Light and Dark Social Constructionism

Butt distinguishes the light form of social construction where the focus on interactions with others is on a micro-level compared to the dark form of social construction; the ways in which people conduct their day-today interactions, and hold conversations which jump from subject to another subject are focused on. Compared to the dark form of social construction, Butt mentions that it is more focused on the macro-level which emphasizes the concept of power. The self in the light (micro-level) form of social construction is tied to everyday discourse in interactions where the discourse is is the only reality and the possible multiple versions of the world of this construction exist, and none can be said to be more real or true than the other, and power, if related, is seen as the effect of the discourse and not the cause of it. The dark(macro-level) form of social construction acknowledges the construction of language but believes it to be originating from the ideology that fits with modern thinking.