Chapter 6 Self-test questions

. Which of these statements best defines social constructivism?

Social constructivism argues that security can be constructed, and that the human world is not given or natural but instead is a product of human actors.

Social constructivism only studies aspects of the international system that are based in the societal sphere, such as issues of poverty, race relations, and gender.

Societal constructivism is concerned with the study of 'natural' systems, hierarchies, and values that exist within the international system and which define its societies.

Social constructivism as a concept eludes definition; it is a group of loosely based theories and ideas rather than a specific political or scientific approach.

. Which of the following does not constitute a fundamental ontological principle of social constructivism?

Normative or ideational structures are important and matter as much as, if not more than, material structures.

Identities are important.

Anarchy is an inescapable feature of the international system.

Agents and structures are mutually constituted.

. What can social constructivism offer to the discipline of Security Studies?

The social constructivist perspective has been largely criticized in its failure to be applicable to contemporary conflict situations. The strength of the approach lies in its application to theories of social security.

Social constructivism supports realist theory and provides ontological clarification for some of the questions raised by the traditionalist approach.

The social constructivist perspective offers the possibility of moving beyond the logic of anarchy that underpins the realist approach to security studies.

Security studies is best approached using a social constructivist perspective, as this will aid the formulation of empirically testable theories and reveal truths about the international system for further investigation.

. Which of these statements concerning the study of identity is not applicable to social constructivism?

Identity defines actors, and tells us who they are, what their preferences and interests are, and how those preferences might inform their actions.

Identity is of fundamental importance to the social constructivist perspective because it is the basest principle in defining behaviour; it is a naturally bestowed quality comprised of certain unalterable behavioural characteristics.

The identities, interests, and behaviour of political agents are socially constructed by shared ideas, collective meaning, and interpretations and assumptions about the world.

Actors form their identity through interaction, which in turn defines the types of relationship formed between these actors.

. In which ways does realism differ from social constructivism in the theorization of identity within international relations?

Social constructivism employs theories of causality in the study of international relations, in addition to prioritizing the study of identity as a socially constructed theory. In contrast, realism regards state of actor behaviour in the international system to follow an 'action-response' pattern.

Realism regards identity as a crucial point for consideration in international relations. Realist theory is based on the assumption that identity informs behaviour.

Realism is based in the notion of causality whilst social constructivism relies on theories of identity that are based in intersubjective meanings.

Social constructivists regard the state as an independent unit whose behaviour is shaped by the requirements of the international system, whilst realists regard state interaction as being the natural progression of identity formulation.

. Which of these statements best defines the concepts of corporate and social identity?

An actor can have only one social identity, and this forms the basis for developing other identities. In contrast, an actor may have multiple corporate identities which vary in importance.

Corporate identity refers to the intrinsic, self-realized identity of an actor. Social identity refers to 'sets of meanings that an actor attributes to itself while taking the perspective of others'. Actors can have multiple social identities.

Corporate identity is a type of social identity that is constructed through the interaction of an actor with others within the international system.

Corporate identity refers to the way natural identity of an actor. Social identity, in contrast, is 'role' identity. An actor's social identity is formed through interaction and does not exist as an intrinsic concept.

. What is the relationship between culture and social constructivism?

Culture is commonly regarded as a set of practices that give meaning to shared experiences and actions; it can impact on how states see security and is crucial in constructing the values and rules that inform identity.

Culture is the product of shared identity and interaction, although it is important in understanding the dynamics of social identity, its wider reference to security studies is largely disputed.

Social constructivism does not regard culture as being an important feature to study, instead focusing on individualistic aspects of identity such as personal interests and ambition.

All of the above

. Considering Wendt's three cultures of anarchy; which of the following defines the Lockean culture?

A culture that exists some of the time, but not all the time, in which no self-restraint exists and actors cannot rely on each other for help

A culture characterized by rivalry, which has dominated since the beginning of the modern system of states and in which actors regard each other as rivals but exercise some restraint in violence

A culture characterized by friendship, where force and violence is eschewed in favour of cooperation in matters of security

A culture within which survival relies on military power, security dilemmas abound, and security is a zero-sum game.

. In what ways do theories of conventional and critical social constructivism differ?

Conventional constructivists view constructivism as a bridge between rationalist and reflectivist approaches, enabling both to benefit from the insights of the other. Conversely, critical constructivists argue that this approach simply reproduces the binary distinctions that characterize positivist methodology.

Critical constructivism regards the strength of social constructivism to be its ability to bridge rationalist and reflectivity approaches. Conversely, conventional constructivists regard this as an unhelpful regression to positivist binary frameworks of analysis.

Conventional constructivism refers to the earlier works of social constructivist theorists that are characterized by a rejection of positivist methodology. Critical constructivists challenge these theories, embracing positivist methodologies in their work.

Social constructivism is best understood as a uniform approach to the construction of social identities and security; although distinctions exist within the field, these are not easily defined as distinctive separate approaches.

. Which of these is not a widely articulated or valid criticism of constructivism?

Constructivism lacks the ability to empirically prove its theories.

The rationalist foundations of constructivism create difficulties in applying its theories within a changing international system.

By regarding the state as the most important actor, constructivism neglects internationalization in a globalized world.

Despite rejecting causality, constructivists simply replace the material trigger of causality with ideas.

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