Essay: Social Constructivism Paradigm in Counseling and Psychotherapy

This essay delves into the social constructivism paradigm within the context of psychotherapy and counseling. It begins with an introduction to the core concepts of counseling theories, highlighting the significance of talk therapy and the role of professionals in addressing clients' issues. The mai...Read More

Assessment 2: Essay
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Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Main Body.............................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................7
References.............................................................................................................................................9
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Topic: Social Constructivism Paradigm
Introduction
Theories of psychotherapy and counseling are considered the basis for the practice of the
professions of mental theory. In fact, it has been referred to as the establishment of the
treatment theories with the help of talk therapy which is at the core of the activities of
psychotherapists and counselors. Most the people generally acknowledge that healing which
happens when they are being helped by a conversation with the caring individuals. The
concept of psychotherapy mainly stands apart from the general and even the empathic
conversation as it generally addresses the unresolved and serious issues utilizing particularly
designed methods (Adams, 2019). The professionals of psychotherapy or counseling are not
conversation which acceptable and friendly. It is generally referred to as the procedure
whereby the professionals use their knowledge of psychology, personality, biology, social
system and relationships in order to alter the behaviors and also to solve the issues of the
client. The theory of counseling is considered as the intellectual; model which purports
specific ideas regarding the underlying factors which affect behavior, emotions, interactions,
thoughts, or interpersonal interpretations. The paper mainly discusses about the theories and
the paradigm that is related to psychotherapy and counseling. The paper includes a short
introduction. Then the paper evaluates various aspects of theories and paradigms of
counseling along with the application of the theory to the service users and diverse clients.
The paper analyses the shortcomings, criticism and contribution of the theory critically.
Lastly, the findings of the paper have been concluded briefly.
Main Body
Examination of the literature base in relation to social constructivism theory
Social constructivism can be identified as learning taking place by socially interacting with
one another as well as helping clients working as a team and providing counseling services. It
is posited by this theory that understanding and knowledge developed by a person are shaped
with the help of social interaction (Caddell, 2022). The developer of the social constructivism
theory related that knowledge shall not be considered a duplicate in relation to an objective
reality instead it can be recognized as the output of things that the mind is choosing as well as
making sense in relation to recreating experiences. This mainly indicated that knowledge is
the output of various interactions occurring between both environmental and subjective
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factors. It gives major emphasis on the effectiveness of context and culture in the procedure
of knowledge accumulation and construction. In the counseling context, new knowledge
processing includes three steps such as construction, storage, and retrieval. In the process of
construction, establishing knowledge and understanding with regards to the latest concept is
taken into consideration by reflecting on various separate knowledge pieces. The second step
storage would deal with the mental procedure to put the latest information or data into
memory. When retrieval of counseling services is done, information is also found out and
utilized that is already accumulated in memory. The procedure of retrieval can sound short
and simple yet when measures are undertaken errors primarily take place. Particularly,
learners can make reconstruction errors in this (Intgrty Co Za, 2022). These kinds of errors
take place when a limitation is present to understand a person's thoughts and perceptions. The
key motive is filling the limitation by carrying logical thoughts that can also be correct.
Reconstruction errors can be made by learners when retrieving data from long-term memory
for constructing a valid yet incorrect notion. In different psychotherapeutic approaches
which are under constructivism, clients are observed as active participants to determine and
create their life paths. Individual constructivism or constructivism gives focuses on the
personal experiences of individuals to construct knowledge (Khabazshiraz et al., 2022). On
the other hand, in social constructivism focus is given to how the knowledge construction of
learners gets seriously affected by social interactions. In these two theories, learning can be
identified as the active procedure in which individual knowledge is developed by individuals
instead of just doing a simple reflection on an objective or external reality. Moreover, they
can show differences in the focus placed by individual constructivism on the experiences of a
person along with emphasizing social constructivism that would be based on specific social
interactions. Rich information is collected in social constructivists from which the formation
of ideas is done. In addition, the interaction does consider various numbers of researched
individuals mainly to resolve social issues considering the target group. Social constructivism
can create a strong impact on the manner in which individuals develop learning. In
counseling services organizations, learners can reshape and add their mental reality
frameworks through social collaboration, establishing the latest understandings due to the fact
that they can actively get involved in learning experiences (Morgan-Ayrs, 2016). The
technique of scaffolding such as support and guidance take a vital part in the learning
procedure. In addition, research can be considered greatly as a learning procedure as well as
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researchers on every level can be utilized for gaining knowledge as well as structuring their
research.
