers (2016) have observed no physical or biological associations to the racial
categorization which serve a highly decisive role in Western nations such as the United States,
the United Kingdom and Australia. According to Trepte and Loy (2017), these categorizations
tend to owe their implication and existence at a greater extent to their social functionality rather