ABSTRACT
Grundmann argues that The Social Construction of Reality offers a complex analysis of the reciprocal and simultaneously independent processes of intra- and inter-individual coordination and cooperation as well as the expressive exploration of collective life experiences and perceptions as identified in empirical socialization research. He combines this claim with a co-constructive approach in the tradition of the structural genetic approach and research on development in context. While outlining the relevance of the social constructivist paradigm for socialization research, he expands on the idea that social construction is simultaneously a product and a producer of socialization. He aims to demonstrate that a social constructivist perspective on socialization presupposes interactions between individuals that aim at mutual activities and commonalities. He illustrates these arguments with reference to the situation of “social birth” and to the effect of communication and the development of agency. He enriches his considerations with a short outlook on the paradigmatic status of social constructivism and the additional value of its use in different research areas.
