Adulthood Be Socially Constructed? What

¶ … adulthood be socially constructed? What does it mean to say that something is "socially constructed"?

In the biological sense, adulthood is strictly an objective concept related to and determined by chronological age: it is simply that period in between full physical and cognitive development and either death or the onset of substantial cognitive or physical decline that is commonly referred to as "old age." However, practically everything else about what it means to be an adult is dictated in some way, shape, or form, and to at least some degree, by social context and construct.

In general, something is accurately described as "socially constructed" when the meaning(s), interpretation(s), and characterization(s) associated with it are functions of social values, norms, mores, roles, interrelationships, and practices. Marriage, for just one of myriad possible examples, represents an entirely different social construct in one society where that concept generally consists of arranged marriages between the families of infants and another society where that concept generally consists of single individuals in their 20s or 30s establishing periodic exclusive intimate relationships with other individuals until they happen to find a candidate for a long-term formalization of their relationship in marriage.

Just about any aspect of adulthood besides marriage is equally susceptible to socially constructed contextualization. In the United States, consuming hallucinogenic, so-called "mind-altering" substances such as psychedelic mushrooms or peyote, is defined as illicit self-destructive conduct that is not condoned by mainstream society. In various other cultures, particularly in South America, the exact same behavior is considered perfectly acceptable and a necessary component of recognized religious practices. In both cases, the actual activity is the same; it is strictly the different social construct between the two societies that accounts for one perception in one and a diametrically opposite point-of-view of the identical behavior in the other.

As a formal definition, "social construct" simply means the subjective characterization of any aspect of human life that is capable of substantial variation among different societies. For example, consuming food and liquid is not something determined by social construct: it is a biological necessity and all human beings share the same need to perform this function to sustain life. Cuisine, on the other hand, is dictated first by availability, because geographic location determines what types of nutrients are available and what methods must be exploited to cultivate them. Second, cuisine is largely, if not exclusively, dictated by social culture, norms, and practices that have evolved separately among all the different human populations worldwide. Eating is a basic human need; the view that cats and dogs are cherished pets in one society but raised for food in the same manner that Americans raise chicken, pigs, and cattle for consumption in other societies is strictly a matter of social construct.

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of an individual or social perspective on adult learning? Is one more relevant than another in certain contexts? In many respects, the strengths and weaknesses of both individual and social perspectives are primarily functions of overemphasis to the exclusion of other considerations that are equally relevant to the effectiveness and appropriateness of adult learning. Quite obviously, an overly narrow focus on the individual perspective neglects other equally relevant factors including, but hardly limited to, social perspective.

However, excessive focus on the individual perspective, as pointed out in the article, also represents potential misinterpretation of the degree to which individual factor are responsible for the optimal learning environment and method with respect to certain individuals. As illustrated in the article, individuals who seem to fit the "mold" of those who are anticipated to require a learning approach dictated by individual considerations may respond to entirely different learning methods including social methods. Likewise, individuals who would seem to fit the "mold" of those who are anticipated to require a learning approach dictated by social considerations may respond to entirely different methods including individual methods.