Application of Social constructivism theory with service users and diverse clients
Social constructivism theory is considered the theory which says that the learners construct
knowledge instead of just taking in the information passively. This theory is basically used
as the lens with the help of which the counselors are able to gain a greater understanding of
the way by which the knowledge are being used, manifested and acquired in order to inform
the ]practice and also to explain the contextual and individual factors which have the impact
of the development of skills and behaviour (Alanazi, 2016). Social constructivism theory is
an epistemological perspective that is based on the assertion that the activity of humans
creates the realities to which they generally react. This theory mainly posits the mind of
humans plays a really active role in creating and organizing meaning in inventing instead of
discovering the reality literally. This theory also helps the counselors comprehend with the
social realities of the clients in a non-presumptuous manner and also helps the counselor to
involve with the client in a respectful way. It has been found from various studies that this
theory facilitates communication and social skills by generating a classroom atmosphere that
mainly emphasizes the concept of collaboration and it helps to exchange several ideas. It is
found often those clients who are from diverse culture feels embarrassed or they feel shy to
share their issues with the counselors. The counselors here are responsible to make the client
comfortable and this can only be done when the counselor will be able to understand the issue
of the client and the counselor should reflect so that the client shares all of their information
freely with the client (Aysan & Totan, 2019). Social constructivism theory perceives the
ethnic identity as a fluid entity and socially constructed which can be formed in a variety of
ways and including colonization, immigration, or conquest.
Shortcomings, criticism, and contributions of application of Social constructivism
theory
Social constructivism theory can be much time-consuming and also it does not make the
student prepare for the standardized tests in a good manner. Learning with the help of error
and trial has been found to be a time-consuming procedure. Within the age of a crowded
curriculum, the teachers frequently do not have time in order to organize sustained learning
lessons which are issue-based. The international testing regimes mainly push the standardized
curriculum to motivate memorization and conformity over critical thinking which is based on
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inquiry (Caddell, 2022). This theory needs differentiation so that the students learn at the
level of optimal cognitive. The differentiation for every child is difficult exceptionally and
often for the educators impractically. Along with these, there are various disadvantages of
constructivist teaching. The training essential for constructivism teaching is totally extensive
and frequently needs costly as well as long-term professional establishments. Among all of
the drawbacks and shortcomings of the application of social constructivism theory, the
biggest drawback which is considered is the lack of structure. Some of the students need a
highly structured atmosphere so that they can excel in their respective fields. Adapting this
theory eliminates the standardized curriculum which can lead the students in order to fall
behind the others. This theory was also found to eliminate the system of grading in the
traditional way and rather place more value on the students assessing their progress. It has
been found that this might lead the student to fall behind as it is quite difficult for the teachers
to know that the students are struggling (Knapp, 2018). Hence, the teachers will not be able
to help the students out.
Social constructive therapy contributes much to the context of counseling. Constructive
therapies frequently provide a shift from traditional focus in the context of psychology on
what is being wrong with the specific client to paying greater attention to the strength of
some individual. It is much more optimistic and it attends to the resources, hopes, dreams and
goals of the clients. It has been found from various studies that there are much more concerns
regarding were some individual wishes in order to go within their lives as compared to their
childhood or history. When the counselor applies their theory, the client is seen as the creator
of proactive reality. Some of the tools of therapy that are frequently used in constructive
theory include meditation, guided imagery, and journaling. This therapy often pays attention
to helping the individual to make sense of the world as well as their relationships. Rather than
exploring what is wrong, it basically works in order to help them identify their strength and
also to utilize those capabilities in order to generate the positive changes (Owen, 2018). There
are various types of constructivists’ therapy such as solution-focused brief therapy, narrative
therapy, and emotionally focused therapy. SFBT (Solution-focused brief therapy) is referred
to as the therapy which has been utilized with every kind of family, problem and people.
Within this therapy, the counselor focuses on the solution and strength of the client which
might already be available to the client. EFT (Emotionally focused therapy) is primarily used
with couples in order to enrich, save and deepen relationships. This approach is based largely
on the theory of attachment. Narrative therapy is being used with families, adults and
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children. This therapy provides the client with an opportunity to master their lives through
stories that they tell themselves.
