Our Social Construction of Realities


We each are born into a social order that has already arrived at a “consensus reality”. We are the products of a social construction of reality (this is like a foundation or our core beliefs). Human beings are creatures of habit. These behaviors become habitual and soon become socially acceptable ways of behaving. They are socially agreed upon. After a while these socially agreed upon habitual ways of behaving become “legitimized”. After being legitimized for a while, they become unconscious. The unconscious legitimization gradually evolves into laws of reality. We no longer question them. We accept them. The laws of reality that emerged from our legitimized habituations are actually a ‘consensus reality’. This consensus reality is what we have all agreed on as constituting reality. A prominent part of every culture’s consensus reality is its notion of what a woman is. At birth it was decided how you and I must behave in order to be a real woman. These stereotyped roles are perfect (for having an unstable foundation one that will not hold up under pressure).

[i] Based on my reading of the book by John Bradshaw (1988), Healing the Shame That Binds You: (p. 84).

Your Foundation

Your foundational—core beliefs will determine what kind of life you will have. In order for you to have a whole, complete, and honest life you have to do away with the sub-class mentality. The idea that you were destined for the dung heap, that you were created less than human.

Traditional Psychotherapy, Counseling, and Counseling Techniques can only take you so far. Emotional pain and compulsive behaviors cannot be overcome by forcing yourself to practice “healthy habits.” Healing must take place from the inside (the core) then it will manifest itself on the outside and in your truly changed behavior and choices.



Minnie Patmon-McLaurin