The slippery slope of constructivism

Abstract

While constructivism as both a philosophy and a clinical practice is being embraced by many individual and family practitioners, it remains controversial. This paper examines the difficulties one encounters in trying to balance the client's “relative truths” with those around them, including that of the therapist. Through the use of clinical vignettes, the authors demonstrate the difficulties inherent in dealing with ambiguities in the clinical situation, balancing the client's perspective, with that of a predominant culture or biological “fact,” and considering the issue of the client's “veracity.” Particular attention is paid to the difficulties involved in work with trauma survivors, whose own recollections of events may be ambiguous. Finally, the authors discuss the implications that constructivism holds for research and social action and advocacy. In sum, the authors recognize significant promise in the constructivist perspective, but caution clinicians to consider the inherent difficulties in a theory that relies on the relativity of truth.