A social construct is a complex concept or practice shared by a society or group, not arising from any natural or innate source but built on the assumptions upheld, usually tacitly, by its members. For example, countries, money, and virginity are all social constructs. They exist because humans agree that they exist and assign them meaning and value.

Social constructionism is a theory that explores how humans create such constructs to make sense of the objective world. It argues that reality is not given, but rather constructed through human interaction and interpretation. Social constructionism also examines how social constructs can change over time and vary across cultures and contexts.

One of the main goals of social constructionism is to analyze how social phenomena are created, institutionalized, and made into tradition by humans. It also aims to challenge the taken-for-granted assumptions about reality and expose the power dynamics and inequalities that are embedded in them.

Some examples of social phenomena that are studied by social constructionists are race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, disability, and mental illness. These are not fixed or natural categories, but rather fluid and contingent ones that are shaped by historical, cultural, and political forces. Social constructionists question the origins, meanings, and implications of these phenomena and how they affect human lives.

Social constructionism is not a single unified theory, but rather a diverse and interdisciplinary field that draws from various disciplines such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and linguistics. There are different branches and perspectives within social constructionism, such as postmodernism, feminism, critical theory, discourse analysis, and narrative analysis. Each of these approaches has its assumptions, methods, and contributions to the study of social reality.

Social constructionism is not without criticism. Some of the common critiques are that it is too relativistic, nihilistic, or idealistic. Some critics argue that social constructionism denies the existence of objective reality or universal truths. Others contend that social constructionism ignores the role of material conditions or biological factors in shaping human experience. Still, others claim that social constructionism is too pessimistic or optimistic about the possibility of social change.

Despite these challenges, social constructionism remains an influential and relevant perspective in the social sciences and humanities. It offers a critical lens to examine how human beings create and maintain their social world and how they can transform it for the better.