Various studies have found that some the psychologists criticize the concept of social
constructivism as the dominant students control the interactions within the classrooms while
the average students may be ignored. These critics mainly contend that the groups which are
dominant drive the entire class towards thinking and leaving the students behind. It means
that the critics state that the social constructivism 'therapy overlooks the establishment of
skills of several students as the activity is led by very few students (Thomas et al., 2014).
Moreover, the opponents of the concept of constructivism generally believe that the therapy
is unsound from the perspective of the economy as it is much more costly to train the
instructors regarding the way to teach within the constructivist technique, particularly with
the budgets of schools frequently in precarious situations. Constructivism remains a strong
force within the education field. A proponent of this theory states that the teachers who are
constructivist-minded help the students in order to construct the knowledge and they do not
place the responsibility for learning on the students solely.
Reflection on the theory to develop an approach for counseling practice
I can find that social constructivism theory would be very much useful to make decisions
ethically in counseling practices. I would be able to address cultural bias or discrimination
taking place by making decisions autonomously (Słysz & Soroko, 2021). There would be a
collective ethic and conscience that would help me to deal with clients dealing with mental
health issues. I have also understood that by obtaining a social constructive point-of-view, the
person's psychology will disappear gradually. This point-of-view cannot be accommodating
to a person's psychology. The perspective of the social constructivism approach clarifies that
it is well-known through relationships. Specifically, I was able to know that people become
weird like physically constructed for coming to an agreement in relation to individuals'
shared experiences. This process is identified as consensualizing and can also be identified as
a basic concept in the paradigm of social constructivism. I can identify truths by being active
and collaborating with other counseling therapists in the care setting to know their previous
experiences while tackling clients. A specific language medium would be utilized for
representing a unique cultural context (R. Gehar, 2016). In accordance with that, truths can be
considered absolute in conditions like when there is a group of believers. With the help of
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social constructivism theory, it is being proposed that issues occur within conflicting
consensualities and competitive truths creating an impact on relationship systems.
In this way, I have understood the consensualities' concept which would set the basis for
well-knowing the approach of radical social constructivism (Suri et al., 2021). It would set
the representative considering a paradigm alteration within the aspect of counseling. I find
counselors who are connected with the paradigm of social constructivism shall act in a quite
different manner from counselors who are interrelated with various psychotherapy and
counseling paradigms. Instead of treating clients as one kind of psychological paradigm or
providing treatment as a bounded and defined social system by acting like a systemic-
relational paradigm, influence relationships can be identified by a counselor of social
constructivism. I think this would revolve around a problem elaborated as relevant to
counseling. Besides this, levels of disagreement or agreement around the problem shall be
explored by me along with identifying potential stakeholders. I also think any kind of
disagreement would be a significant consensualities’ significant clash which can further
emerge as the target set for intervention (Ridley & Jeffrey, 2017). In addition, I can opine that
counselors of social constructivism are adaptive to establish the latest basic experiences
around I would be able to reach an agreement in the near future resulting in healthier
interaction.
Conclusion
It can be found that counseling theory can be advanced from its major emphasis on people,
highlighted in the psychology-aligned counseling theories like person-centered therapy,
psychoanalytic psychotherapy, behavior therapy, and emotional behavior therapy rationally.
The following thing was giving an emphasis on relationship frameworks in systematic
therapies which are classic nature like strategic family therapy and structural family therapy.
There is currently an emerging understanding with regards to solutions and problems’ social
consensualizing. In addition, this occurs in evolving therapies like narrative therapy and
solution-focused therapy recognized as social constructivist with their underpinnings. An
interesting philosophical foundation obtaining political and professional implications
provides support to the focus of the social constructivist paradigm. Also, political,
professional, and philosophical factors would be useful for establishing every movement as
one kind of counseling paradigm. This paradigm framework highlights a theory in relation to
counseling theories. The movement of social constructivism in counseling acts as a unique
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framework for addressing gaps present in prior paradigms. Counselors can also be provided
with the unique and latest framework for undertaking operations. The social constructivism
framework in relation to ethical decision-making puts no choice on individuals as it can be
socially constructed. These can be considered great cognitive-oriented psychological theories
addressing social problems.
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References
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