A Millennial Mistake: Three Arguments Against Radical Social Constructivism

Recent scholars have proclaimed social constructivism (SC) to be the next overarching paradigm in counseling (Brott, 2001; Cottone, 2013; Thorngren & Feit, 2001). For example, Brott (2001) pronounced that "the storied approach"--a derivative of SC--represents "the guiding metaphor of the dawn of a new century" (p. 311) and "is a strategy for our new millennium" (p. 311). With similar fervor, Gergen (2009) proposed that SC ideas "may be vital to the world's future" (p. 2) and that understanding SC views would "transform" (p. 2) one's most basic beliefs. Echoing the enthusiasm, Cottone (2013) declared that "[we are] lucky to be alive at this stage in counseling's development" (p. 57) when SC is coming to the fore. Indeed, there is good reason to think that SC has become a dominant force in counseling. Cottone (2007) pointed out that SC provides the philosophical underpinnings for the multicultural movement in counseling. In turn, the multicultural movement has exerted a significant influence on counseling, as evidenced by multicultural accreditation and ethical standards (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 2009). Furthermore, Cottone (2007) showed that SC was identified as a possible framework "to distinguish the professional identity of mental health counseling" (p. 198) from other helping professions. Cottone cited an extensive dialogue that has taken place in the Journal of Mental Health Counseling that reflects this integration and concluded that "arguably, the profession of counseling is beginning to embrace the tenets of social constructivism as a core to the profession's identity" (p. 198). Is SC the "strategy for our new millennium" (Brott, 2001, p. 311)? Does SC really represent the "guiding metaphor for the dawn of a new century" (Brott, 2001, p. 311)? In this article, 1 provide a critical analysis of a dominant branch of SC: radical social constructivism (RSC). I defend the view that, far from being a "strategy for our new millennium" (Brott, 2001, p. 311), RSC is a millennial mistake. In my view, RSC fails on several grounds, including philosophical coherence, empirical realities, moral intuitions, and conscious experience. * Moderate Versus Radical SC Some SC theorists, such as Ivey, Locke, and Rigazio-DiGilio (1996), recommended a "middle-of-the-road approach" (Ellis, 2000, p. 103) to SC. Ellis (2000) specifically considered this moderate approach to be more "sensible" (p. 103) and criticized more radical approaches to SC. In line with Ellis, I hold that a moderate approach to SC offers significant benefits to counseling. Many counseling theories and techniques take for granted that a large swath of clients' experience is constructed and that by altering clients' thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, the clients' experience will change significantly (Ivey, D'Andrea, & Ivey, 2012). Such a view is consistent with moderate SC. In addition, Rigazio-DiGilio, Ivey, and Locke (1997) demonstrated that moderate SC voices can provide not only a basis for current counseling theories but also powerful reasons to increase the scope of counseling by recognizing and intervening on multiple levels of clients' reality. Thus, a moderate approach to SC can substantially benefit counseling now and in the future. Unfortunately, several theorists have rejected a moderate approach to SC in favor of a more "radical" (Cottone, 2013, p. 56) definition of SC (Brott, 2001; Cottone, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2013; Gergen, 1985, 2001, 2009; Thorngren & Feit, 2001). These theorists have defined SC in a way that undermines any meaningful concept of reality (Gergen, 2009) rather than expanding and illuminating reality as other SC theorists have done (Kelly, 1955; Rigazio-DiGilio et al., 1997). In this article, I focus exclusively on RSC and demonstrate that RSC asserts logically impossible conclusions, violates counseling's deeply held moral convictions, and disregards basic truths about the world affirmed by Western intellectual traditions for almost 400 years (Descartes, 1641/2005; Durant, 1953). …